DIY: Paper Flower Escort Cards / Name Settings

Nella from www.lostmykitty.etsy.com has generously shared more of her creative DIY wisdom with us in the form of these delicate paper flowers to use as escort cards or name settings.

They are such a pretty decoration, I am planning on giving these a go over the weekend- would love to see yours if you try them to. Have fun! xxx

And over to Nella....

What you will need:

• Craft paper 4” square
• Fabric leaves 2”
• Skeleton Leaves 2”
• Adhesive Glue
• Scissors
• Needle and Thread

Instructions:

Step 1: Draw a spiral on a 4 inch square. I’ve used 90 weight paper purchased at Jarrold’s though regular coloured craft paper would work equally well.

Step 2: Cut out the spiral along the lines you’ve drawn. If you’re really clever, cut out the spiral freehand. It will keep you from hunting down an eraser as I forced my husband to do for me.

Step 3: Roll the spiral from the outside.

Step 4: Use a spot of adhesive to glue the body of the flower onto the round bit left.

Now you’re finished with the flower!

Step 5: Use a pencil to faintly write your guests’ names in a pretty cursive. I’ve used pen for emphasis and don’t forget the table number for escort cards.

Step 6: Follow the lines using small stitches. You could also use paper if you are not so keen on sewing.

Step 7: Attach the skeleton leaf and your personalised leaf to the flower.

Martha Stewart may be able to make 100 of these in 15 minutes but for us mere mortals make a party of it with a bottle of champagne and a few friends – nothing like the promise of food and a mimosa to corale some slave labour - or you can always contact me through Etsy (Nella, www.lostmykitty.etsy.com).

Real Wedding: Nathaniel and Tamara at Lillibrooke Manor, Maidenhead, Berkshire

Late this summer we co-ordinated Tamara and Nathaniel's wedding at St Lukes Church and Lillibrooke Manor in Maidenhead, Berkshire. These fantastic shots were captured by the incredibly artistic Jamie Thompson from Studio Rouge.

Tamara and Nathaniel had planned the perfect wedding, but wanted the peace of mind that the logistics were managed to ensure it became a reality on the day.
We met a year before their wedding and were in regular contact to provide supplier suggestions. Closer to their wedding we extensively discussed the day's arrangements. Following this meeting we produced a wedding day plan and a timings schedule, then spoke to and confirmed the details with all the suppliers.

Tamara paid great attention to detail with lots of special Zimbabwean touches that made their day meaningful, from the invitation design to the family wedding car, sourcing the national flower to relabelling the bottles of wine and the cake topper to the favours; there was a whole host of personal touches that made for an extra special day. During the week of the wedding we reviewed the final plans and timings together as well as collecting and storing all of their decoration items.

On the morning we decorated the church and Lillibrooke Manor, see the video of the set up here. Luckily we were equipped with our emergency kit with our ivory umbrella to hand when the rain came. We greeted all of the suppliers and supported their set up, organised the guests going to the buffet table, helped book taxis, stored the veil, moved garden games and liaised with the best man for announcements amongst many other things.

Being the point of contact on the wedding day ensured everything went smoothly and relieved the couple of any stress.

Wishing you both a wonderful married life together filled with much love and happiness x

Credits
Photography: Studio Rouge
Videographer: Capture the Day
String trio: Giardino Strings
Caterers: Complete Catering
DJ: Sound Bookings
Cake: Especially Delicious

Top 20 time saving tips - Part 2

Further to our recent top ten tips on saving time when planning your wedding, here are another ten suggestions:

11. High street bridesmaids

There are lots of dresses in high street shops such as Debenhams, Coast and House of Fraser that are just as gorgeous as any bridal shop ones, but without the time delay of ordering the dresses in.

12. Use a Wedding Planner

Ask an expert to create shortlists for suppliers you are having specific trouble sourcing. They will know of reputable local companies and may even be able to negotiate you a better rate.

13. Manage your RSVPs

Send a stamped self addressed envelope if you are mailing RSVP cards with your invites to speed up the replies. Or quicker still use an online RSVP option on a wedding website.

14. Back to basics

Skip some of the unnecessary tasks, such as having wedding favours, that can take a lot of hours to find and you may not feel are critical.

15. Thank you notes

Write your thank you notes as you receive gifts to save having a long list to complete when you return from your honeymoon.

16. Venue styling

Save time on the day by using wedding decorators to set-up and remove the decorations for you.

17. Pre ceremony photo shoot

Meet with your husband-to-be before the wedding ceremony for a photo shoot to save time after the ceremony, leaving you to relax and enjoy the arrival drinks with your guests.

18. Cheat with the cake cutting

Have an extra cake in the kitchen that your caterers can pre-cut so after your cake cutting ceremony is complete they can serve the cake much faster.

19. Skip a receiving line

Depending on how many guest you have these can take a huge amount of time, a less formal way would be to visit each table between courses during the meal.

20. Keep storage simple

Have a room aside to keep everything related to your wedding in- so everyone know where to put things after they have been used and most importantly where to go to pack everything up swiftly at the end of the day.

Photo credit: A SugarBlossom wedding at Brockhurst School, Newbury by Francis Beaumont

Top 20 time-saving options- Part 1

Time-saving options to help you plan your wedding if time is tight.

Are you struggling to find the time to fit planning your wedding into a busy lifestyle?

1. A focused checklist Work out what needs to be done in what order to prioritise your time, always start by finding your venue and booking the registrar/church to get a date confirmed.

2. Know your budget Before you start looking for the perfect wedding dress, flowers etc.. make sure you know what your budget is to save time further down the line having to rethink what you can afford.

3. Decide on your guest list Scribble down a rough idea of numbers to invite for the day and even to help direct you when making your venue choice, this may rule some options out straight away.

4. Wedding fairs Local wedding fairs can be a great inspiration at the start of your planning. Wear 'comfy' shoes and bring friendly support to help collect all the information to browse through at home.

5. Surf the web Visit supplier websites to find pricing, see portfolios of work, and read testimonials to build a shortlist before spending time calling or meeting with lots of different suppliers.

6. Wedding chat rooms Sites such as www.youandyourwedding.co.uk are a great place to meet with other likeminded brides to ask questions for quick answers or pick up new ideas.

7. One email fits all Once you have found a selection of suppliers online you can draft an email with all your questions to copy and email to multiple companies. This approach will save time calling each person and help get consistent replies to compare.

8. Let your friends and family help Make a list of things that need to be done (but not necessarily by you) and delegate! Your bridal party can help make phone calls, prepare invitations, do odd jobs when you need them.

9. Meetings at your house Most suppliers will be more than happy to come to you to meet to save you time driving between locations.

10. Referrals Sharing tips on excellent service providers with recently married friends will give you piece of mind that everything will run smoothly on your special day.

Look out for the next 10 time saving tips!

Photo credit: A SugarBlossom wedding at Englemere, Ascot by Neale James at www.breathepictures.com