When the Duchess of Cambridge got married on April 29, 2011, over 2 billion people watched the royal wedding. Fortunately, Kate did not disappoint. Her bridal gown was created by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen. It was made with hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly and was conceptualized by the Duchess herself.
Weddings gone mad!
Have a read of this article to help keep your costs under control!
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39716582
Getting wedding gifts is awesome! Writing thank-you notes—slightly less-fun. But your guests/gift-givers will love receiving these thoughtful notes! (And your Celebrant too, I LOVED receiving this beautiful thank you note from one of my cute couples!!)
You can make it fun though by choosing some cool stationery, cards or postcards that you can include your wedding day theming and photos from your big day. I found this cool site zazzle.co.nz which has loads of template designs to choose from.
And the Knot have got you covered with fool-proof tips and a cheat sheet of thank-you note wording.
You can’t put it off any longer. The last slice of cake has been eaten—you’ve even unpacked your honeymoon suitcases. It’s time to tackle those wedding thank-you notes. The task of writing a personal wedding thank-you note to 100-plus guests is definitely daunting, but do-able.
Your guests may have a year to send a wedding gift, but you don’t have that kind of time. For all gifts received before the wedding, thank-you notes should be sent within two weeks of their arrival. For all gifts received on or after your wedding, you have three months to show your gratitude with a thank-you card. We’ve got a complete wedding thank-you note survival guide—think of it as a friendly handhold for every step of the way—from wedding thank-you etiquette to how to write a thank-you note.
♥ Start Early
Wedding thank-you note prep starts months before you unwrap that first gift. Remember that guest list your whole family weighed in on? Do yourself a favor and make a copy of it. Add a column for gifts and wedding thank-you notes. This allows you to keep a record of what you’ve received (and from whom) while logging your note progress as you go. Who doesn’t love checking something off a list? It’s easy to think you’ve already sent a thank-you for your wedding gift when you’re penning so many notes—trust us. Best of all, you won’t have to hunt for your cousin’s mailing address.
♥ Stock Up
This is the fun part of thank-you note writing! Invest in some stationery that represents you as a couple, or pick up some simple white or ecru note cards. Thank-you notes never go out of style (and there are sure to be many gift-giving occasions thrown in your honor) so stock up shortly after you’re engaged. If you decide to personalize the notes, opt for first names only—it’s bad form to use your married monogram or shared last initial until your wedding is official. If you’ve chosen a wedding motif, like a maple leaf or geometric crest, consider using it in your social stationery too. A good roller ball pen will do wonders for penmanship. Stick with blue or black ink and make sure it won’t smear or bleed through your note cards. Lastly, buy a roll of Forever stamps, so you’re not hunting down postage every time you lick an envelope.
♥ Set Up Shop
Designate a “writing station” in your home—you’ll be more likely to pen wedding thank-you notes if you have a comfortable place to sit and all your supplies at the ready. If you don’t have a desk, keep your note cards near a table or hard surface. A glass of wine and some Spotify can really sweeten the deal.
♥ Get Down to Business
The rules dictate that every wedding gift deserves a thank-you note. Between saying “yes” and “I do,” you’ll be doing a lot of note writing. Wedding planning takes a lot of time—we get it—but we recommend penning notes as soon as wedding gifts start to arrive. This may mean before the wedding. And long after.
Don’t attempt to get them all done in one sitting. Instead, set aside 30 minutes every night to tackle your wedding thank-you note list. And remember the wedding gifts you’ve received were intended for you both. Regardless of who’s penning the thank-you notes, sign both of your names—unless, of course, you’re thanking your bestie for a lacy number received at your bachelorette party. To establish equality, divvy up the list and share the responsibility. Some couples divide the list down the middle, while others prefer to write notes to their extended family who may not know their future spouse as well. Do whatever works best for you.
♥ Pen the Perfect Note
Personalize your wedding thank-you note to reflect your relationship with the addressee and the gift they gave. You’ll never remember which vase Aunt Carol gave you, so use specifics: “the Waterford Lismore vase from our registry.” If you’ve been gifted money for your wedding, explain how you plan to use it, like we’re saving for our first house or we can’t wait to indulge at the spa on our honeymoon. Their presence was present too—don’t forget to thank your gift giver for attending your wedding and for thinking of you at this special time.
Not sure what to write in a wedding thank-you card? Suffering from writer’s block? We’ve got a few sample wedding thank-you notes to help.
A Wedding Gift Not From the Registry
Mention the wedding gift received and how you plan to use it.
Dear Brittany and John
Thank you so much for the crystal wine goblets. We now have a complete set—and you know how we love our wine! Adam and I are looking forward to your next visit, when we can enjoy a drink together. Thank you again for thinking of us!
All the best, Lauren and Adam
A Cash Wedding Gift
Avoid mentioning the amount of money given (a word like generous will do the trick), but do share how you plan to use it.
Dear Aunt Edna and Uncle Tom
Adam and I are so grateful for your generous gift. We’re one step closer to the bathroom remodel we plan to start this spring. It was so wonderful to have you celebrate alongside us at the wedding—thanks for making the trip. Looking forward to seeing you in Florida for Thanksgiving.
Much love, Lauren and Adam
A Group Wedding Gift
Send each member of the “group” an individual thank-you.
Dear Charlie
Thank you for the awesome backyard fire pit. We were counting down the days until our wedding, now we can count down until summer! We are so lucky to have such thoughtful friends. S’mores soon? Thanks again for thinking of us and celebrating this happy time in our lives.
Much love, Lauren and Adam
A Wedding Gift From Someone You Don’t Know
Acknowledge you’re strangers, but mention you look forward to meeting. Bonus points if you can connect them to a relative or friend.
Dear Mr. Brown
Thank you for the lovely crystal vase. It’s perfect for our entryway—I will nudge Adam to keep it filled with flowers. My Dad has spoken so fondly of you over the years. Adam and I look forward to meeting you at the wedding in a few weeks. Thank you for your kindness and for sharing in this exciting time in our lives.
Sincerely, Lauren and Adam
A Wedding Gift You Don’t Like
Focus the note around your general appreciation, not the wedding gift.
Dear Susan and Tom
Thank you for the colorful fluorescent lava lamps—so retro and fun! Every time we look at them we will think of you and remember this special time in our lives. Many thanks for sharing in our joy on our wedding day.
Fondly, Lauren and Adam
It is with great pleasure I share this photo with you!
My gorgeous friends Teresa and Mark tied the knot on Waiheke Island this weekend in a ceremony true to their personalities and style.
Our Groom waited (with a good dose of nerves) for his beautiful Bride, chauffeured in their cool American muscle car, who looked absolutely stunning like a fairytale princess!
It was even more exciting than usual officiating for friends and I was very happy to be part of their big day.
https://meadowlark.co.nz/diamond-guide
NZ based jewellery designers Meadowlark can custom design your engagement ring, check out there unique designs.
I didn’t see this tv show the first time around, but it’s repeated on a Sunday at the moment. I think the idea of an arranged marriage is both strange to me as a Western raised person and also sensible… providing both families make a good choice for the Bride and Groom… and they have had the chance to meet in person and have a final say!
Most of all though I am amazed at all the incredible colourful fashion loaded with bling.
Confetti is so much fun and looks great when captured on camera.
Remember – tell your Celebrant if you’re having confetti so they can remind your guests to get ready to toss in the air/blow/ring/wave…
Weddings are at their heart a lot of fun, a great party to celebrate a love story, so one of my favourite bits of the day is the waving off from the ceremony, throwing confetti all the way. Confetti often gets forgotten in the planning, or passed over as old-fashioned and passe, but nothing could be further from the truth – confetti has had a renaissance in the last couple of years and aside from the paper variety, a huge number of alternatives to confetti have appeared on the scene. So this morning we want to inspire you, so we’ve come up with a collection of 11 of our favourite alternatives to traditional rice or paper confetti, perfect ways to guests involved in making your grand exit as memorable as possible.
Image: Magnolia Pair via Snippet and Ink
Starting off simply, a twist on traditional confetti, how about throwing a little bit of glitter and sparkle with cute foil stars like the ones above from over on Somewhere Splendid? There’s also a brilliant little tutorial to show you how to recreate the cute pouch for holding the confetti. The pretty glitter filled heart idea from Elizabeth Kartchner also features a DIY so you too can create your own!
Paper confetti but not as you know it – one of the funniest ideas, sure to amuse both old and young is to go old school with paper planes. Handy for cleaning up afterwards, you could even write a message on them for your guests if you had lots of time (and graphic design abilities!). These versions featured on Southern Weddings captured by Corbin Gurkin and Lili Durkin.
Who can resist the fun of blowing bubbles! And to add a new spin – we love this idea of vintage keys as the bubble wand over on Style Me Pretty captured by Lisa Lefkowitz. Just a word of warning though – bubble liquid stains delicates so keep a safe distance from the over-enthusiastic guests with the wands to avoid messing the dress early on. (Couple shot by Stacy Reeves Photography).
Perfect if you don’t want to make to much of a mess why not have a balloon exit – just make sure you have your balloons filled with helium, otherwise they won’t bob up gracefully, they’ll flop to the ground! (Groom Sold Separately captured by Allison Davis Photography)
Demonstrative and decorative – get your guests to wave their happiness for the married couple with pretty ribbon wands like these captured by Natalie Shelton via Martha Stewart Weddings and Corbin Gurkin via Southern Weddings. A really simple DIY project – just tie lengths of ribbon in your chosen colours (go for 50cm-1m lengths) and have them ready at the back of the church. For ribbon suppliers in Ireland check out our list of Ireland’s best craft shops.
Probably the cutest of all the confetti alternatives, imagine the chimes of tiny tinkling bells to ring in the newly weds…Image captured by Beaux Arts Photographie.
For more natural confetti alternatives lavender seeds top the list. Not only eco-friendly, it smells great too! It blows away in the wind, leaving no mess. The above versions were captured by KT Merry Photography and Julianna Collett Photography via Style Me Pretty. You can buy lavender confetti from The Real Flower Confetti company who we featured recently in a Stuff We Love.
Not only eco friendly, but wildlife friendly, congratulate the love birds by tossing bird seed. Pop your seeds in a cute little pouch like the one above from Wood and Grain on Etsy or the cute Toss Me version from Emmaline Bride photographed by Kristina Hill Photography.
Leaves, who would have thought it!? Eco friendly and free! Great idea for an Autumn wedding. Drying the leaves in advance and store them in your shed (a job for the Mum or Dads methinks!) This idea comes from Green Wedding Shoes photographed by Lara Hotz Photography.
How adorable is this Pom Pom confetti captured by Wayne Yuan Photography which featured over on Style Me Pretty. Not the simplest to do, not the most eco-friendly but too cute not to include…
So, have we got you thinking? Confetti doesn’t have to be cheesy bits of tissue paper, it can really add to the fun of the celebration.
