Tag Archives: bridesmaids

Bridesmaid Invitations; will you be my bridesmaid

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Ailbhe

I had my bridesmaids picked out in my head for a while, but was trying to think of a nice personal way to ask them. I decided to make ‘will you be my bridesmaid?’ invitations. I love designing invitations and I love getting crafty but rarely have time to do it anymore, so this was a great opportunity! Whats more I had so much fun that it has inspired us to create some fun products for the Pretty as a Picture Shop including bridesmaids invitations and calling cards that can personalised for yourself or for friends as a great gift.

DIY Bridesmaid Invitation

I had come across some vintage bridesmaid patterns and loved the illustrations on the cover, they reminded me of those old school Bunty and Cindy magazines!

Inspired by 70′s fashion illustrations

I started off getting a photo of each of them (facebook can be handy!) and doing an illustration of us all in those style dresses.

Pen and watercolour illustrations

Next I wanted to get that old comic dotted print effect so I found this tutorial online.

Grainy dotted effect

Next I designed the background image and text and printed it out. I followed a really simple pop up card tutorial and put two horizontal slits in the back of the card. I stuck a piece of blue card on top of this to cover the slits. I mounted the simple ‘Will you..’ on to the top.

Pop up card

I carefully selected my wedding colours from some paint sample strips I had and used them to ask them their dress colour preference. (I got mine in Woodies)
I also did up a little RSVP card to match.

Main bridesmaid invitation

I finished it off by sealing the envelope with a mini oval portrait of each of the girls.

Final invitation suite!

Thanks to all my bridesmaid for saying ‘yes!’ I’ve promised not to put them in the lovely dresses they are sporting in these drawings!!

Want to ask your bridesmaids to partake in your wedding in a special way? Order your personalised bridesmaid invitations today!

Posted in My Engagement Diary, Weddings | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Wedding Timeline; 12 months to go

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Amy

Its 12 months before your wedding!!  Hopefully you have been really enjoying your engagement and are now ready to get stuck into planning! To help, we have developed a Wedding Planning Timeline which will carry you through to your big day! So here are the important first steps -read on and print out our detailed checklist to be completed by you and your fiance over the next couple of months. Good luck x

Website/ Email specially dedicated to your wedding
When planning a wedding you will be in contact with numerous vendors, friends, family etc so it is so important that you keep super organised! A wedding website/ email specially dedicated to all online correspondence relating to your wedding is a great way to keep everything in one place.

Budget
Deciding on a budget is a really important step in the wedding planning process, needless to say your budget will have an affect on a lot of your decisions. If you have no idea of what costs might be then it is a good idea to talk to friends who have organised a wedding before and also to obtain a few quotes from various wedding vendors first, that way your budget will be more realistic!


 

Guest List
Compiling your guest list will probably prove to be one of the hardest tasks during the wewhole process. After you decide on a budget but before you pick a location you will need to come up with at least a first round headcount.  Start with you and your fiances list’s, then add both parents list’s. Your budget will often determine the amount of guests, so if you already know the amount of guests you can invite then tell your parents before they make their list’s.Remember anyone left off the list can always be invited to the evening reception.

Bridal Party
Choose close friends and family members who will support you during the wedding planning process to be in your Bridal Party. Generally Bridal Parties would include a Maid of Honour, Bestman, Groomsmen, Bridesmaids, Flower Girl and Page Boy/ Ringbearer but this is your wedding so you can include/ exclude any of the positions.

Tip: If you can’t include everyone you would like to in the Bridal Party why not consider them for a reading.

 

 

Location Location Location
OK so for some of you the whole wedding will be planned around your dream location but if not don’t worry, choosing your wedding location can be a lot of fun! There are dozens of types of venues–outdoor, indoor, formal, casual, modern and traditional. The key is to find a venue that compliments your style and vision, whilst considering your budget, guest numbers. Make sure to discuss parking and accommodation options with your venue and to book a rehearsal time at your ceremony location.

Wedding Dress
Its a good idea to start looking for the perfect wedding dress around 10-12 months in advance of your big day as it will usually take up to five months for your dress to arrive once ordered (custom dresses may take longer). Start browsing through pictures of wedding dresses in magazines, brochures and websites. Decide on your budget, style and colour. Then make appointments to try on your favourites. See our favourite wedding dress pictures from New York Fashion Week here

Photographers
Research photographers and browse through their galleries to get an idea of the style you like. Make a short-list of the ones you like for interview/ price quote.

Band / DJ
Research and book your band and/or DJ.

Save the Date Guest List
A Save the Date is a card sent to your guests around 9months in advance of your wedding to let them know that they are to be invited and should literally ‘save the date’.  This allows guests to plan travel arrangements, accommodation, holidays, childcare etc. and is particularly useful when you have a lot of out of town/ overseas guests or if your wedding is taking place over holidays. Wouldn’t it be very disappointing to think that more of your family and friends could have come to your wedding if only they were given more notice! Get working on a list of guests to receive a save the date at the 9month mark. You don’t have to send a save the date to everyone who will be invited, but everyone who receives a save the date must receive an invitation. 

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Wedding Planning Timeline; 9 months to go..

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Amy

With just 9 months to go to your wedding, your guest list is drafted and your venue is picked! So now to the next stage of our wedding timeline, which will take you through all the wedding planning required for the next couple of months. See 12 month’s to go if you missed it to make sure you’re on schedule.  Once your Save the Date card’s are sent and you know your wedding is marked on your loved ones calenders, its time finalise your wedding colours and theme so you can research wedding flowers and décor then hit the shops and make sure and make sure you and your bridesmaids will be looking fabulous! After all of that you’ll be glad to sit and relax while searching exotic locations for your honeymoon. So read on and print out our detailed checklist to be completed by you and your fiance over the next couple of months.Happy Planning!!

Send Save the Date Cards
Its time to send a Save the Date card to guests who you want to ensure will have enough notice to attend your wedding, particularly out of town/ overseas guests.  Further into the wedding planning process you will choose a wedding invitation suite which is a set of complimentary pieces, so if you are decided on your theme/ colour scheme it would be a nice touch to co-ordinate your Save the Date’s, but don’t worry if you haven’t decided on any of that at this stage, it is not necessary! In terms of etiquette and wording save the dates are usually a lot less formal than the main invitation and couples often just put their wedding website/email on to the save the date. See save the date wording ideas here

 

Aberdeen Save the Date with matching stationery suite.

Finalise Wedding Colours/ Theme
The possibilities are endless when it comes to choosing your wedding colours! You may have an idea of colour combinations you like from the inspiration process but when making the final decision on colours it is important to consider your chosen venue too i.e. what colours are the carpets, walls etc.

 

 

Flowers
Flowers are a beautiful way to decorate both your ceremony and reception. Start to research and find flower ideas for your wedding by browsing pictures of wedding flowers and bouquets for inspiration. When flower/ flower decor ideas are finalised start to interview and obtain quotes from florists before making selection.


 

Hit the Shops
Its time to make sure your bridesmaids will be looking as superb as you will!
Shop for bridesmaids dresses using your chosen colour(s)/ theme. Purchase bridal accessories too.

Honeymoon
You can start researching honeymoon locations! Check passports/ visa/ vaccination requirements.

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Wedding Planning Timeline; 5 months to go

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Amy

Your wedding day is only 5 months away!! Guest list-check.Invitations and stationery- check. (Not on schedule? See 6 Months to go checklist). OK so for the next stage of your wedding planning timeline its finally time to start sampling wedding cake!! The wedding cake is a centre piece for your reception, so give yourselves plenty of time for research..and tasting..to ensure its perfect! Hopefully you and your fiance are looking forward to your hen/ stag parties which you’ll need to start booking. Have some fun with this, because then its time to get all of the paperwork out of the way. So read on and if you haven’t already, print out our detailed checklist to be completed by you and your fiance over the next couple of months.Happy Planning!!

Wedding Cake
Ideally have your order in 4 months in advance. With your wedding style and colours in mind begin the search by browsing pictures on websites, magazines etc. When you have found images of cakes you like you can start to contact and meet with bakers in your area, bringing with you the images/ideas to show them.

Wedding Cake, Mini Cakes


Wedding Rings
Shop for wedding rings with your fiance.  You will both be wearing the rings for a long time so its important to be happy with your selection.

Grooms Wear
Time for the groom to get his bestman, groomsmen and both fathers together to choose and be fitted for suit/tuxedo (depending on the formality). Colour can be introduced in waistcoats , cravats, ties/ bow-ties, cufflinks, socks etc.



Bridesmaids Accessories
Decide on accessories for your bridesmaids!

 

Hen/ Stag
Both you and your fiance must choose dates and book.

 

Organise legalities and church paperwork

Readings family and friends
Select and  family and friend to take part in the ceremony.

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Bridesmaids Movie

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Amy

I had been dying to see this movie since the trailers came out so when my friend asked me to go over the weekend I jumped at the chance, and it was the perfect movie for a girls night!!

Bridesmaids is so hilariously funny, we giggled the whole way through all the disastrous events of bride Lillian’s wedding as we followed the competition to be maid of honour between unlucky, broke, depressed Annie and rich, beautiful Helen.


Rivals Annie & Helen

Now I am yet to plan a wedding, but I am fully aware that it can be a stressful time which is why I would recommend any ‘bride to be’ to go this movie with your bridesmaid’s because I can confidently bet that it will make your wedding planning seem a piece of cake and it should also serve as a good guide to your bridesmaids for what not to do :)

Bridesmaids is in cinemas now-don’t forget to tell us what you thought of the movie and who you went to see it with.

Photos- facebook.com/bridesmaids

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My Engagement-Bridesmaid Dress Inspiration

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Ailbhe

Seeing as it’s coming up to the time where I’m to pick my bridesmaids, I thought I would dedicate this post entirely to Bridesmaid dress inspiration!
To start, here are a few bridesmaids that have featured in our favourite on screen weddings!

From Top Left: My Best Friend’s Girl, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Wedding Crashers, 27 Dresses, I Love you, Man, Friends, Sex in the City, Bridesmaids.

Here are a few dresses I’ve picked out based on my colour scheme.


From top left: Turquoise Dress-Jim Hjelm, Gold Dress-Bari Jay, Turquoise Dress-Jim Hjelm, Coral Dress-ASOS, Gold dress-Jim Hjelm, Gold Dress-at B Couture, Peach dress-Jennifer Lopez

I’m really loving the mismatched bridesmaid dress trend at the moment, I’m hoping to have 3 bridesmaids so one in each colour would be perfect! here are a few pretty examples :


From top left:1,2, 3, 4,

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