Sunday 22 February 2015

Don't forget to RSVP!

You've got engaged, got the ring, enjoying the excitement of the wedding bubble and then it won't be long before you are asked 'what's the date?' A wedding date can depend on many factors, the season (Summer being one of the most popular time for couples), expense (getting married out of season can be a cheaper option) and sentimental (getting married on a particular date which means something to the couple). I always imagined getting married in Spring, April or May time but we ended up getting married in October! We had returned from travelling in October 2013 and as soon as we were back getting married was the next thing on our mind. Saving and planning for a wedding on my original desired date of April or May 2014 was not practical. We both didn't want a long engagement where we waited until Spring 2015 so our only option was to pick another date for 2014. Autumn was another favourite season of mine so we decided on October half term, keeping in mind that this date might be easier for family and friends with kids who were travelling from further a field. Yes the wedding date should definable suit the special couple but to avoid any disappointment of unattended guests keep in mind what is happening around your chosen date, this can make life easier for a lot of people plus your guests will appreciate it ;-)    

I decided to make my own wedding invitations, I always said I would because its something I like doing plus it was a cheaper option. Whilst looking for inspiration on how to make my wedding invitations I was overwhelmed with the options, plus we had not really decided on a colour scheme yet (did my invitations need to match the colour scheme?) I was a bit unsure on the protocol. In the end I decided to make invitations that I though looked pretty and that were simple (when making 100 plus wedding invitations simple is a good idea, otherwise you could be making invitations past your wedding day)! I bough materials from local craft shops to make the A5 wedding invitation cards. On one side there was a block of floral wrapping paper I bought from a shop and on the other side was some typed text with the formal invitation; I finished of the card with a simple piece of ribbon wrapped around the invitation. The whole process included a lot of cutting and sticking but once I started it didn't take long to get a collection of wedding invitations together.




One thing which I found really useful to include in our wedding invitation was a piece of simple A4 paper with additional information about the wedding. This included church, reception and accommodation address; time scale and distance from one venue to the next; any dietary requirements; local taxi numbers and our contact numbers for any questions. I received a positive response from guests regarding the additional information I provided, it's easy to assume everyone knows where they are going and what they are doing but not everyone does (especially if they are not local). Guests can simply pop the piece of paper in their pocket or purse and this can act as a guide for your wedding day every step of they way. If you don't want to include an information sheet in the formal wedding invitation how about sending your guests an email instead. Getting a response from your guests can be a bit difficult at the best of times, people either assume you know they are going or the busyness of life can mean that RSVP has been misplaced. For our wedding we set up an email address especially for our guests to RSVP. I think it worked very well as most people now spend a lot of time on their phone or computer so emailing a RSVP at the press of a button is easy peasy, it doesn't cost anything and it saved me having to make RSVP cards ;-) We kept our wedding invitations very minimal to save on cost but by making your own invitations means you can incorporate anything! I chose floral pattern paper but there are so many cool wrapping papers out there with a good quality thickness to make your design strong and durable. Your wedding invitation is your first opportunity to make your wedding personal to you both and to reflect your personality so make the most of it! :-)          














Sunday 15 February 2015

Happy V Day!



I don't know if it's just me or did Valentine's Day seem a bit more explosive this year than any before! Don't get me wrong I do love the excuse to be extra romantic, as well as the exchanging of cards and gifts; but the amount of people in every card shop did scare me slightly. However I did 'love' this display of letters whilst out shopping yesterday, people were defiantly feeling the love as they had a selfie next to it :-) However you spent your Valentine's Day I hope you got spoilt lots, whether it be from your partner, parent, friend or a secret admire!



Valentine's Day this year naturally made me think about my wedding day and all the memories that are connected with the day. For me weddings are all about memories, combining a couples history and bringing it all together for family and friends to share. With a little bit of imagination memories can be a big part of any wedding day and it can make the day even more special. Including a couples history within their wedding day can be done in a variety of subtle ways and doesn't mean overpowering your guests with baby photos of the bride and groom as they eat their soup ;-) We had a number of things on our wedding day which reflected our time together prior to becoming Mr & Mrs. The first things was our table names; we had originally got together over 10 years ago whilst at Sixth Form College, the year was 2004 and it would be another good year before we built up the courage to eat in front of each other (this was my fault really and my biggest regret will always be going to Nandos on our first date and ordering a salad as I thought it was the least messiest thing to eat, that would not happen now I tell ya)! Each table represented a year of our time together from when we first got together in 2004 to the current year 2014. We liked the idea because it was something personal to us, not too obvious to our guests and it was simple. This is where my wine bottles came into a role of their own as I decorated them in years 2004 - 2014, finished off with a tall candle for decoration.

I love photos! Especially looking back at old photos. My Grandparents house in Ireland has a cabinet full of old albums, there are photos in there from years ago and my favourite thing to do is to spend time looking through them. My grandparents aren't there any more but I love how their presence is still felt due to the photos still there, not only in the albums but there are wedding photos of their children all over the wall and another cabinet covered in photos of their grandchildren. It's still so lovely to see :-) There were lots of photos at our wedding but we chose to display them in the form of a slideshow. We had seen this done at other weddings and it's something we always said we would try and do. Well on this occasion it was our friend and Liam's groomsman who made the slideshow. He done a really good job with the slideshow, combining old photos of us with friends and family, complimented with some of our favourite songs. I would recommend this idea for any wedding, it was really fun to watch and it gave our family and friends an opportunity to see different parts of out life. Weddings often bring together family and friends from different parts of a couples life and more than likely not everyone knows each others. Photos and a slideshow can bridge this gap and help the guests to feels more involved with the wedding day. We also had on display a couple of photo's of our parents on their wedding day, these were simply put in a frame and placed next to the wedding cake for all to see. This idea can apply to grandparents, aunts, uncles or any special couple that is connected to the wedding couple. Again combining the old with the new is always a winning concept for me.















Tuesday 10 February 2015

Beautiful Jars

This weeks post is a little late but hopefully you will find it worth the wait :-)

Jam, pasta sauce, pickled onions, dip and wine; whatever the content I was after your jars leading up to my wedding day (I was very good at collecting the wine bottles)! I chose glass jars of all shapes and sizes to be the centre pieces for my table decorations. I chose this idea because not only did they fit in well with my vintage theme but they were easy to get hold of, recycled so they cost nothing and they were a great canvas for any design I wanted. (I just have to point out that I feel like I'm saying 'I' a lot when talking about 'our' wedding, but I promise my husband did have some input in the wedding day.) Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it ;-) Anyway back to the jars.. It was really nice to see how many friends and family contributed to my collection and collecting all of the jars we needed on my own would have taken much longer. In total we had 12 tables for our guests and 1 top table. Each table had on average 4 jars of different shapes and sizes, as well as 4 clusters of jars on the top table. That equalled to about 60 jars and not including the random jars I had scattered around the room on some of the shelves and side tables. Whilst packed away in boxes in my sitting room it looked like we had hundreds of jars but when you unpack them and start spreading them out you realise that you need a lot more than you think to fill a wedding reception room. However on this occasion I had just enough jars and a couple left over to fill every spot in the room.

The process of decorating each jar to transform into a beautiful table decoration I really enjoyed. I know this might not be everyone's idea of a fun Saturday night in but for me I loved it. If you like the idea of making your own centre pieces but don't think you'd find it as easy or fun as me then get others on board to make it fun! You could ask your bridesmaids, family members or even your future husband to get involved making and creating (not forgetting a bottle of wine to help the creativity)! I decorated the majority of my jars over one weekend so you can get a lot done in a short amount of time, plus its a nice way to get others involved with your special day. I chose very simple materials of ribbon and lace to decorate each jar, sticking the material onto each jar with ordinary PVA glue. I picked up the various pieces or ribbon and lace from local shops and markets, the material was as cheap as chips and when combined with the jars I think they looked much more expensive than they actually were. I didn't want to over complicate the table's or have it looking too messy so I selected four colours and stuck to them whilst decorating the jars. I chose colours that complimented the wedding theme but I didn't want it to be too overpowering, less is always more! I complimented the jars with candles and Gypsophila flowers. Again not expensive purchases but they really made a difference to the overall effect. My philosophy of combining old with the new really played a part with the table decorations. Where we saved money on the jars I chose to spend our money on beautiful chair covers and Hessian lace table runners to really bring the room together. Everything complimented each other really well and having a friendly face to do the chairs and table runners really helped with the preparation. No matter how organised you are you will need help leading up to the big day, big or small any help that is offered don't be afraid to say yes please! :-)

Being a creative person I felt a great sense of achievement once the table decorations had been completed. However I think anyone would feel the same, creative or not so creative. Adding that personal touch to your wedding day really makes it feel more special, even if it's the smallest thing. Now I bet you're thinking what did I do with all those jars after the wedding day?! Well they made great wedding presents, favours or whatever you want to call it for our guests. People were very welcome to take a few jars as souvenirs and if they weren't taken on the day I handed them out to friends and family after. Jars may not be your thing but I hope this read inspires you to think what you could make and create towards your own wedding day or what potential table decorations you could find?






                                                                 
 













Sunday 1 February 2015

Liebster Award Nomination!


This week I would like to thank Denise Sweeney from Dee-Termined To Glam & Glow for nominating me for the Liebster Award. I am very new to the blog scene so this is a great way to get my blog out there and learn about other bloggers. 

http://deeterminedtoglamandglow.blogspot.ie/

My Questions

How did you come to choose the name for your blog?
I decided on 'Make My Day' because it reflected the hard work which is required for any wedding day. I though the play on words was fun, light hearted and had a personal reference to me as there was a lot of craft making towards my own wedding day.

Where would you like to see your blog going in the next 5 years?
5 years is a long time away but I would be happy if people were still reading, sharing and gaining ideas towards their own wedding day. It's still early days but I'd love to develop my creativeness into the real world of weddings and wedding decoration, even as a hobby :-)

What is your guilty pleasure?
Watching repeats of Sex and the City, whilst drinking tea and eating chocolate. I never get sick of that show!

If you were stranded on a desert island name 5 things that you would not live without?
Carmex lip balm, hair grips, pen, paper and Liam of course (yes I know that's too cheesy)!

If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go?
I'd love to visit Canada or to return to Asia so I could explore it properly.

If money was no object what would you do first?
Buy a new bed, we've been meaning to get one for ages but the whole experience is more complicated than you think!(I love sleeping) :-) Then I would build a beautiful house in the country before jetting off on a fun filled adventure around the world. Yay, sounds fun!

What is your favourite time of year?
Autumn defiantly! I love the seasonal colours, the build up to Halloween, Bon Fire Night and then Christmas; as well as it is now my wedding anniversary.

What's the best piece of advise that you have been given?
Don't argue with a drunk man (or woman)!

Who do you look up to most in life?
My dad... he doesn't say much but what he does say is valuable.

Dead or alive what celebrity would you most like to meet?
Patrick Swayze.

Why?
So he could teach me how to dance and how to do the lift!

11 Random Facts About Me

1. I have a Degree in Visual Art with Education Studies

2. I've visited 13 other countries so far in my life, I can't really pick a favourite from them all so I think the best is still to come :-)

3. I was apart of a running club as a child where I ran at cross country, 800 meters and in the relay team. I really wish I kept this up so I could have tried to be the next Paula Radcliffe ;-) and I can't watch the Olympics or any running competition without a huge sigh of jealousy #shouldawouldacoulda

4. I have ran the Birmingham half marathon.

5. I have cousins who are triplets and 2 sets of twins on the same side of my family, this often causes Liam to go into a cold sweat!

6. I still have the same group of friends which I had at school, people outside this group often find this a bit surprising.

7. I was named after my nan, although she died before I was born.

8. It took me 5 times to pass my driving test!

9. I've volunteered at Birmingham Children's Oncology Department, delivering art activities to children and families to reduce any stress.

10. I love watching crime watch.

11. I have suffered from anxiety, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) for most of my teens and parts of my adult life. Not as easy as a broken leg to fix but still just as painful.


I would like to nominate the following...
https://carols10000feettriplechallenge.wordpress.com/

Here are your questions.

1. What inspired you to do a blog?
2. What's your favourite food?
3. What's the last book you read?
4. Where would you most like to visit in the world?
5. What are your favourite hobbies?
6. What's your proudest achievement?
7. How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
8. Who is your idol?
9. What's your ideal dream job?
10. What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?
11. If someone made a movie about your life who would play you?

The rules of the Liebster Award are as follows:

  • Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.
  • Display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”. (Note that the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post.)
  • Answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.
  • Provide 11 random facts about yourself.
  • Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have less than 200 followers.
  • Create a new list of questions for the blogger to answer.
  • List these rules in your post. Once you have written and published it, you then have to:
  • Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!)

Thank you again Denise for the nomination and I hope everyone else enjoyed the read. I'll be back with my next post next week, I'm really excited to share with you my table decoration ideas!












Sunday 25 January 2015

To meringue or not to meringue...?!

Silk, Lace, Crystal Embellishment, Ribbon or even Tartan; whatever your style 'The Dress' is a big deal to any wedding day. I found my wedding dress in a vintage shop in Perth Australia whist on a working 'holiday' visa with my husband. I say the word holiday loosely as the majority of our time was spent working, especially whilst we were in Perth. When we weren't working we spent the majority of our time taking in the local sights, Aussie beer and me dragging Liam into random shops. On our first day in Perth Liam and I took a wonder around, trying to familiarise ourselves with the place that was going to be our home for the next 3 months. To our surprise it was raining, yes it was their Winter and we had just left a boiling hot Summer on the other side of the world but no one had told me it rained in Australia! Not just any old little bit of rain but it was pouring! We looked like typical tourists in our flip flops (thongs as they are known to the Aussies), shorts and factor 50 in my bag, if we didn't laugh we would have cried as this rain lasted a good few weeks. Gutted! Anyway back to our first day... we wondered into Northbridge, an area right in the heart of Perth City Centre. Northbridge had lots of bars, restaurants and my favourite; vintage shops. Often the term vintage can be a bit of a joke because honestly anything can be vintage now depending on how you perceive it. Calling something vintage because it is old or used I don't always think works but when you find something that is unique, preserved and with a history behind it that's when I think it deserves to be labelled vintage :-)

I loved my wedding dress as soon as I saw it! The shop was called Two Up Vintage and it was just by chance that Liam and I wondered in. Each collection of clothes had been separated into different colours, I always like wearing light colours so I wondered over to the clothes rail of cream and whites. I browsed through each item of clothing and then a off white lace dress caught my eye. My first reaction was '"look Liam wouldn't this make the perfect wedding dress?!" Thinking back if I knew this was going to be my actual wedding dress I wouldn't have shown it to the groom, duh! However in my defence I had no other family or friends with me to share my excitement, plus I can't keep a secret. So Liam did what most males would do and responded with "I'll wait outside while you try it on". I was very lucky because as soon as I tried on the dress it fitted me perfectly. I was really keen to show someone apart from Liam so I asked the shop assistant for her opinion and I asked her to take a photo of me in the dress to send home. I fell in love with the dress even more when she said it was made in the 50's and original purchased in America, I would love to know the history behind it. The following few days consisted of me trying on the dress a number of times to make sure I really liked it, as well as out of fear that someone else would buy it and steel it from me. Every bride-to-be worst nightmare come true! Then to my relief the owner advised me that I can give a deposit towards the dress and then pay it off over the next few weeks. Happy tourist! I fully purchased my dress 3 weeks later and it was given to me in an everyday blue carrier bag (to my horror). I know it was a vintage shop but I felt really sad having to carry my beautiful dress in a carrier bag! I had images that I would always leave the shop where I bought my wedding dress from carrying beautiful ribbon boxes and me a bit tipsy after taking advantage of the complementary champaign. Yes I was being a snob, but my happiness returned as I headed to the post office and carefully packed my wedding dress into a box and sent it on it's was to Sunny England.  

I always like sharing this story with others because I think it's a perfect example that your wedding dress should be what you want and not what others want you to have. I also feel proud of the fact that I bought this dress on my own and that I found it. My mom to be fair was a little bit disappointed that I had bought a wedding dress that she had not yet seen but when I got home I shared my story with her and I still got her and others involved with the dress. I brought my dress to a brilliant wedding shop where I purchased my veil, headband and where they advised me on some alterations. I still got to experience the fun and tradition of being in a wedding shop with my family and friends but at half the price! I really enjoyed combining the old with the new, choosing new accessories which complimented my dress and that added a bit of bridal sparkle. I imagine that there are some wedding shops which would not want your custom if you had not purchased your dress from them but I think if they turn you away then they are not worth going too. You might think that finding your wedding dress in a vintage shop is defiantly not for you or your style, but don't disregard it straight away! There are some really high quality vintage shops and hidden treasures out there, that even if you don't find a wedding dress you might gain some ideas towards the dress you do want. If you know someone who can make dresses ask them if they would be interested in making your wedding dress? There are some great materials in shops out there, especially lace (my favourite); a lot of old dresses have really strong and beautiful fabric that could be used to make your perfect gown. I believe in mixing the old with the new and that concept continued through most of my wedding preparation. Wedding dress shopping can be stressful, making sure you have invited everyone and having to plan different shopping trips with various family and friends so not to disappoint anyone; as well as the conflicting opinions. STOP! Headache already ;-) My advise is it is OK to shop for a wedding dress on your own if you want too. Figuring out in your own head what you want before the excitement of everyone else worked well for me. Everyone has their own opinion and what I loved about my dress others might not think the same but that's OK. So that was my wedding dress shopping experience, everyone has their own but I hope this will help you. Happy Shopping! :-)

 
The first photo of me wearing my wedding dress at https://www.facebook.com/TwoUpVintage





















Sunday 18 January 2015

Have you got a wedding on the horizon???

If it's not you then most likely you know someone who is. Whether it be a sibling, cousin, distant relative or your best friend; wedding fever is huge!! Over the past few years I have been to a number of weddings and this year alone I have 4 jotted down in my diary. How many have you got scheduled for this year? Each and every wedding I've attended has been wonderful and it is such a honour to be invited to one of the most important days of a couples life. I took the big plunge last year to my childhood sweetheart which I first started going out with 11 years ago! Yes even at the prime age of 28 that figure can make me feel old :-) Getting married has so far been the single most biggest event of my life and the preparation for that day is an adventure on its own! Love it or hate it but wedding planning is an essential part of getting married, whether you choose a castle or a barn to say 'I do'. 
Make My Day is a blog to inspire you how to make your wedding day perfectly yours through creative fun and on a budget! I had so much fun making confetti cones to table decorations for my own wedding that I want to share my ideas with you :-) Even if you don't think of yourself as being a creative person I can still help you think outside the box when planning your wedding celebration. Wedding planning can be stressful but only if you let it! I hope this blog will give you ideas towards your own wedding celebration and that my experience will help you to get creative whatever your style. Weddings are a great opportunity to get family and friends together so don't forget to call upon these lovely people to help build your perfect day. Happy planning!!