The Occasional Word

Amber & Hayden celebrate at the Auckland Museum

We love the Auckland museum - it's perfect for the bride & groom that are looking for a contemporary and chic space for their big day. Amber & Hayden got married at the Kings College chapel followed by a reception in the Auckland Museum Event Centre.

I love this palette of white & silver with pretty lavender tones - don't you think it's just that perfect mix of prettyness with elegance & sophistication? 

Amber really wanted to set the scene with style so we worked with her to design a custom stationery suite in her palette. We combined a foiled brocade pattern with a custom designed monogram that featured throughout. One of my favourite details was the swing tag and ribbon to hold all the components together - we had so many elements it was a great way to keep it all tidy and perfect.

We also worked with Amber to design her amazing candy bar, table details and mirror seating plan. Don't you just adore that Macaron tower? Delicious too.

Lot's of fab suppliers were involved with this one: 

Event Styling, Stationery & Candy Bar / Red Creative

Venue / Museum Event Centre

Lighting & AV / Multimedia Systems

Floral / Vida Flores

Fairy Lights / La Lumiere

 

 

Watch this space! All'antica coming soon. . .

I woke up this morning pretty excited. I knew that today (finally!) I would have the time to be able to take the final photos for A'llantica's new stationery & bonbonniere range. We're busy working on the new website but in the mean time I couldn't resist giving you a little sneak peak!! 

 

 

That's it for now - don't want to give it all away! Let me know what you think. . .

Luxe Stationery

In the next month we will be launching the new stationery and guest favours arm of Red Creative - All'antica. As always though we will be offering a bespoke service for those who want something a bit different or extra luxe. 

You've heard me rant on about this before I'm sure, but event stationery is soooooo important! Whether for a corporate function or a wedding the invitation gives guests the first taste of what is to come and really sets the tone for the whole thing. Continue the look and feel of your stationery through to place cards, menus, favours etc and you'll have instantly created a cohesive feeling.

So for those of you who really value the art of perfect stationery I have attached below some images of luxe options available to you. 

 

This stationery suite in taupe and blush was sweet and feminine. The lace complemented the brides gorgeous gown and feathers featured throughout in bouquets and centerpieces.

 

For Chris & Karyn's wedding we created these save the dates - sweet rosebud magnets with a swing tag that read "Love is blooming. . . Save the Date". The invitation that followed featured a full blown faux rose.

 

Heres another beautiful option incorporating silk floral. Here we incorporated a silk wrapped gatefold card with gold mesh overlay and pearl accents. 

 

We are now the suppliers of beautiful silk invitation boxes and envelopes. They come in a huge range of colours and can be embroidered with a custom logo or monogram. Wrap them in ribbon, secure them with a buckle, embellish them with diamantes - the options are endless.

These silk backed invitations came in a white mailing box and featured beautiful starfish accents. Simple and perfect for a luxe beach wedding.

So if these look like a bit of you - give us a call. We can create a unique design just for you!

Stationery Demystified {Part 2}

So now for the rest of those questions. . . .

Which items of stationery are which and what do I actually need?

The Elements	Do I Need It?	Tips
Save-The-Date Card	Particularly important if you are marrying at a busy time of the year (like a public holiday) or if you have guests travelling.	Consider making the card a magnet so your guests can stick it on the refrigerator.
Invitation	Yes – Even for an informal wedding.	Ensure your invitation can fit a standard sized envelope if it doesn’t come with one.
Reply Card	Although not traditional including a reply card means you are more likely to receive responses.	Pencil a small number on the back so that if guests forget to write their names you can keep track of attendees.
Reception Card	If your reception is at a different location and you are inviting a smaller group to celebrate with you.	Another option is to have two different invitations printed. One with Reception details, one without.
Pew Card	These are given to those for whom special seating is reserved. For a smaller wedding your usher might preform this task.	This is a gracious way of ensuring your family members get the best seat in the house. Mark cards with “Pew Number ___” or “Within the Ribbon”.
Information Card	Only if you need to convey additional information. A necessity for an out of town wedding or a weekend long affair.	Consider including a map, directions, accommodation options, transportation info, baby-sitting arrangements, local attractions and even a schedule of activities.
Program	A nice keepsake but not necessary. However, if you expect guests to sing it is essential that you provide them with lyrics.	A useful place to explain traditions and to thank or remember loved ones.
Escort Cards	Use either these or seating cards. Escort cards are used to let guests know there table but allows them to seat themselves.	Consider using something different for your escort cards. Seashells, stones, silk flowers and votives all work well.
Seating Plan & Place Cards	Use either these or escort cards. A seating plan and seating cards let your guests know exactly where you would like them to sit. For smaller receptions you can forgo the cards and just use the seating plan in combination with table numbers.	Typesetting and calligraphy can be time consuming and therefore expensive. Ensure you provide your designer with guests details in the required format to cut down your costs.
Table Number	Required for receptions with more than a handful of tables.	Consider using a symbol or word for each table instead of a number.
Menu Card	Not Essential. The bride on a budget can forgo these or double up with place cards.	Frame a few for each serving station or table rather than one per guest.
Favour Tags	No, but pretty tags add a nice finishing touch and can also serve as place cards.	This is a great place to use stickers or a custom-made rubber stamp.
Thank-you Card	Absolutely essential, but doesn’t necessarily have to match the rest of your stationery.	If you are organised enough, having these printed with your other stationery will probably save you money.

Stationery Demystified {Part 1}

Every year as brides are beginning the design process for their wedding stationery I am asked the same old questions about a stationery suite - completely understandable as most of us have never hosted a formal occasion before and don't really know where to start.

I've said this before and I'll say it agin (over and over) before you start thinking about your stationery choose your 'theme' (for lack of a better all-encompassing word). Your theme can be a mix of anything from a colour palette to a flower, a monogram to an era but the most successful themes are always created when a couple have thought about how it integrates with their venue.   

Your 'theme' will determine the look and feel for your entire day keeping it unified and beautiful. For example how formal will your day be? An at home ceremony followed by a backyard BBQ? A grand cathedral followed by the Langham? A beach wedding out at Castaways? Your stationery suite will need to reflect this to your guests through wording, colour and style, each detail signaling to your guests what they should expect and what is expected of them. 

Keep this in mind as planning your stationery as ultimately this is the purpose of it all - to inform and prepare your guests.

So now onto those questions!

How much should I allow for my stationery?

I would start with my budget. A rule of thumb is to allow 5-8% of your budget for stationery. Keep in mind this is not simply your invitations but all your printed material. For the average NZ bride then you are looking at something in the realm of $1500.00 - $2400.00 (remember to allow for gst at 12.5%).

This could break down something like this:

65x Invitation & Reply @$13.00 each $845.00

65x Print Guest Names @$0.50c each $32.50

65x Printed Guest Address @$0.50c each $32.50

1x Custom Monogram Design @$120.00 $120.00

65x Program Covers @$4.00 each $260.00

85x Place Cards @$2.50 each $212.50

85x Menus @$3.00 each $255.00

1x Seating Chart @$60.00 $60.00

65x Thank you cards @$4.50 each $292.50

65x Printed Guest Address @$0.50c each $32.50

1x Shipping @$25.00 $25.00

$2167.50 + gst

Of course you have complete control over how this budget is allotted. You may not require all of these items or you may need more. You might want to spend less per item or if stationery is very important to you you may allow for more expensive choices. Whatever you choose go to your stationer with a clear idea of your budget in mind and they will be able to guide you through the process of allotting it. 

How can I cut down on my stationery spend?

Ok so we're in the big R (we're not using the recession word here!) and we're all looking for ways to save an extra penny. You could DIY - if you are a talented designer go full steam ahead. If your experience with design / print is limited to putting a pretty border on a word document and hitting the print button I suggest that maybe this isn't the place to be employing your talents :) A specialist will guide you through the process of designing your stationery and will also be able to suggest techniques / materials that will save you money.

Secondly, you could consider buying pre-designed. Many stationers out there including Red Creative offer a range of beautiful stationery that has been pre-designed and is customizable through your choice of colour, font and wording.  By choosing pre-designed you could definitely save some pennies.

Steer clear from complex designs with lot's of folds, different papers, tricky construction or luxury accents. I guess this is an obvious one. Somewhere in the make up of the pricing for your stationery it will be costing you for people to be sitting tying those beautiful bows and gluing that lace!

Cut out unnecessary items. Remember you don't actually need a menu or a program. 

Finally and perhaps most importantly think creatively about your stationery (again this is where a designer comes in handy). Use cheaper materials in an unexpected way ( kraft card is the perfect example of this). Double up items like a place card and a favour tag.  

  

Warm & Rich

I had to share a few pics from a recent wedding of a very good friend of mine. The colour choice, while a little out of the ordinary, I thought was perfect for a cold winter evening - and it WAS COLD!

The motif of choice was a lantern which was carried right through into the table settings and even carried in place of bouquets by the bridesmaids - Beautiful!

New Designs

I thought I would share two of my new stationery designs, soon to feature our website.

Stamped

I have often said that consistency is the vital key in creating a cohesively beautiful event. Whether repetition of a colour scheme, a signature bloom or a personal motif there is something delightful about an event when the little details reflect the overall look. One way of doing this, which is particularly helpful for smaller events is to have stamps made up. These can then be used on menus, programs, place cards, invitations, and gifts.

Stamps can even be used to personalise cookies by either stamping into non-rising cookies such as shortbread

or using food colouring and stamping onto dry royal icing.

You can purchase stamps at you local craft store or spotlight but if you want something unique you can have stamps made from a special image. With some skill You can design these yourself and NZ Rubber Stamps can have them made up for you. Alternatively, Red Creative can design stamps to co-ordinate with your other decor and stationery.