Your Day, Your Way:

 Say Thank you in Style:

1

Tak! Merci! Danke! Grazie! Cheers! Thank you!

However you choose to say it, saying thank you to those who have helped you prepare and celebrate your special day is a must! While plain, traditional thank you notes can be beautiful in their own right, show your family, friends and guests how truly thankful you are by spicing up your notes with personal touches and a dash of modernity.

Writing thank you notes is not only polite, but is an easy way to let your guests feel appreciated. And while sending thank you notes for gifts received is appropriate, remember to say thank you to those who helped prepare for your big day, such as your bridal party, parents, ushers, officiant and wedding coordinator. Thank you notes come in all shapes and sizes and can show off you and your groom’s style. Personalization can be elaborate or simple, but doesn’t have to cost a lot.

Have monogrammed stamps made with your new initials and/or address to add to the front of a blank note card or use to seal the envelope. Give personalized notes to those special members of your wedding party, such as the M.O.H. that helped carry your dress around or the best man that guarded the rings with his life. Pick out thank you notes in a favorite color or fun font to add youthful flair to a simple monogram. Do you love your theme? Select invitations that have matching thank you note options or contact your printer to see if matching notes can be made.

Whichever style you choose, make sure everyone involved feels appreciated and knows how thankful you are to have them be a part of this event. With a little creativity, it’s easy to say thank you in style—your own style!

Brush up on the conventions of saying thank you for all occasions and learn how to add a pinch of style with “The Art of Gratitude” by Town and Country. 

Thank specific members of your wedding party personally with these beautiful handmade thank yous by Style Guide

Left: Add a personalized monogram to a traditional thank you with these hand-engraved notes with gold lining 

Matching your notes and invitations lets guests know exactly who it’s from while adding a bit of detail and flair to a plain thank you. 

Have a personalized stamp created with your monogram to customize thank you notes and other correspondence. The Peel & Stick stamp by has an interchangeable design. You can easily change it with the seasons, use a special design just for wedding notes or change the address when you move into that new place! 

Stationery

DIY WEDDING INVITATIONS, SAVE THE DATE CARDS AND MORE

When you order your wedding invitations from Wedding Style Guide Magazine, you can add special little extras to your personalised stationery.  Everything can match from start to finish.  It's the perfect way to enjoy the style, fun and flair of a DIY wedding stationery project without any of the hassle!

Looking for stylish new ways to include unique accents on your invites? At Wedding Style Guide our elegant options for DIY wedding invitations make it easier than ever to add your own creative touches to your entire stationery suite. So if you wish to capture a handmade aesthetic but would rather not spend too much time assembling your cards or even hassle with all the mess and cleanup that goes along with it, then you will love these subtle additions which will make your invites look absolutely stunning. Plus, whether you want to wrap your cards up in a posh pocket fold envelope or embellish them with ravishing ribbons, making DIY wedding invitations is a great way to work your personal style into your stationery.

Measuring and cutting your own materials can be tedious and even stressful work, especially if your wedding is right around the corner. And with so many tasks to tend to before the big day, the last thing you'll need is the pressure of having to create and send scratch-made cards within six to eight weeks of your ceremony. So instead of submitting yourself to the agony of doing everything entirely on your own, our DIY wedding invitations are a much easier and less time-consuming alternative to making homemade invites.

Just pick any one of our stylish additions in order to spruce up your cards in a wonderfully original way. You can give your DIY wedding invitations extra thickness and a more sophisticated look by including a layer of paper to the back. This will add a beautiful thin border to your card and will also increase the density. Or you can use pretty personalized labels to seal the flap of your pocket-fold envelopes so that everything will be tucked away neatly in one pretty package.

So if you're worried about having a bland card that looks like everyone else's, just know that making DIY wedding invitations is the best way to ensure that the stationery for your special day is truly

Wedding Programs - Do you need one ??

Wedding programs are one of the little details that add an extra special something to your wedding day. Not only are they a record of your ceremony; wedding programs help guests feel included and understand what is happening, and often introduce your bridal party. 

Do you need a wedding program?

While wedding programs are not required, they are a helpful (and sometimes necessary) piece of wedding stationery.

Wedding programs are extremely helpful if...

• You are having a religious or traditional wedding, with many guests who are of another faith or culture
• You are having a large wedding, where guests are unlikely to know the bridal party
• You are having a particularly long ceremony where guests will need something to follow
• You have many people who you need to thank

Those who are short on time or money may wish to forgo this option, but remember that a simple wedding program needn't use much time or money. I recommend that you provide them for your guests, as a thoughtful gesture and souvenir.

Elements of a Wedding Program

• The Cover Typically the cover includes the date and/or the names of the couple. It may also include the location and time of the ceremony, a picture, or design element (such as a flower, scroll, etc.)
• The Order of Events If you haven't already included your names, wedding date, location, and time on the front cover, consider listing that information on the inside just before the order of events. Then list what will happen during the ceremony, including processional      music,  greeting, readings, prayers, exchange of vows, ring ceremony, unity candle ceremony, pronouncement of marriage, recessional music, and any other ceremony music. Your list may not include all of these elements, and it may include some traditions not listed here. Be sure to list the events in the order they will occur and list the names of those performing the readings. 

• Members of the Wedding Party This is a simple list of the names and roles of your wedding party. For example:
  Officiant: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg
  Parents of the bride: Mary and John Smith
• 
  
• Parents of the groom: Elizabeth Jones and Thomas Wilson, Jr.
  Stepparents of the groom: Robert Jones and Lisa Marist-Wilson
  Grandparents: Sarah Smith, Margaret Blackwood, Thomas Wilson Sr.
  Maid of Honor: Maria Gellert
  Best Man: William Harris
  Bridesmaids: Rebecca Brown, Juanita Ramirez
  Groomsmen: Calvin Aremu, Jonathan Goldstein
  Readers: McGuire Johnson, Alexander Wilson

Other things you may wish to include in your wedding program

• An explanation of traditions or rituals used in your ceremony
• A request for audience participation in certain parts of the ceremony (e.g. affirmation of the marriage, communion, singing, offering of the peace, standing or kneeling)
• Thank yous
• Memorials (for example: The memorial candle is lit in honor of the bride's mother, Shirley Fielding. OR On this day of happiness, we would like to remember those who are no longer with us, especially Derrick Peterson, grandfather of the bride, and Samantha Wilson, mother of the groom.)
• A short sentence about each of your bridesmaids and groomsmen, describing why they are important to you.
• An explanation of the significance of the location, theme, first dance song, etc. (For example: the reception will be held at Coldwater Restaurant, the site of the bride and groom's first date.)
• Quotes or poems about love or marriage
• Directions to the reception

DIY e-lookbook

DIY e-lookbooks 

We are thrilled to announce our very first in a series of DIY e-lookbooks.

We have searched through our archives and know that you will find everything you need to make your wedding unforgettable. 

If you do decide to go ahead and DIY:

- Plan ahead and make sure you have time to make everything you need whilst simultaneously planning the rest of your wedding.

- Be selective about what you DIY, choose your projects wisely and play to your strengths.

- Research how to do your project(s) – there are lots of online tutorials, books and blogs.

- Do trial runs and mock-ups first as it could save time and money in the long run.

- Mix and match DIY items with professional services; for example, you could get a friend to design your stationery but then get it professionally printed before you add decorative touches and pack it all together with your own finishing flourish.

- Research our online  DIY stationery.

- Don’t leave too much to do close to your actual wedding day, where possible do it in advance so that you’re not tying ribbon around favour bags on the morning of your wedding.

DIY should be fun, something to look back on and remember fondly. These simple touches can often be the most meaningful to your guests, but don’t forget that no one is expecting you to make your whole wedding! You should only undertake DIY projects if you’ll actually enjoy it, otherwise it’s pointless. There’s a reason that there is a professional industry who do these things all the time and that’s to save you from doing it!

Wise words as always from Wedding Style Guide

Let us know if you have any DIY dilemmas or wedding planning questions – we’re happy to help!

Our ethos at Wedding Style Guide is very practical, our magazine is totally dedicated to helping our readers with the whole occasion, to make the wedding experience fabulous. We focus on directional design and decoration and show the most fashionable trends and concepts to make every wedding unique, as it should be. Our team has worked with hundreds of brides, organised unforgettable weddings and our magazine will give you the secrets. Our stylists are even doing the shopping for you, finding the prettiest, most unusual and decorative accessories for maximum effect.
Our hands-on experience means we have seen it all, so our readers will get an insight into the nuts and bolts that hold a wedding together, a stress-free wedding is all in the planning.  We will always let you in on the stylist’s secrets.
We would like to be your new best friends, showing you the most wonderful options for every detail, your perfect wedding is sure to be found on our pages in every issue.

Visit our website www.weddingstyleguide.com.au and download some of our favourite things.

Wedding Check List

Planning a Wedding...so much to think of....

Planning a wedding can be an incredibly overwhelming task for someone who has never planned one before. So much planning and so many details are involved in a wedding that it is difficult to know where to start. Rather than diving into the whole affair without a plan, make time to put together a wedding checklist so you know what you have to do.

To begin, sit down with a pen and paper and make a list of everything you need to do. The first step to maintaining wedding planning sanity is to draw out the plans for everything you will need. This includes coordinating details ranging from the bride’s dress to bridesmaids gowns, tuxedos, location of both the wedding and reception, officials, decorations, reception food and entertainment and much more.

Step one on the wedding checklist should be to have a clear understanding of what your vision is for your special day. A good place to start is finalizing colours for both the wedding and the reception.

Once the overall vision for the affair is settled and a date is nailed down, it’s time to move on to step two on the wedding checklist: the venue. Before you can plan decorations or anything else involving the ceremony or reception, you have to know where both will be held. With the date, call around to some possible places, including country clubs, reception halls, parks and more. The possibilities are nearly endless depending on your vision for the day. Enlist the help of the bridesmaids in checking out a variety of reception venues. 

After a venue is chosen, plan the decour. If it’s just the venue for the ceremony, plan how you will decorate or plan seating options, the aisle itself, the altar and more. The decorations can be as extravagant as you – and again the budget – dictate, or simple. Flowers are a must, regardless of the size of the affair, and for this you will need to once again coordinate with a florist who can make that dream come true. 

 

The florist will come into play again in planning the reception’s decor. All receptions have flowers, whether they are just on the registration table or make up centrepieces on each and every table as well as decor around the room. Make sure the bride likes the arrangements, and that they are elegant and do not in any way prohibit guests from getting around the room and conversing easily.

The reception will also involve food, and you must coordinate with the venue, if it provides menu options, or a caterer. You may choose to simply have finger food and drinks while others wish for full meals. Make sure the invitations, which you must also keep tabs on, dictate which will be available. Entertainment at the reception is also a must, since this a celebration of the couple’s new life together. Choose either a DJ to spin records or a live band in whatever genre is appropriate.

 Overall, your job is made significantly easier by simply following the wedding checklist. It will enable you to fulfill all of your wants while at the same time ensuring you stick within your budget. This entire process can become overwhelming for anyone, and if this happens there is no shame in suggesting the bride employ a wedding planner. A wedding planner is experienced in providing perfect days for couples, and can pick up where you left off and finish the task with excellent results. After all, the best part of the day will be knowing that the bride and groom had the wedding of their dreams, regardless of who planned the affair.

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Wedding Favours: How to Choose the Right One for Your Wedding

Wedding Favours

One of the most creative elements of a wedding is choosing favours for the big day. Wedding favours are given away as tokens of your appreciation to guests for participating in you and your spouse’s special day. You want your favours to reflect both you and your spouse’s distinct personality! If you’re on a tight budget, you can create your own wedding favours. If you got the budget, then your choice is virtually limitless.
Unfortunately, because there are literally thousands of wedding favours to choose from, picking just one can be quite challenging. The last thing you want are wedding favours that stick out like a sore thumb! To help you choose the right favours to give away on your wedding day, consider these tips:

Focus On The Wedding Theme

To find the right wedding decor, consider the theme of your wedding. If the color scheme is blue and silver, you can create candy bags with blue and silver wrapped treats. For carnival themed soirees, you can offer popcorn and candied apple treats as wedding favours.

For garden or spring weddings, you can use scented candles decorated with fresh blooms or mini potted plants with a thank you note as give-aways.

Add Local Elements

If your wedding is held in states with a regional speciality, then don’t be afraid to show off the local flavors in your wedding favours. For example, if it’s a beach setting, colorful buckets filled with beach essentials make a perfect wedding giveaway as well as star fish paperweights, clear bottles filled with sand, shells and trinkets.

For mountain weddings, cute hand or neck warmers make an interesting giveaway. You can also give away bottled local delicacies as wedding favours. Just add a touch of personality on each favour with ribbons or other decors.

Season-Appropriate favours

If say, you are planning a fall wedding, you can use pumpkin-based goodies or candy apple treats as giveaways. For those who love beach weddings, personalized sunscreen bottles or beach towels are great wedding favours ideas. For spring weddings, you can either offer DIY wedding favours encrusted with local blooms, edible favours or even garden sprinkles in cute tin cans as giveaway!

Double-Duty Wedding Giveaways

Practical giveaways make the perfect keepsakes. From quirky bottle openers, salt and pepper shakers, small jewelry boxes, champagne flutes or textured ring pillows, there are various giveaways that are just as useful as they are beautiful.

Give Back

If you are passionate about supporting a certain foundation, a research group or a non-profit organization, you can request your guests to make donations to your favourite charity instead and give away a simple, personalized thank you note for every donation received. Just make sure you get a receipt for tax purposes.
When it comes to wedding favours, the options are limitless! You can find the right favours by focusing on the theme of your wedding, the color scheme as well as the location of the wedding. Just make sure that whatever favour you choose, don’t forget to have fun! Preparing your wedding is a momentous occasion that will literally change your life so make sure your favours are worthy reflection of this happy occasion.

Blog by Ryan ZHU, The Function Room—Event Hire

Paisley Blue Hues

Paisley Blue Hues

At a time when too much pattern is not enough, paisley is hot. The ornate, feathery design dates back to persia in the 1500s when royalty embellished court garments and crowns with fine detail. Rediscover paisley’s luxurious potential using a ralph lauren wallpaper and make a contemporary statement in smokey blue against bridal white.
Blue continues to be the world’s most favourite colour, so use the crowd pleaser to the hilt. In a white marquee, pedestals decorated with paisley wallpaper are used to put the blue story on show. A bold cluster of cobalt bottles looks sharp and a touch quirky, The gladioli stems add a dignified beauty and the paisley pattern ties it all together.



The sublime colours in the florist’s arrangement are breathtaking against the exquisite paisley patterned box. A striking sheath bouquet of long stemmed white gladioli is skirted with the soft-to-touch frills of silver suede foliage. The subtle charcoal velvet bow adds a truly tactile finish.

"A sapphire statement"

Following the theme, the buttonholes have been made from individual white gladioli blooms with a silver suede leaf. Their stems have been set into tiny paisley wallpaper cones and finished with the thinnest of navy blue bows.



Boxed flowers always have an ultra special feel, but when the boxes match the flowers in beauty, the effect is dizzyingly perfect. Organise lined boxes for the flower deliveries. The benefits are doublefold, the wedding day photos will show the flowers off to their best advantage and the thrill for the bridal party will be memorable.

An alternative to individual guest favours is an inviting jar of self-serve after dinner lollies on the table. The handsome glass and pewter canisters are decorative in themselves and hold mints for a post dinner treat. Cut into circles, the patterned wallpaper decorates the centre of each table, emphasising the theme of the wedding.



The classic paisley pattern lends itself to many thoughtful and interesting uses. Paper has been twirled into cones which are used to hold rose petals to be thrown rather than confetti.

The perfect detail, a letterpress placecard

in a paisley design.



Mid blue fabric has been hung as a backdrop to heighten the blue colour theme in the white marquee space. The generous use of the textile creates a swish, well decorated look and creates a contrasting backdrop for the elegant table setting. In a recent floral turnaround, white gladioli have made a big comeback and it’s easy to see why, they add height and make a classic centrepiece in a simple cylindrical vase.



A cake that really looks too good to cut; if ever there was a centrepiece on the dessert table, this ‘look at me’ delight wins on a number of counts. It’s a stand alone beauty that echoes the decorative theme of the wedding closely and does divine things to tastebuds. The nine-tiered fondant wonder is finished in a pale blue pearlescent wash and detailed with a paisley motif.


"The power of good design"

The Ralph Lauren paisley wallpaper decorated the wedding venue and inspired the artwork for the stationery suite which includes the invitation, menu, placecards and swing tags, all follow the theme.



A delightful picnic food box would be a welcome pick-me-up for the bride and groom after the reception. This idea is perfect for the occasion when ordering room service would be too much after a great dinner and raiding the mini bar would not be good enough. The box is convenient, it can be made to look like an extension of the wedding when wrapped in the themed paper binned when finished.

A Peek at French Chic

A Peek at French Chic

A modern look at 1700's french splendour. A Style revolution!



Almost too pretty to be real, bridesmaid’s posies brim with David Austin roses in marshmallow shades. Marble and gilt are the perfect foil.
The pleasure of a wonderfully set table; all you need is a French window, of course. Fragrance from the garden grown roses fills the room; fine china, crystal glassware and silver cutlery build the chateau-class splendour.
The monogram on the napery and chairs are the key to the sense of occasion and privilege.



The most exquisite seating, the regal monogram was embroidered in turquoise on organza.
The monogram crowns the design of the menu. This symbol of the couple’s union is used over and over and so creates its own decorative momentum. The timeless beauty of letterpress stationery gives the feel of high quality.



Gilt look photo frames have been lined with silk. The letterpressed name tags sit waiting to be secured, a thoughtfully themed guest favour.
The turquoise colour used as an accent on the table has been favoured in the decoration of palatial buildings in Europe for hundreds of years. Embroidered on napkins, the watery shade adds an extra dash of class.



A cake fit for a queen; the three tier vanilla sponge is layered with strawberry liqueur mousse. Intricately decorated with French inspired sugared swagging and topped in cream David Austin roses, the cake is truly divine.



The ornate monogram developed from the bride and groom’s first name initials embellishes every item of stationery: beautifully letterpressed in a duck egg blue.