Event Planning

We are pleased to announce that we now offer an extensive range of funeral stationery. Organising a funeral is never going to be easy, but we aim to make this part as stress-free as possible with beautiful designs expertly printed and backed by our caring customer service. Our range of stationery includes everything you need to make the day go smoothly plus a selection of keepsakes to help keep memories of your loved one close. All items are fully personalised and can include a photograph – just email it to us once you’ve placed your order. Announcements / Invitations Letting people know about the funeral is no longer as easy as putting a notice in the paper. Sending announcement cards makes sure you can contact everyone who wants to pay their respects without spending hours on the telephone. Order of Service The Order of Service not only guides people through the ceremony – it also provides a lasting keepsake. There are designs for all styles of funeral - whether you are having a traditional church service, a catholic mass or something more unusual like a humanist funeral. Our booklets are A5 size and extra pages can be added inside if required. On the Day When it comes to the day of the funeral itself, we can help make things just that little bit easier. Ask everyone to complete an attendance card and not only will you have a reminder of who was present (useful for people like work colleagues you may not have met) but you will also have some lovely messages to read through later. And with charity contributions now more popular than flowers, a donation box is a practical way to collect those gifts. Thank You Cards It’s comforting to receive cards and letters of sympathy, but writing thank you letters at such a difficult time can seem very daunting. Personalised thank you cards make it just that little bit easier. Happy Memories Completing the collection are three simple keepsake ideas for keeping those precious memories close. Memorial cards are designed to slip into a purse or wallet while a bookmark is practical and useful too. And a book of condolence is perfect for keeping together all those messages that mean so much. Our Designs Our wide range of designs means you can find something suitable whatever the person’s age, interests or type of funeral. This includes styles suitable for the funerals of babies, children and teenagers. Exceptional Customer Service Our helpful customer services team are here to guide you so if you have any questions just give us a call. We aim to make the whole process completely stress-free.

When you are planning your wedding we always recommend you set a budget for all aspects of the wedding: wedding stationery is no exception. There is obviously a range of prices for any wedding stationery, ranging from the cheap and cheerful to expensive deluxe designs. In this blog we will give you some tips on how to get the best value for your money, allowing you to purchase high quality stationery without breaking your budget. 1. Think about what you really need. For example do you need both save the date and wedding invitations? Do you need an RSVP card or can you put a reply email address on the invitation? Can you put guest information and present list online? On the day, do you need individual place cards or can you just put the names on the table card. Look at the numbers you need too – Orders of Service can be shared one per family, rather than ordering one per guest. 2. Look at different options for the stationery. For example, we have a range of ready-to-write invitations. These are less than ½ the price of our personalised printed cards and are a great way to match your invitations with other wedding stationery. You can also opt for postcards or magnets instead of regular open-out cards, both of them are a lower cost option. 3. Check what is included in the price – some apparently cheaper cards do not include envelopes, free delivery or free samples. These can all add up if you do not check before you order. 4. Card size and weight. Check that your invitations can fit in a regular envelope and can be posted via standard letter: if the envelope is larger than 240x165mm, thicker than 5mm or heavier that 100g your invitations will have to be posted as a large letter meaning that the stamps will be more expensive. 5. Check for offers. Whether you buy your stationery from a shop or online, it is worth searching for offers. If you bulk order your stationery you may get a discount and there will probably also be end of line sales or seasonal sales.

Christmas cards are an important part of the tradition whole tradition of Christmas, particularly in Britain. There is something very satisfying about sitting down in late November with a mulled wine and going through your Christmas card list. For me it is often the only time in the year I make contact with old friends and family members. I always write a personalised note inside (never a round robin newsletter) giving them relevant news. I also love receiving cards, and sometimes a personal note from a friend prompts me to get back in touch properly and meet up. It appears that I’m not alone. According to the Royal Mail, 80% of people prefer to receive a traditional card rather than an electronic greeting, after all – you can’t put an e-card on your mantelpiece. The Christmas card industry is worth over £3.5million per year in the UK alone and it is estimated that each person sends an average of 19 cards, more for older people. There has been some decline in sending of cards since the 1980s, partly due to e-cards, but also due to postal costs and concerns about the environmental impact. Time to write cards might also be a factor, as traditionally women send more cards and most now work full time. Certainly I send fewer cards now – when I was at school you sent one to everyone in your class and later when I went to work you sent one to everyone in the office. This, probably sensibly, has now fallen out of favour. I have pared down my Christmas card list to friends whom I no longer see regularly and relatives. Because of this I take much more care about the type of cards I send. This seems to be a general trend, with people choosing cards that support charities they really care about or cards that have great designs, rather than the bargain basement 100 pack. The Royal Mail’s survey suggested that the most popular cards to receive are fun or humorous cards, followed by cards with a wintry theme. Many businesses still send out cards to their clients. It is a good way to reinforce the brand and to keep in touch with both existing a lapsed clients. The sending of a card shows that you are thinking about the recipient and that you care enough to spend the time to write to them and go to the letter box. By making the card personal, either by having your names printed on it or by including a photograph, shows that you have spent even more care in choosing your design.

I’ll let you into a secret.... I’m rubbish at planning New Year’s Eve. By the time I’ve got round to thinking about inviting people (usually on the 30th December), everyone has made plans. So every year I end up watching Jools’ Hootenany with my husband with both of us saying “never again.” The problem is, of course, that you are so busy planning Halloween, bonfire night and Christmas that the New Year’s Eve celebration gets forgotten. So, this year I have made a mid-year resolution to organise a New Year’s Eve Party and I reckon the thing to do is send out invitations now, or at least by mid-October. That way, you have committed to having a party, you have let guests know in plenty of time and your friends will probably thank you as they won’t have to organise something themselves. Your invitation will need to include the venue and any theme, plus an RSVP date. Make the RSVP early December to give you time to chase up people before the massive Christmas rush. So the party goes with a swing you could ask guests for their favourite party songs and party games. Venue Obviously you don’t have to worry about the date, but there are a number of things to consider when choosing the venue. Having a big private party at the local sports club or hall can be expensive as most suppliers (DJs, bands, caterers, photographers etc) charge a premium for the night. You could go as a group to a club, pub or hotel that put on New Year parties – if you are doing that the cost of the night should be included on your invitation. Most people however opt for having a New Year’s Eve Party at home. There are a number of advantages to this: cost, convenience and being able to involve your children are just a few. Theme You are organising a party at a very stressful time of the year and you will probably have less than a week after Christmas to organise most of the food and decoration. Even if you are off work that week, chances are someone in the family will be ill, so make your theme simple. If you are cheeky you could do a “Diet Starts Tomorrow” party and suggest your guests bring their excess food from Christmas as a contribution to the refreshments. Most people massively over-buy for Christmas and are desperate to use up nuts, dates, biscuits, cake, cheese, nibbles and alcohol ahead of their January diets and would otherwise throw it away. But, keep any theme simple, for instance black and white, pirates, gangsters and molls - make and fancy dress easy and inexpensive for your guests to join in. Refreshments Whether you provide it or your guests contribute, you will need to ensure nibbles throughout the evening. Then, if you are planning to party into the wee small hours, hot food just after midnight is a hit. Keep it simple: baked potatoes, a chilli or a curry always go down well. Drinks are a must and most guests will bring a bottle. Make sure you provide bubbly for midnight and plenty of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for all tastes. Cocktails are always popular and we always have a whisky to see the New Year in. Children If you have children a party at home means that they can join in. Invite some of their friends and the friends’ parents and give the visiting children a place to crash out if they’re tired. Make sure one adult is designated to keep an eye on the children’s alcohol consumption – it is a good idea to provide them with their own “bar” area where they can make their own non-alcoholic cocktails. Decoration Not much is required as all the Christmas decs are still up. You can perhaps add some balloons and banners and add some more fairy lights to give the decorations a lift. Entertainment Personally I love a firework display and would let fireworks off at midnight – alternatively just go out of the house and see the massive display that everyone else puts on! There is room for some party games at a New Year’s Eve party and karaoke is always popular. (Tip: persuade the worst singer at the party to sing first, then everyone will happily join in!) You will want to dance too – if you asked about favourite party songs on the invitation, these should be included on the playlist. Next Day It may be prudent to provide accommodation of some sort so that people don’t need to drive home. Get plenty of food in for breakfast, just in case. A warning – if you stay the night at mine you will get dragged off to run 5 kilometres the next morning. Many places have a local run on 1st January, check out your local parkrun if you want to start the New Year as you mean to go on!

Verses and poems are an integral part of a wedding as they often form part of both religious and civil ceremonies. Whether they be a verse from the Bible or the lyrics of a song a friend or relative will usually provide a reading during the ceremony. They are often particularly relevant to the couple and are printed into the Order of Service/ Order of the Day card for guests to keep. But verses, poems and quotes are increasingly being used in other ways for weddings, particularly at less conventional weddings. Quotes or a short poem on an invitation are a great way to set the scene for the day. These quotes are well known, but pertinent to any couple: “When I saw you I fell in love And you smiled because you knew” – William Shakespeare “To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with” – Mark Twain “I have found the one whom my soul loves” – Song of Solomon v 3:4 “Piglet: ‘How do you spell love?’ Pooh: ‘You don’t spell it, you feel it’” – A A Milne There are of course so many more – and if you are celebrating a wedding anniversary you could include one of these on the invitation: “Life has taught us that love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery “Happy marriages begin when we marry the one we love, and they blossom when we love the one we married” – anon We often supply gift poem cards for weddings. These are used to soften the request for money as a gift rather than a present. You may also want to use a verse if you are inviting guests to an informal wedding or birthday party – at the beach or in a woodland glade for example: “We want you to enjoy our wedding day, So please make sure you dress to play.” “Our wedding’s in a woodland wonderland, So please make sure your wellies are at hand.” “Now that I’m hitting thirty The plan’s to get a bit dirty, So please don’t go to town, I really want you to dress down!” You can use a verse for many purposes and occasions – they are frequently used on wedding or christening thank you cards, hen night invitations and so on. There are three main sources of verses and poems:

• Your own imagination – these are obviously unique and totally relevant, but might not rhyme or scan – see my examples above.
• Your favourite books, films or song lyrics – again very personal to you.
• An on-line search – the internet reveals loads of religious and non-religious poems and verses for every occasion, you are bound to find something you like.

Having a baby is an almost indescribable joy, and giving birth to twins or triplets should double or treble the joy. In the UK, the latest statistics report that there were 12,675 multiple births in 2012 up from 7,375 in 1984. This equals just under 16 multiple births per every 1000 births, this has increased by 72% since 1984. To put this in perspective, in 1984, 1 of every 94 births was a multiple birth. By 2012 this was down to 1 in every 65. According to www.twinsuk.co.uk, this increase is due to: • Growing birth rate - more births equals more multiple births • Maternal age - 'older' women (30+) as multiple births increase with age • Assisted reproduction - accessibility of IVF, ICSI, fertility drugs etc • Medical advances - more babies now survive, even very premature ones. Interestingly, the chance of giving birth to identical twins remains the same: 1 in 250. Giving birth to identical triplets is rare, which is one of the reasons that the 1 year old Gilbert sisters have recently made the news. These little bundles are so alike that the parents can only distinguish them by painting their toe-nails different colours. You might have seen them in TV series Casualty lately, trebling up to play a single baby in the drama. Stories about twins often hit the newsstands, usually for the right reasons. Tennis champ, Roger Federer, is the proud father of two sets of identical twins; Leo and Lenny were born earlier this year and it has just been announced that Richard Branson’s daughter Holly is expecting twins too. We know, however, that although giving birth to twins or triplets is well worth a celebration, there are downsides – just the logistics of looking after them can be such a major task. Have you seen the youtube video of a Norwegian Mum trying to get her twin toddlers to sleep? And then there’s the cost of special equipment and not being able to use hand-me-downs. One of the areas where having twins or triplets makes life easier is the Christening, Baptism or Naming Ceremony. You only need to organise one ceremony, so just one set of invitations, one hall booking and one buffet. To make it even easier for you The Card Gallery has designed a series of invitations and thank you cards especially to celebrate the birth of twins and triplets.

August and September are the busiest months for weddings, so it goes without saying that it is the busiest time for wedding anniversaries too. For most couples the 25th anniversary, silver, is the first one they really celebrate with family and friends, followed by ruby (40th), gold (50th) and diamond (60th). According to Debrett’s, the silver and gold tradition arose in Medieval Germany when a husband gave his wife a present of a silver or gold wreath after 25 and 50 and years of marriage respectively – I suspect these were very rare back then. The diamond anniversary was first used to celebrate Queen Victoria’s reign and then became linked to 60th wedding anniversaries. It is not clear where these other “traditional” anniversaries come from – many seem to come from the USA in the earliest 20th century and are possibly attributed to commercial interests. The name for the anniversary gives a guide to the couple as to what to buy each other. So, if you need inspiration for an anniversary gift for your spouse, or you want to gain some points at the next pub quiz, here is the full list of “traditional” presents: 1st - Paper 2nd - Cotton 3rd - Leather 4th - Linen 5th - Wooden 6th - Iron 7th - Copper 8th - Bronze 9th - Pottery 10th - Tin 11th - Steel 12th - Silk & Fine Linen 13th - Lace 14th - Ivory 15th - Crystal 20th - China 25th - Silver 30th - Pearl 35th - Coral 40th - Ruby 50th - Gold 60th - Diamond 65th - Blue Sapphire 70th - Platinum 80th - Oak If you don’t like the idea of giving an iron gift, for instance, I have managed to locate some alternative anniversary lists, again probably developed for commercial purposes, but at least they can provide some alternative present or theme inspiration.

The schools are out and, as I’m writing, the sun is out. Everyone’s in a holiday mood, including me, so I thought I’d share with you some International Festivals to inspire you into some international summer celebrations.

1. Air Guitar Festival – Finland. From the nation who bought us Monster –rock Euro winners us, Lordi, this is the Eurovision of air guitar. Air-guitar lessons, qualifying rounds and a grand final lead to the crowning of the World Champion air-guitarist on the 30^th August. The slogan for the festival: “Make Air not War.”
2. Comic-Con International – San-Diego. Ok, so it sounds like you might bump into Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory, but if you’re into comics, sci-fi or fantasy adventure, this event is for you. Think you’re not a geek – think again, hands up all those who love Sponge Bob, Simpsons, Pokemon and My Little Pony.
3. Edinburgh Fringe Festival – Scotland. I’ve actually been to this one. This is truly the Good, Bad and the Ugly of theatre and art. If you are lucky you’ll get to see some amazing up-and-coming comedian, if not you might end up watching a play that “crawls like a slug across your afternoon” (an actual review of a play I was involved in). There’s the very expensive tickets for people you’ve heard of and the “pay what you can” ticket for the people you’ve never heard of and never want to see again. Take your pick.
4. Esala Perahera – Kandy, Sri Lanka. This is the Festival of the Tooth of Lord Buddha and lasts 10 days. Parades of lavishly dressed elephants and local dancers make this an exciting and colourful symbol of Sri Lanka.
5. Fuji Rock Festival – Japan. Its billing as the “cleanest festival in the world” makes this instantly appealing to me. With an international line-up including Basement Jaxx and Travis and a number of tribute bands across seven stages this looks like the real deal.
6. Maine Lobster Festival – USA In its 66^th year, this festival has a global following of visitors who go along to taste fresh lobster (and other crustaceans) in this massive food fest. There’s also music, arts and crafts and pageants to make it a truly American fair.
7. Mount Hagen – Papua New Guinea – This most colourful of Commonwealth countries puts on this annual gathering of over 100 tribes to show case their own cultural dances and music in a pageant to celebrate their diversity. Noisy and vivid, this one is still for the more adventurous (and prosperous) traveller.
8. Newport Folk Festival – USA – Legendary for introducing Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, and Alison Krauss to the world, this is a festival who’s tradition is in being progressive. Not just for folk aficionados, this offers a diverse musical menu from start to finish.
9. Pukkelpop Festival – Belgium. I love the name (why does it make me think of Leeds fest?) and there’s an amazing line-up of over 200 acts. One of the biggest music festivals in Europe and it has over 30,000 spaces to park your bicycle.
10. Tango-Beunos Aries – Argentina. The festival of all tango festivals. Get prepared for the Strictly season or your wedding’s first dance. Thousands of people dance the tango in the street and compete for the tango world championship. Hot, hot, hot.

Phew. I’m feeling inspired for my next Big Zero party – tangoing whilst playing the air-guitar followed by lobster eating and body painting. Now, do we have an invitation card for that?

Christenings or baptisms can be as formal or as informal as you like. Both are held in a church, the Church of England Christening is usually part of a normal Sunday service and a Catholic baptism is usually a separate ceremony. Both are a ceremony to welcome the baby into the religion and is the first step in bringing them up as a Christian. How formal it is will depend on your own personal preference. Last year Prince George was christened at a very small, private ceremony with only 22 guests. This month Swedish Royal, Princess Leonore, was baptised at a much larger ceremony of over 100 guests, illustrating that even in Royal circles a Christening can be as big or as small as you like. If you decide to have your baby christened you will need to meet the local vicar or priest to discuss the ceremony in advance. You may need to attend Church or discuss your faith with them. Godparents will be chosen early in the planning as you may need to give their names to the vicar and you will certainly need to organise a date for the christening when they can attend. When you have booked your ceremony at the church of your choice, you need to invite guests. These will normally only be close family and friends, so phone calls or emails may suffice. However sending out a formal Christening invitation about four weeks in advance can be useful for a number of reasons: 1. The style of invitation indicates the level of formality of the christening to the guests 2. You can provide full details of the times of both the ceremony and the reception afterwards 3. You can enclose any details about the ceremony, which can help guests who are unfamiliar with the service, such as requesting arrival 10 minutes early and expected length of the ceremony. 4. A formal invitation encourages a formal RSVP, to help with catering afterwards 5. An invitation is a nice memento of the event. The wording on an invitation will usually include a reference to “son” or “daughter” and the baby’s name. Although your baby’s christening may not be a formal event, guests would be expected to wear the clothes they would normally wear for a church service, hats are no longer expected, unless you are at a Royal Christening! The baby is traditionally dressed in white, although many parents are now opting for a white suit or dress rather than the family christening gown. Parents and Godparents should wear something “baby friendly” – ie that doesn’t show stains and washes well, in case of little accidents. Photographs tend to be quite informal, but several shots outside the church after the ceremony are a welcome addition to the family album. The reception is often at the home of the parents or grandparents or in a local hall. The food can be whatever you want and depends on the formality of the christening. Children would normally be invited as it is a ceremony for a child, it is shorter than a wedding and the reception tends to just be in the afternoon. Christening gifts are taken to the reception, but would normally be opened later. You should always send a thank you card afterwards.

Retirement parties are held in honour of a person retiring and should be a fun event looking back over their working life and looking forward to their future. A retirement party can be organised either by the retirees company or by the family, but either way they should be a joint effort between work colleagues, family and friends. Some companies will have a policy about who gets a formal retirement party, based on length of service or seniority for instance. Whether you are organising the party as a work colleague or a family member, you need to be aware 1. That the retiree may not be looking forward to retirement and so could well be emotional 2. That the retiree may not want a party – maybe they would prefer a trip to an event or entertainment. 3. The retiree should not be regarded as being old – I have read a lot of blogs suggesting they won’t want loud music at their party - would you say that to Mick Jagger? You will also have heard retired people say that they don’t know how they ever had time to work and I have running friends whose race times improved after retirement, so for many people retirement is a new lease of life. Bearing these points in mind you need to think how best a party can honour and appreciate the retiree, taking into consideration their working life, social life and family life within a budget. A retirement party is a one-off occasion and should be very personal to the recipient. Your budget will help determine the venue and how many people you can invite. Many pubs and clubs have free rooms for events and all you have to pay for is the food and drink. Normally the food and a welcome drink would be provided by the host (the people organising the party) with a cash bar thereafter. Guest List The guest list should include: • Work colleagues • Family (you need to decide whether grand-children are included) • Former work colleagues who the retiree was close to • Associates from work, eg suppliers, sales-people etc with whom the retiree worked closely • Friends Once you have agreed a guest list and a venue you need to send out invitations. These need to include the name of the retiree, the date, venue and RSVP details. If you are having a theme this should be stated on the invitation, which should reflect the theme. Read more for ideas and wording for retirement party invitations. The Party A retirement party should include speeches and a toast in honour of the retiree. Make sure these formalities occur in the first half of the event so that everyone can relax. It is also a good idea to reflect the life of the retiree. Have a brief “This is Your Life” where guests give anecdotes about the retirees life or scan in photographs of the retiree at various stages of their career onto a presentation and have these showing on a loop. You could have a quiz about the retiree or decorations that reflect their working and social life. If you have gone for a themed party make sure the food, decor and entertainment fit in with the theme. Retirement presents are often purchased by collection at the workplace, family and friends can add to this or purchase gifts of their own. A retirement party should give the retiree great memories of their working life. A guest book with photos and comments can be a great memento and can be passed round on the evening. Just remember; keep it fun, keep it personal and respect the conflicting emotions of the retiree.

Starting with the football World Cup there is just no getting away from it, the nation will be going sport crazy this summer. Love it or loathe it, if you are planning a party between now and September chances are that somebody will want to watch the sport. The World Cup clashing with weddings is a four-yearly problem and we have already shared our advice with brides who have fallen foul of the fixtures here. In this blog, however, we are going to look at how you can be a “good sport” and embrace the sporting excitement without actually having to watch it. Whether you are arranging a birthday party, family event, hen-do or just want an excuse for a get-together, sporting events can provide fantastic inspiration. Make sure your invitations let your guests know any arrangements you are making for the sport and reflect your theme. There are two sporting events coming up that play to our love of fashion and summer living. Be inspired by the fashions of Royal Ascot (June 17th to 21st June) and get the girls together in best dresses, hats and heels and sit in the park drinking bubbly. Many race courses now have a ladies day, so if you are arranging your hen do later in the summer look out for Newmarket in July and York in August. The great British tradition of Wimbledon starts at the end of June. Whether it is the rippling muscles or strawberries and cream, tennis at Wimbledon has more appeal than many sports. We hope Andy Murray will give us the chance to get the flags out and celebrate with a Wimbledon inspired tea-party. All you need are scones, strawberries, cream and Pimms (or a good cup of tea) and some umbrellas. Invite the family and I can guarantee that when rain stops play granny will sing Cliff Richard songs like a trooper and shout “Come on Tim” even without the tennis on TV! Then there is Le Tour. Up until Britain became good at cycling and a Brit actually won it, the Tour De France was a bit of a continental mystery to us. Now the biggest annual sporting event is coming here. I will be out there on the streets wearing my best yellow lycra as the route goes virtually past my house. Given that the peloton (even I’m catching the lingo) will go past in the blink of an eye, I will also be packing up my baguette, brie and Beaujolais and heading off for a French-styled picnic with family. Yellow and green will be the colours of the summer. Annoy the fellas by having an alternative footie party – you can take all the good bits of Brazil – sun, samba, spicy chicken, cocktails- and party without having to watch the match. Then we hope a bit of Jamaican lightning will hit Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games – Jamaica’s colours: yellow and green; most important jerseys in the Le Tour – yellow and green. There’s a bit of a theme here. So if you want to party this summer embrace the sport. Some of your guests will actually like the sport and want to watch it, let them know and plans you’ve put in place for viewing - they are more likely attend the whole party rather than sneaking off to the pub or arriving late.