Event Planning

Here at The Card Gallery we are used to helping you through fairly stressful events: weddings, christenings, birthday parties and retirements. But we can also help you out with the 3rd most stressful thing that happens in your life: moving house. Moving house comes after divorce and bereavement in the list of most stressful life events. The process of buying the house can be stressful enough even before you embark on packing up one house into boxes and planning where all the stuff will go in your new house. Then, just when you thought the worst was over, you have to inform so many companies and people of the change of address that you feel like you’re drowning in paperwork. So, we have put together a few tips that will help you get through that paperwork and give you time to make your new house into the home of your dreams. 1. Arrange the post forwarding service with the Post Office in good time – it can take 10 days to set up. 2. Find a check list of companies you need to inform – there are plenty on the internet. 3. Set yourself a schedule for doing them all – you can save money, or at least receive money back from your previous address, from some companies, so get them changed first. 4. Use it as an opportunity to check all your direct debits – if you are moving to a different area you may want to cancel your gym membership and do you really need that magazine on subscription? 5. Find out which of the addresses you can change online, some of them will let you fill in an online form, some just need a phone call and others needs forms in the post. Banks and other financial institutions may require a signature and other verification to prevent fraud, but you will probably be able to download the form from their website. 6. Send out address cards to your family and friends, they are much more likely to note the change the address if it is received by post. Order your address cards before you move so you will be motivated to send them. We can pre-print all the details, so all you need to do is put the address on the envelope! 7. Save on postage costs by doubling up the change of address card. If you move in October time send it with an early Christmas card in November. Alternatively you might be planning a house-warming party or other occasion, so you can send the change of address card with the invitation. A house move is such a major part of your life, it is well worth taking a bit of time to plan everything and make sure you don’t lose contacts with family and friends.

If you are planning a party this summer, you may well be hoping that you will be able to sit outside in the garden or on a terrace, whether at home or at a venue. Of course, this being Britain, you can’t guarantee the weather, but what you can do is theme your party to make it feel like summer, even if there is a downpour! One way to bring the sunshine to a party is to serve cocktails. They don’t have to be complicated or expensive – in fact some are really simple, like the mojitos, mint julep and sangria. You can serve cocktails in a colour that reflects your event by using fruit juices or fruit purees to produce the colour you like and flavour the cocktails to reflect the theme. You can even be creative with non-alcoholic cocktails, with more and more lovely fruit juices and non-alcoholic wines available, you can make beautiful drinks, so that everyone can join in. Here are some party themes that are perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, hen parties or just a summer get together. You can have them at home or at a venue – if the weather is set fair you can event go out to a park or beach. Day at the Races – we can’t all make it to ladies day at Royal Ascot, but we can all dress up in glad rags and hats and celebrate with champagne cocktails. You could all have a flutter too, perhaps in a race to be televised during the party. Party in the Park – make up a posh picnic and make your own party in the garden or a local park – if it rains opt for the bandstand or picnic in your house. Make up an iced-tea cocktail or Pimms. If you can get outdoors take some games: Frisbee, Jenga or quoits gives everyone the chance to join in. Beach Party – what makes you think of summer more than getting out the shorts and swimwear, relaxing with a cocktail and hiring a hot tub or blow up the paddling pool and fire up the barbie. Re-live the summer hols with sangria, daiquiri or kir royale. Rio Carnaval – much as we resist it, we will probably be gripped in World Cup Fever next month – if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em and have a Carnaval themed party. Dress to impress with flowers, feathers and fruit and samba the afternoon away accompanied by the ultimate retro cocktail, pina colada. Preparation for any of these parties could include making your own signature cocktail, have stock in to have a cocktail creating competition on the day. To do this you need to provide: Something strong – gin, vodka, rum, whisky for example Something sweet – you can make a basic syrup or use elderflower cordial Something sour – lemon, lime You may also want to provide angostura bitters, fruit (to puree, add to the mix or garnish), herbs (mint and thyme are popular in summer cocktails), ice, fruit juices, tonic and soda water. Set the tone for the party by sending invitations out about a month in advance - if you want guests to bring their own ingredients for a cocktail competition, let them know. Enjoy the sunshine.

Lots of our wedding couples tell us they don't know where to start with their wedding table plan and working out who is to sit where. To help, we've put together this infographic to give you some ideas on your top table layout and some hints and tips for the rest of your tables. Should you have any queries, please get in touch or visit our website for more tips and advice. This infographic was designed by https://www.dottyaboutpaper.co.uk/

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Arranging a birthday party for your children seems like a very simple thing. You have booked a venue (if you are sensible), chosen a theme and sent out the invitations. But as the day approaches you realise you will have to feed and entertain a group of children for 2 hours or more. Whether you have booked a local hall or are brave enough to host at home you will need to use your imagination to keep them occupied. I have done the whole range in my time: home, hall, swimming pool, 5 a side football, outdoor play area…… so these are some hints and tips to help you through the day. 1. Theme the party – this gives children a chance to dress up and gives you inspiration for decorations, food and games. We have had dinosaurs, fairy princesses, Doctor Who, farmyards, circus, musicals and football. 2. Have at least one other adult there to help you - you cannot supervise the children, organise games, sort out the food and look after the child who has fallen over all on your own. 3. Be prepared: Rule 1 of children’s parties: parents drop their children off 10 minutes before the time on the invitation and pick up 10 minutes later than the finish time. Make sure you have an activity they can do as each child arrives – a good idea is to have an art table where they can colour in or decorate a themed hat. 4. Present opening: Try to open presents when all the children have arrived – you can then take a note of the gifts for sending thank you cards later. 5. Lively games: the first games need to be lively as the children will all be excited. Start with a treasure hunt or scavenger hunt, depending on your theme and the space. If they are slightly older children you can give them written clues to find the treasure and send them in teams. This can be followed by the old favourites; musical bumps, musical chairs and musical statues (we even had to do these games at my children’s 16th parties!) 6. Calm things down: after all this excitement you will want something a bit quieter. Sleeping lions (or dragons, T-Rexes, daleks depending on your theme) is great for this – the person who is quietest wins. Once they have calmed down you can play pin the tail on… (again fit this in with your theme) and a memory game. My memory game was to put a number of different items on a tray and ask the children to memorise them. Then take an item or items off the tray and see who can remember what you have removed. 7. Food time: rule 2 of children’s parties – give them the simplest food possible otherwise you get a chorus of “I don’t like this.” I always try to sit them down and provide simple sandwiches, crisps, sausages, party ring biscuits and buns. Provide plenty of drink, but limit it to squash – fizzy drinks can make them too excitable. 8. Birthday cake: If you are like me you will have spent hours making a themed birthday cake – some have been successful (dinosaur and circus top) others a disaster (dalek). Whether homemade or bought you will need to stick in the candles and sing happy birthday after the food. I usually cut up the cake in the kitchen after this and but a slice in the goody bag. 9. Activity/entertainer – if you are lucky all this will have lasted an hour. If you have an entertainer this is where you need them. We have had a lady doing a Fimo workshop and you can hire in an entertainer, however you could do a karaoke or have a bit of dancing. Older children like some time just to chat, so give them some time to themselves. 10. Pass the Parcel – every party needs pass the parcel, putting it towards the end of the party means you can calm children down again. You can also make it last as long or as short as you like, because rule 3 of children’s parties is that time stands still – it is the longest 2 or 3 hours of the year! 11. Goody Bags – don’t spend a fortune, most of it will just get thrown out. Include mini sweet packs, something linked to the theme (toy dinosaur, princess crown), balloon, party popper, anything you made in the opening activity and some cake. 12. Take photographs – birthday parties are some of the best memories of childhood, so make sure you capture them.

It is estimated that half of new mums-to-be in the UK have a baby shower. As it is a relatively new event in this country, many people are worried that they will do it wrong; after all there is no precedent in the family for what to do. The main areas where people feel concerned are: timing, who hosts it, presents, cost and who to invite. In this blog we aim to give you some guidance on all these issues. Firstly, however, let’s clarify what a baby shower is. In its simplest form it is a celebration of the birth or imminent birth of a new baby. It is where friends and family of the mother (or parents) meet to share advice on bringing up children, offer support to the mother (or parents) and bring gifts for the baby. Traditionally in the USA it is for the first child, although this is not a strict rule. 1. When to hold a baby shower: many people still feel it is tempting fate to receive presents and celebrate a birth before it happens, so a baby shower can be held after the birth. The down side of this is that the mum could well be tired and/or anxious and really not feel like a party. If you do decide to hold the baby shower before the birth (as in the US tradition) it should be into the third trimester – probably about a month before the due date. A good time is when the mother-to-be goes on maternity leave as work colleagues will want to wish her well. 2. Who should organise the Baby Shower? – the person who organises/hosts the shower should certainly not be the mother or father- to-be. Ideally it would be a joint effort between a close friend and a relative (sister, mother or aunt). This shows that the event is a celebration and not an excuse to receive lots of presents. The organiser should, however, consult with the mum-to-be - it should not be a surprise party. 3. Who pays for the baby shower? – the person who hosts the party should pay for it, which is why having more than one organiser/host is a good idea. A baby shower tends to be an informal event, so can be held at one of the hosts’ houses or a clubhouse/ pub function room. Light refreshments plus a cake are all that is necessary, so you can share catering responsibility. Other costs will include invitations, decorations, goody bags and prizes for games. As with all parties the organiser needs to set a budget and stick to it. 4. Should there be a present list? – family and friends will want to buy any new-born baby a present, particularly if it is the first grand-child in the family. A first time mum will certainly need the some larger basic equipment like cots, prams and baby baths, but she may have made arrangements with family members for purchasing these. (I bought my pram with money left to me by my grandmother, so I always felt it was her gift to my family). A present list is helpful in that it gives a guide as to what the mother wants, however it can look a bit greedy, particularly if it is from an expensive store. Many people like to give gender specific gifts, so if the sex of the baby is not known you could request no presents until after the birth. Guests at your baby shower should certainly NOT be expected to give a gift at the shower and then again after the birth. 5. Who should be invited to a Baby Shower? Traditionally a baby shower was an all female event, but as Dads become more involved in parenting, there is no reason why it cannot be thrown for the couple. The organiser should discuss the guest list with the parents-to-be and agree on who should be invited. The number of people attending will influence where the party will be held and the budget. As a general rule of thumb 20% of people invited will not be able to attend, so if you invite 50 people, expect 40 to attend. Invitations should be sent out 6 weeks before the shower and include: who, where, when, RSVP details and a gift list if there is one. When organising a baby shower it should be remembered that this is an informal event of celebration that should reflect the wishes of the couple having the baby. There are no set rules, so just go with what feels right.

The Card Gallery is in the mood for celebrating this year, not only are we toasting our 10th birthday but we are also toasting that we are now officially members of ‘Made in Britain’ which we are extremely proud of … chink chink! Over the past few months we have been working very hard on gaining this important marque and now we have got it we are going to fly the flag and celebrate with a new look website ... so watch this space. Our new look will be in keeping with our existing design but will have a more modern feel with a new logo supporting our new ‘Made in Britain’ status. So what does all this mean? The ‘Made in Britain’ logo identifies products that have been made in Britain thus making it easier for the public to identify British products. The logo was created after Stoves launched a competition for students at British universities to design a logo that people could easily recognise following research saying that consumers were confused about the origin of the products they were buying. The winner was unveiled in July 2011 and companies making products in the UK were invited to apply to use the logo and by October 2012, 600 companied were using it. Are all of our products made in Britain? Unfortunately not all of our products are made in Britain but a very high percentage of them are. There are just a few guest books and photo albums currently in our range that we are working on phasing out and replacing with a British made alternative, please bear with us while we work on this. To read more about ‘Made in Britain’, click here.

As the days warm up we look forward to enjoying our celebrations outside. Whilst the boys might want to bring out the barbie, the girls are bringing out the vintage crockery and cake stands for afternoon tea. Afternoon tea is a lovely way to enjoy a special occasion and it is not just for the 80th birthday parties and golden weddings – tea parties are being chosen as hen parties and even for wedding receptions. Tea parties date back around 200 years when Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, started having tea and a sandwich to fill in the gap between lunch (at about 1pm) and dinner at 8. It soon became a fashion for ladies to meet “at home” for afternoon tea as part of the social scene. From the late 19th Century to the mid-20th tea rooms and tea gardens were a popular meeting place – the famous Grantchester Tea Gardens opened in 1897 and Betty’s of Yorkshire in 1919. From the 1950s, however, afternoon tea became less popular as the British turned to the more informal coffee shops and working patterns changed. But, in the last decade there has been a huge increase in popularity, as Elaine Lemm writes in britishfood.about.com “Ironically, it is the economic downturn which began around 2008 that is credited for this revival. The return to more traditional values and homely pursuits is more prevalent when money is tight, it seems.” Whether it be the effect of the recession, the Great British Bake Off , the trend for vintage or the Golden Jubilee, afternoon tea is well and truly on the menu. Large hotels and tea rooms/coffee shops now offer an afternoon tea and business is brisk. But a tea party is so easy to host that you don’t need to book an hotel. And you don’t need a special occasion as an excuse – a bank holiday weekend is a lovely time to have some friends round and treat yourself. So, what do you need? 1 A large tea pot – preferably not metal 2 Some vintage china – raid your Gran’s or the local charity shop – it doesn’t have to match. 3 Table linen -especially if holding it outside – it will make the garden furniture look classy! 4 If you want to dress it up a bit, you need bunting, some cut flowers and cake stands – but none of these are necessary. What ‘s on the menu? 1 Sandwiches – my favourite is fresh cucumber soaked in vinegar on buttered brown bread – cut into triangles with the crusts cut off. Other traditional sandwiches are: smoked salmon, roast ham and mustard, cheese and pickle. 2 Scones – if they are fruit or plain scones you will need butter, cream and jam and if strawberries are in season you could serve them too. Cheese scones can be served and you can experiment with scones – we recently had ginger beer scones – yum. 3 Cake – either one or two large cakes such as a Victoria sandwich and a chocolate cake or a selection of cup cakes and fairy cakes. To drink you need tea, preferably made from leaves: warm the pot first and then add a teaspoon of tea leaves for each person (and one for the pot if you like it strong). Pour on boiling water and allow it to brew for a couple of minutes. I prefer milk in my cup first and then add the tea. You might also like to supply some soft drinks, such as elderflower cordial. To make it even more simple ask everyone to bake for it on your tea party invitation, and have your own bake off as part of the party.

You’ve seen them on your fav TV programmes: from Emmerdale to Friends, surprise parties are a staple of TV land. But, as the surprise party for ex-TOWIE, Mark Wright, recently showed, they can be great fun in real life too. Surprise parties may not be quite so common in the normal world, perhaps because they can be tricky to pull-off, but if you follow a few simple rules and plan it all well, they can be brilliant. Rule 1: Make sure everyone knows the party is secret. Send out invitations that tell guests it is secret. Make sure that if it is a family invitation they tell everyone in the family it is secret. I nearly put my foot in it lately when my hubby received a facebook invite to a surprise party. I very nearly posted a message on FB to say we were going. Make sure how to RSVP is clear. This is when you need .... Rule 2: Have an accomplice This is vital if you are arranging a surprise party for someone you live with. You may need someone to send invitations and make ‘phone calls. You will certainly need someone to receive RSVPs, whether by post, phone, email or text. The accomplice can also help with other arrangements: buying supplies, decorating the venue, providing an alibi etc. Rule 3: Make sure the person you are surprising is the right person at the right time This rule might seem a bit weird, but surprise parties are not for everyone. For instance: • some people just don’t like surprises. They like to be in control and usually do all the organising. • Other people who get really excited about birthdays will ensure they celebrate by making their own plans. They might be hurt if you appear to have forgotten their birthday, so you will need to either fit the surprise round them or do it before or after the actual day • Make sure they are dressed right – you will need to make sure the alibi fits in with the style of the event. A person who always likes to dress-up when going out will hate it if they turn up in trackies when everyone else is in their glad rags. Which leads us to:- Rule 4: Don’t make it too difficult Make the surprise party fit around something fairly normal. If you usually go out on a Friday night, fit it round that. If you like to go walking on a Sunday, meet friends for a surprise picnic. If the person you are surprising goes shopping with a friend on a Saturday have a surprise at the house when they get home. Rule 5: Don’t talk about the party Make sure everyone invited knows not to talk. Let as few people know about the party and arrangements as possible. Only talk about the party with your accomplice and get them to do the chasing. With those rules in place, you need a plan: 1) Book the venue if necessary 2) Work with your accomplice to get the guest list together and find all the contact addresses. 3) Send out invitations 4) Appoint a ‘babysitter’ – the person who will ensure the guest of honour gets to the party. Have at least 1 excuse up your sleeve – sometimes the original plan won’t work 5) Organise food, decorations, entertainment and who is going to organise it on the day 6) Once you have had replies let the guests who are coming know the arrangements – for instance they may need to be at the venue an 1 hour before the guest of honour is expected to arrive and they will need to hide their cars. 7) The ‘babysitter’ will need to ensure the person you are surprising is dressed right and ready to go – with a secret way of telling the guests that they are on the way. 8) Make sure someone acts as a host to your guests and keeps everyone informed on the night, then you can all surprise the guest when they arrive.

Behind the scenes of The Card Gallery we have been working on a new and very exciting range of Christening invitations and I just can’t wait to share them with you! This new range will be slightly different from our existing range as it will be printed on luxury soft touch ivory Conqueror 300gsm matte card and will be supplied with ivory hammered envelopes to compliment. The new designs will be available in two sizes, A6 and 145 x 145mm, and will be a postcard style invitation printed on one side, offering something that not only looks great but is affordable too! The new designs will initially appear on the website as a ‘Christening ready to write’ range with the personalised option coming very soon. The same designs will also become available for Naming Ceremony and Baptism, so you are sure to find something that’s suitable for your special occasion. Matching thank you cards will also be available in a new larger 130 x 130mm size and will be printed on high quality ivory Conqueror 300gsm matte card to match. Anyway enough of the boring stuff, here is a sneak peak at some invitations for girls ….. and some invitations for boys ...

Lilac is a very popular choice for weddings and for me it symbolizes that Spring has arrived! I love how the pretty lilac flowers decorate our landscape and fill the air with their unique scent. Now spring has finally sprung, what better time than to share my lilac wedding ideas with you - Loving Lilac; There are many ways you can introduce lilac into your day. For instance you could base your lilac theme around lilac coloured flowers like orchids, sweet peas, hydrangeas, lilacs, roses or lavender. Or you could simply go for a lilac butterfly theme like I have shown above. Before you finalise your theme, shop around for wedding invitations and matching stationery. Wedding invitations and save the date cards are often the first snippet your guests will get of your wedding so it’s important that you choose something that’s going to reflect your theme. day. Here is a selection of lilac wedding invitations I have hand picked from The Card Gallery; 1. Vintage Bunting & Love Birds – this fun design will look great for a spring or summer lilac wedding. Personalise with your initials on the jar tea light holders to add that personal touch. 2. Floral Pattern – this damask pattern compliments lilac well 3. Lilac Rose – the perfect choice if you’re having lilac roses in your bouquets and table arrangements 4. Summer Butterflies – a really pretty design that will decorate your wedding tables beautifully 5. Victorian Lace – this invite works really well in lilac, it is also one of The Card Gallery’s best selling designs of 2013/14 6. Purple Orchid – team this invite up with real orchids in your bouquet and on your wedding tables to make a real statement Many good stationery suppliers offer samples free of charge so go ahead and order some of your favourite designs. Samples allow you to see and feel the quality of the invitation before you commit to buy, ensuring that they'll be perfect for your special day. As well as ordering samples, look to see if they do matching items like table plans, table numbers, place cards, menus and order of service as these are all items you’re going to need if you’re to continue your theme throughout your day. And if you want to save time after your wedding when you could be doing some last minute packing for your honeymoon, then look at ordering some printed thank you cards, like this one shown below. These cards can be personalised with your own personal message and are the perfect way to end a perfect day.

It seems hard to believe that The Card Gallery is 10 years old! In March 2004, the concept of The Card Gallery was formed, and by June 2004 we had become a limited company and sales had begun! It had all begun in September 2002, my husband and I had married, and I'd been shocked at the cost of wedding stationery and the lack of colour and style choice. Some months later after a rather extended back-packing round-the-world honeymoon adventure, a doodle pad on a train journey became filled with ideas for what later became The Card Gallery. A trusted friend and business advisor had told me when I had decided to set up my own company, after years of dreaming of doing so, that it would be much easier to purchase an existing company than to start a new one from scratch. Statistics said that up to 50% of companies would fail in the first 5 years, but no, head-strong and enthusiastic, I forged ahead. Looking back at all that we have achieved (I'll allow this just for today rather than beating myself up for all the things I haven't yet got to), I have to thank all of our wonderful team of staff (there are 8 of us), our lovely customers, of which there have been thousands, and our suppliers, without all of whom we would not be here today. Over the next 10 months, we'll be sharing our birthday celebrations with you, with 10 giveaways, 1 per month. Visit our Facebook page today, share us and like us to enter our first giveaway to win £100 to spend on anything from our website. Thank you for reading my ramblings, Lisa Forde xx