Event Planning

Wedding Invitations

What Time Do You Put on a Wedding Invite?

Whose name should be placed first on the wedding invitation? Here is the answer you are looking for!

UPDATED ON December 08, 2023

Wedding Invitations

Can You Send Wedding Invitations Too Early?

It really can't hurt to get things done early when you can, but when it comes to wedding invitations, is there such a thing as too early? That's the question we ask in this blog.

UPDATED ON December 08, 2023

Posted on June 14, 2013

Category_event-planning christening

Traditional Christening Gifts for Baby

There are many traditional gifts to give a new baby at a Christening - here are a few of them.. Caudle Cups These are two handled china cups which were used many centuries ago by parents of newborns. The cups were filled with a mixture of spiced oatmeal gruel flavoured with madeira and served to the parents for three days after a child’s birth. The cups were only used for this purpose and were often handed down through the family for generations. Some believe that the silver christening cups of today hark from this tradition. Christening cups Giving a silver cup as a christening gift is reminiscent of the ‘silver chalice’ used at the Last Supper by Jesus. The cup represents that the new baby is an empty soul, waiting to be filled with purpose and goodness. In the Catholic faith, a silver christening cup is typically bought by a godparent. It is used to pour the baptismal waters over the baby’s head three times as a symbol of the holy trinity. Apostle spoons These are silver spoons with the image of one of the twelve apostles on the handle. Wealthy benefactors would give a baby the entire set of twelve, while those less well off would give four spoons (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) or possibly just one with the saint whose name the child had been given. This custom started in Tudor times and was a sign of a wealthy family and is thought to have given rise to the saying: Born with a silver spoon in your mouth. The giving of Apostle spoons has become less common, but the giving of silver remains. Silver Silver was a valuable currency, so giving something silver was a way of setting up a nest egg for a new baby. The Victorians adapted the silver pieces and silver spoons to anything silver and of use – like rattles, teethers, cutlery, egg cups and napkin rings. These days, giving something silver is the most commonly accepted tradition for christening presents.

Menu Suggestions for your Baby Celebrations

Decided to tackle the catering for your baby celebrations yourself? It can often be very difficult to decide what food to serve, how much of it.. and most crucially how much you are going to be out of pocket! Having a Fork Buffet, unlike Canapes, allows you to include more cold meats, quiches and salads to your menus. For a winter treat why not add jacket potatoes cut in half.. or even pizza. Fork buffets also mean that you need to include cutlery for your guests. This can often be a pain regarding finding matching china and dreaded washing and clearing up. However, China crockery can be hired from catering equipment companies at reasonable rates, from around £1.50 for ten plates. Disposable plastic plates and forks are not really advised as many are not strong enough and may collapse when guests are trying to eat, especially hot food. Plastic plates are a good option as they can be picked up from party shop for a good price, or simply borrow plastic picnic wear from your friends and family. Don't be scared to be adventurous with your menu.. but remember to include little ones in your choices! Here are a few examples of possible foods for your baby celebrations.. Hand Carved Meat Platter Tomato & Vegetable Quiche Party Pizza Selection Mozzarella & Tomato Salad Pesto Pasta with Pine Nuts & Spinach Chocolate Gateau

The Brad and Angie Wedding - We Can't Wait!

It's the most anticipated celebrity wedding of 2013 - especially after Brad Pitt revealed that he wanted to marry Angelina Jolie "sooner rather than later", after she bravely announced the news of her double mastectomy. When will it happen? Despite the couple's and their children's excitement about their nuptials, both are keeping quiet on the subject of the wedding, even when attending the London premiere of Brad's new film World War Z. They were approached by reporters on the red carpet as they arrived for the premier and Brad was asked about their plans for the wedding, and whether it was him or Angelina doing the most preparations. "I'm On Napkins!" Brad replied. He went on to say: "We think there's a few other things to talk about. I can't reveal my secrets but we're a joint operation." Last month, Angelina, aged just 37, announced that she had undergone a double mastectomy after learning she had a high risk of developing breast cancer due to a defective BRCA1 gene. A source close to the couple said they were now even more keen to make their family official by tying the knot as soon as possible. The source said: "Angie is keen on a wedding and the kids are clamouring for a marriage and keep asking Brad and Angie when it’s happening. Brad has been caught up in production turmoil with his new film World War Z, so there’s been no wedding planning as a result, but Angie has said it will happen sooner rather than later. They are all for all intents and purposes married, but it’s become clear that it’s important to them to make it official." If you are getting married, take a look at everything The Card Gallery has to offer.

Saving the Date with The Card Gallery

It's almost Summertime, and the wedding season is in full swing at last! Weddings get everyone into a romantic mood, and there are more proposals at this time of year than any other (hint hint to all those men out there who need to put a ring on it!) If it’s your turn to get married this year then you need to begin your wedding preparations as soon as possible. It’s really is amazing how long it can take to plan a wedding - particularly if you’re after a grand ceremony with a huge party to celebrate, so we say it’s never too early to start planning. One of the first things you need to decide on your venue, and this alone can take a lot of your time and energy. The venue has got to be perfect for you as a couple and you need to ensure that you are completely sure about your decision before you commit to anything. Once you have chosen the perfect venue, you need to contact them to ask when it will be available and this then determines the date that you will get married. As soon as you have the date, you need to send out your save the date cards. These days, people lead busy lifestyles, so you need to make sure your big day is in their diary so that you can have that perfect wedding you've dreamed of. Take a look at one of our new ranges of save the date cards - blossoming love. Could there be anything more perfect for this time of year?

Your Wedding: Wedding Table Names

One of the best days of your life - that’s what most couples wish for their wedding day to be. Some brides and grooms-to-be will go to elaborate lengths to try to make their wedding day just one for the books - Don't Tell The Bride, anyone? - but you don't have to do it in front of millions of viewers to make your wedding day both memorable and special. It's the little touches that make all the difference, and choosing the right wedding stationery is a good place to begin. Some weddings will have a theme, or at least a style which it follows, and this can be followed through with your wedding table names. For example, if you have a flower-themed wedding, then the wedding table names can be all of the different names of flowers you want to incorporate into the day. Likewise, a sporting theme will have table names which reflect the sport you both love. If you have opted not to have a specific theme to your day, deciding on the wedding table names can be a little trickier to come up with. Couples are veering away from simple numbers, but colours or romantic places of interest can be a nice way to add a bit of flavour to the wedding table names. Just imagine, you can have some guests in Florence and some in Paris at your wedding breakfast! If you prefer something a little different, how about places you have visited together as a couple, or tables named after all of your shared hobbies and interest? The possibilities really are endless, so get your thinking caps on and find the perfect solution for your wedding table names.

Wedding Table Plans from The Card Gallery

There used to be a time when the online choices for wedding stationery were pretty limited. But today there’s no shortage of gorgeous designs to choose from. The Card Gallery have styles to suit every taste - from the more traditional designs, or something that's a bit more contemporary and modern. More and more couples getting married are choosing to send out wedding stationery which really stand out from the crowd. Wedding stationery - including your wedding table plans - can be linked to the theme of the wedding – a sporting passion, music, or a shared interest such as dancing. Your wedding table plans can even reflect the place where the happy couple met, or be designed with your favourite colours in mind. Whatever it is that you want your wedding table plans to say about you, take a look online at all of the different styles we have available, and we're sure you'll find the perfect wedding stationery for your big day. And, bu using a specialist company like The Card Gallery, you can also order matching stationery for a completely co-ordianted collection.

Our Lovely Range of Order of Service Cards

More and more couple are including order of service cards onto their wedding stationery orders, and they are a good idea to give guests a timetable of events for your ceremony - as well as being a nice keepsake for them to take home too. Here is a patchwork snapshot of some of our order of service cards, so take a look and see if a design catches your eye! Apple-Green-Butterfly-Open-Out-Order of Service-150

Apple-Green-Butterfly-Open-Out-Order of Service-150

Backup_of_Silver-Swirl-Order-Of-Service-142-FRONT-150

Black & White Butterfly Wishes - Order-of-Service-142-150

Contemp-Purple-Rose-Open Out-Order of Service-150

Calla-Lily- Open Out- Order of Service-150

Blue-Butterfly-Border-Order-Of-Service-AD-142-150

cont-pink-roses-invite-Order of Service-Open Out-150

Festive-Green-butterfy-Swirls-Open Out-Order of Service-150

Hollywood Pink Swirls-Open Out-Order of Service-150

Square Monogram, Silver- Order of Service-150

Black-White-Floral-Pattern-Order-Of-Service-AF-142-150

White-Lily-Order-Of-Service-Invitation-150

Wedding-AQ-Chocolate-Brown-Swirls-Order-of-Service-Card-Outer-150

The Budget Bride: DIY Wedding Stationery

We know how important it is to stick to a budget when planning a wedding (those grooms over at Don't Tell The Bride don't seem to have grasped this concept yet though!) Which is why when it comes to thinking about your wedding stationery, we understand that some brides-to-be want to turn designer and have a go at making their very own DIY wedding stationery. We've made it easy at The Card Gallery, by dedicating a whole section to help you with this mammoth task. Our DIY invites section is full of budget designs which you can personalise and send for printing. This is a really good option for choosing your own wording and creating really bespoke wedding invitations, without having to resort to card stock and glue at home! We also have a range of DIY wedding guest books and DIY wedding photo albums which are blank for your own designs. To help with this task, we also sell a lovely range of stick-on diamantes in different sizes - perfect for a little bit of bling on your albums, or to add onto your budget wedding invitations once they have been printed. If you would like any help on budgeting for your wedding stationery, simply give us a call and we'd be happy to talk through your options for you. We may even have some small amounts of end of line stock that we are able to sell at a reduced price, or offer you alternatives which suit your budget better.

The Vintage Wedding Cake Range

Our Vintage Wedding Cake menu cards are available as part of a co-ordinated range of wedding stationery available at The Card Gallery. A wedding menu card is usually placed upon tables at the wedding reception so that guests will know what food they are about to be served. They are practical and also serve as a really lovely keepsake of your big day that your wedding guests can take home with them. Click here to view the Vintage Wedding Cake range Click here to view the Vintage Wedding Cake menu cards This is one of our new designs, and has proved very popular with brides and grooms-to-be. There is a completely co-ordinated range available which includes save the date cards and magnets, wedding and blessing invitations, guest information cards, RSVP cards, menus, lottery ticket holders, order of the day cards, place cards, table names, table plans, and wedding thank you cards and magnets.

Dawn French Remarries in a Secret Ceremony

The lovely Dawn French has reportedly married Mark Bignell is a secret ceremony at the beach! The happy couple - who have been dating for a year - are rumoured to have booked out all of the Scarlet Hotel in Newquay for their small and intimate wedding ceremony. Fellow comedians were among the wedding guests and the small affair, and included celebrities Jennifer Saunders, Sue Perkins, Kathy Burke, Alison Moyet and Richard Curtis. The Eco-venue provided the perfect setting for the loved-up couple, with the ceremony room featuring white leather chairs, and amazing views of the Cornish coastline as a backdrop. The bedrooms for guests were adorned with jam jars that were filled with peonies and Lily of the Valley. After the service, everyone went outside and watched fireworks from the hotel. Awww, we love a good wedding - and we wish Dawn and Mark all the very best in their new lives together.

Examples of Wedding Table Plans

We get asked a lot of questions about wedding table plans here at The Card Gallery. One of the main reasons why couples have difficulty is that families are rarely made up of the standard nuclear model - there are step-parents to consider, extended family members, the couple's own children in some cases - and even a wedding with no other family members, just friends. There are many ways to set out your wedding table plans, here are just a few examples of how to do it... The Traditional

The Traditional Round: round

Bride's Parents are Remarried: bride

Groom's Parents are Remarried: groom

We hope - no matter what size and shape your family is - that you work out the right layout for your wedding day. If you need any help, just give us a call and we'd be happy to advise.

Order of the Day Cards from The Card Gallery

We have a huge range of order of the day cards available online. Whether you are looking for classic, elegant designs, or you want something bold and bright - we are sure to have an order of the day card to suit your wedding just perfectly. Take a look below at some of our most popular designs: Backup_of_Silver-Swirl-Order-Of-The-Day-FRONT-150