Getting hitched is not cheap and you might be struggling to arrange your wedding within the budget you have set aside for the occasion. After all, while you no doubt want to enjoy a special day that’s one to remember for all the right reasons, it may be hard to justify huge expenditure. The good news is, there are ways in which you can minimise your spending without compromising on the quality of your wedding. For example, by making sure you source superb and at the same time great value wedding invites and other items of stationery, you can help to control your costs.

James Cordon ties the knot

TV and stage funny man James Corden recently got married in style. The 34-year-old comedian and actor tied the knot with Julia Carey earlier this month after engaging to her on Christmas Day 2010. The pair, who had their first child together in March, looked content as they said their vows in front of their selected guests. Julia is reported to have worn a stunning lace dress and the wedding took place in Somerset.

No expense spared

In true celeb style, no expense was spared and the celebration reportedly cost £250,000. It was staged in a luxurious private members club called Babington House and guests were even treated to a performance from Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody, as well as ex-Radio One DJ Chris Moyles and singers Rizzle Kicks, the Daily Mail revealed. Meanwhile, a host of famous faces were in attendance, including David Walliams, Michael McIntyre, Jimmy Carr and Peter Jones. The celebrations are said to have kicked off the evening before the ceremony, with guests meeting up at the 32-bedroom former stately home.

A stag do to remember

It should come as no surprise that Corden’s stag do ahead of the wedding was also out of the ordinary. The West Ham fan was treated to a kickabout on the pitch at Upton Park and West Ham player Mark Noble and former Tottenham and Liverpool star Jamie Redknapp joined the game.

Doing it your own way

When you read about the rich and famous getting hitched in lavish ceremonies, you might feel a little daunted, but there’s no need. Even on a tight budget, it’s possible to organise fantastic celebrations. By paying attention to the small details and making sure you source the best deals, you can create a great impression without going bust in the process.

We’re here to help

Here at The Card Gallery we go out of our way to provide excellent value wedding place cards and other accessories that can help make your big day extra special.

Our full range

Meanwhile, our product range doesn’t end there. We also provide stunning christening invites, baby gifts and much more. So, to see our full selection of items, you can take a look around the rest of our website. You will not be disappointed by the variety on offer and our prices should bring a smile to your face.

Assuming that you've made it to the altar and had one of the best days of your life, you mustn't forget to say thank you to all of your loved ones for coming along and supporting you on your big day (and probably reminding you when you forgot to do something or had a mini-meltdown along the way!) Wedding thank you cards for after the big day are important - and it will also remind all of your guests of your happy day the second the cards drops through their door. It also serves as a reminder to get any informal photos developed which they may have taken on your wedding day. Lot's of couple decide to put a note in with the thank you card to ask for any extra photos to be emailed to them. These pictures can often tell a funny 'behind the scenes' story or even be some of the best photos of the day as they capture people informally. So, don't forget your thank you cards after the wedding - we're sure we don;t have to tell you to remember the big day itself!

Twins! A double blessing, and more than a double helping of trouble coming your way during the toddler and teenage years! It can be really difficult finding stationery that is specially geared towards twins (and triplets!) but The Card Gallery have a whole range dedicated to your plural pregnancy! If you are looking for christening invitations for your double bundle of joy, then look no further than right here. With a lovely range of cute animals, rubber ducks, and baby feet galore, we're sure to have the perfect baby stationery for you. One of our favourites is the 'Baby Ducks' collection - just so adorable! Why not take a look around the christening section and see if you can find the perfect baby stationery for you.

Getting engaged can be a wonderful experience and you might have dreamt about walking down the aisle for much of your life. However, as soon as reality sets in and you have to start planning your big day, you might begin to panic. There’s a lot to arrange ahead of these events and the whole experience can be a little overwhelming at times. Basically, organising your wedding is party planning on a mass scale and you might have little or no experience of this. You’ll have to decide who to invite, book venues, arrange transport and put on entertainment. Then there are the photos to consider, as well as food and drink. Of course, you can’t neglect the all important outfits for the day. Another issue you’ll need to bear in mind is wedding invitation cards and other nuptial stationery.

A savvy approach

Thankfully, there’s a simple way to address the issue of stationery. By sourcing the items online, you can minimise your expense and benefit from complete convenience. You can even peruse your options on a break at work, or while you’re waiting for your tea to cook in the evening. Here at The Card Gallery we offer an array of fabulous products that might be perfect for you. Whether you’re after save the date cards or anything else, you should be able to find them on our website.

A growing trend

More and more consumers are heading online to source a whole range of goods and research conducted by MyHigh.St recently highlighted this trend. It found that six in ten shoppers no longer consider the high street to be their first port of call for everyday items, while four in ten of the 2,000 adults polled said they believe they can get better deals by heading online. In addition, one in six of the respondents revealed they don’t have time to go to the shops.

Avoiding hassle

A number of problems connected with high street shopping were identified by those questioned. For example, expensive or difficult parking, lack of choice and the inability to visit the shops during their limited opening hours were all off putting to consumers.

Convenience

Commenting on the findings, a spokesman for MyHigh.St said: “Long working hours and hectic schedules mean that British adults have very little time to conduct their shopping and so want convenience when they do get around to doing it. ”These days, most people turn to the internet to order everything from food, drinks, clothing and household essentials, rather than nipping down to their local high street or store to stock up.”

Take a look

So, if you want to get one more thing ticked off that long list of wedding to-dos, why not take a look around our website? We offer a superb range of cheap wedding stationery and other items that may be ideal for you. Coming to us for these products could save you time and money, and help you to create the big day you’ve been dreaming of.

When you are caught up in wedding arrangements, there is so much to think about. From the table settings and seating plans to the favours and invites..it seems like you're never going to remember it all! Luckily there are a number of wedding checklists available online to help you out, but one items which often gets missed off these lists are the wedding guest books for your special memories. A wedding guest book is a great memento to have our your wedding day - full of special messages from your loved ones wishing you well and telling you what your wedding means to them. It also provides a great focal point in a reception where guests can gather to write their messages and perhaps be introduced to each other for the first time. It's great fun finding out where people know the bride and groom from and how people are connected in the most unusual of ways! You often find out that the groom worked somewhere you never even knew about, or they attended a school in your local village, or even the different versions of how they met (nobody ever has the same story!) When it comes to choosing your wedding guest books, you can opt for a personalised version which makes it extra special as you can personalise it with your names or wedding date. And while you're ordering your guest book, don't forget to order your guest book pens too - there's nothing worse than digging out a half-chewed biro to accompany your gorgeous guest book!

How about this for something a little different - a New Idea: Save the Date Magnets! If you want to send something a little different out to your guests to get them to save the date, these are a great alternative to standard save the date cards. And, like all of our stationery, you can order matching items for a seamless flow to your wedding day. If you are looking for something traditional, why not try our Silver Rings design: If your tastes are a little more modern, our Orange Butterfly Wishes magnet could be ideal: Or if you heading to faraway shores, then look no further than our Flip Flop design: Whatever type of wedding you have planned, take a look online where you can view over 100 designs of save the date magnets!

Inviting your loved ones to your wedding should be an enjoyable task. The excitement of announcing your wedding, the thought of having your favourite people all together - even the gifts you hope to receive! However, it can easily become a little stressful, particularly where family politics are involved. Ultimately, the decision on who should be at your wedding lies with the bride and groom...but sometimes, other family members can become involved and give you their thoughts on your invite list too. There may be a distant cousin who you have only met once and you don't feel comfortable inviting them to your intimate ceremony. But you need to balance this against upsetting anyone else who might expect them to be invited...it's a fine line that you will need to learn to navigate. Once you have decided on the guest list, it's always a good idea to send out save the date cards in advance of sending out your actual wedding invites. When you send out save the date cards, you are giving people advance warning of your impending wedding day - and politely asking them to not book a holiday at the same time! Save the date cards are one of the very first things you will do in planning your wedding day and will allow you a little 'breather' from people continually asking when the date will be (they start asking as soon as that diamond is on your finger, by the way!) Once your save the date cards have been sent, you can get on with planning the other exciting bits of your wedding such as choosing your bridesmaids, picking your dress and sampling wedding cake...it's a hard job, but someones got to do it!

Your wedding stationery choices are very important for creating the right feel to your wedding. Your wedding invitations will be one of the first things related to your wedding that your guests will see - so it should set the tone for your big day. Your wedding invitations should ideally be sent out at least six weeks ahead of your wedding (and we always suggest around 6 months is a good time to allow people to plan). Timing is particularly important during the Summertime when your guests are likely to be booking their holidays. When it comes to ordering your wedding invitations, you should always order a few more than you think you will need. This is useful in case you make handwriting mistakes on the cards (nobody likes an invite that's been Tippex-ed!), or in case some people can’t attend and you then have the option to invite other guests in their place. When it comes to getting married abroad, it is very important that your wedding invitations are sent out even earlier than normal, to allow your guests the time to make necessary arrangement for attending your wedding. From flights and accommodation, to booking time off work and sorting out holiday arrangements, we advise that sending out your invites a year before the date is good practice. For a beach wedding, you probably want to opt for stationery a little different to the traditional white or cream wedding designs, that you might otherwise have back home. There are specially designed wedding invitations specifically for a beach wedding: they include images of beaches, waves, and gorgeous sunsets - everything you associate with being somewhere far away! You can further personalise your wedding invitations by having the name of the bride and groom on the front of the card. To complement your beach invites, you could use a similar design for your table plans, name places cards, RSVP cards and guest information cards (useful for sending additional information to your guests regarding places to stay, flights to the destination and whether or not there is a specific dress code).

Unless you are planning on a small and informal wedding reception, a wedding table plan is a really good idea, and will make a significant difference to the smooth running of your reception. There are many reasons for having a wedding table plan: your guests will be saved from the mad panic of trying to find a seat on a table with their friends or family, and you can place people where you know they'll be the happiest. Assuming that your wedding meal may last for a few hours, if your guests are sitting with people they get along with, it will make a big difference to their enjoyment of the day (and also yours as you won't have to sort out any squabbles and make sure that people are getting along!) A wedding table plan can vary enormously from family to family, bit traditionally the Bride and Groom will sit in the middle of the top table flanked by the bride's parents, then the groom's parents and finally by the best man and the chief bridesmaid or maid of honour. We have some top tips for a wedding table plan that will work: Feel free to mix it up, and put friends together who might not know each other that well. After 3 hours, they could have made friends for life - or even a new relationship! Talking of new relationships, remember to consider your single guests- it can be a bit rubbish if everyone is coupled up and they are left to fend for themselves. When using circular tables, the usual arrangement is to have males and females sitting alternately round the table. For long table formations, have couples seated opposite each other, and alternate males and females along the length of the table. Be sure to use clear place cards for your guests. This will assist them in finding their seats quickly.

With Brad & Ange's forthcoming nuptials supposedly imminent, I would love to be a fly on the wall! But first, I'd need to have a disguise in order to secure the coveted wedding photograph of the year... Realistically (and being an undercover reporter) I would have to blend in with the crowds - not my usual extrovert attire, but something that won't give anyone a second thought. Hmmmmm a female clergy perhaps? My cassock could be adapted with pockets to conceal a camera or two, some recording equipment, pens and even a notebook. Someone from the church possibly wouldn't get a second look. I could mingle and eavesdrop, taking photographs as and when the opportunity presented itself. Everyone will be saying "ah poor Jen", but I would imaging she is somewhere exotic thousands of miles away with her latest beau! After all these years I'm sure she is over Brad and secretly thinks "just get on with it you silly pair of show offs!" Since Brad met Ange it has been a public circus with their colourful family, and I wouldn't mind betting Jen is thinking she had a lucky escape. The on/off relationship has become tiresome to anybody who could be bothered to follow their news. Will they get married? Won't they tie the knot? This is the question on many lips who can be bothered to hear their latest news. My theory (for what it's worth)... The nuptials will be in the middle of the jungle with tribesmen chanting around them whilst they say their vows on a high wooden makeshift platform. Angelina would be wearing a see-through wedding dress showing off her svelte figure, and Brad would possibly wear a full feathered headdress with all of their children dressed in tribal costumes taking their duties as bridesmaids & pageboys seriously. Or maybe not... A more traditional wedding day perhaps? Of course it would have to outdo any other celebrity wedding that has ever been held. Perhaps they are trying to fool everyone by letting us think that their wedding day will be held at their Chateaux? My theory is Vegas! It could be the perfect location - and I could be a little more daring and have a twinkly clergy attire! Anybody who is anybody will be invited to this grand affair, and posing as a woman of the cloth for the day is possibly one of my better ideas. Please God (no pun intended!) don't let anyone ask me anything religious! I could end up being frog marched outa there before Brad & Ange even arrive. Who knows whether it's going ahead. Will they, won't they? Where and when? But I have my outfit hanging up ready for the BIG day just in case my invite should arrive...

Many little girls dream of being a princess and their birthday is the perfect time for this. When it comes to princess birthday parties, it is important to let the guests know that this is the theme. The best way of doing that is by using princess birthday invitations and there are plenty of ideas for these.

The first, and something that is extremely popular at the moment, is Disney princesses. You could make the invites and include some of the most favourite princesses, such as Snow White, Fiona from Shrek and Ariel from the Little Mermaid. There are plenty of companies that make birthday invitations with Disney princesses on them, which helps to cut down on the time spent.

If you have time and your daughter is interested in history, opting for the historic princesses is an option. There are plenty to choose from and there is no need to just stick with British history. This is a great way to make the party different but it is not suitable for everyone. This theme will also be a little more difficult when it comes to princess birthday invitations as you will likely need to make your own.

Another option is where your daughter is the princess for the day and her guests are other members of the royal household. This is a great way to make a full day event of the birthday party, especially if it involves a sleepover afterwards. There are plenty of parts for guests, such as ladies-in-waiting, maids and servants. This is something that you could include on the princess birthday invitations so everyone knows what they are doing.