Renova Design now offers free printing of your guest names on the Elegant range of wedding invitations.  In addition the Elegant range Invitation Wallet is now even better value with an 11% reduction in price.

Marriage Is Back in Fashion

MARRIAGE is coming back into fashion.

After 40 years of decline, the number of weddings has risen by 3.7 per cent in a year.

Analysts believe the recession has caused a return to family values and a desire for the stability marriage offers.

Data released by the Office of National Statistics showed there were 241,100 weddings in England and Wales in 2010, the most recent year for which figures are available. This is 8,657 more than in the previous year, and provides welcome ammunition for campaigners who are trying to push David Cameron into keeping his promise to give a tax break to married couples.

The new data follows fresh evidence of the benefits of marriage from the first results of the Prime Minister’s attempt to measure the nation’s happiness.

Figures published this week showed that married people are the happiest, their sense of well-being higher than that of cohabitees and far higher than that of the single, divorced or separated. Church of England weddings went up by 4 per cent in 2010 thanks to rules which allow couples a wider choice of churches than was available under the old system, which tied a bride and groom to the parish where they live.

However other Christian denominations saw a fall of 1.1 per cent in their wedding numbers. There were even bigger drops in religious weddings staged by other faiths. Together, the number of Sikh, Muslim and Jewish weddings went down by 3.4 per cent. Two out of three of all civil weddings are now celebrated in stately homes, hotels, golf clubs or football-ground hospitality suites which have been allowed to stage ceremonies since 1995.

The popularity of a wedding in a venue technically known as ‘approved premises’ means 1 4,570 were held in them in 2010, a 1 per cent increase in a single year. This is more than three times the number in register offices.

If this thinking is right, it means many people still instinctively put marriage at the heart of family life.

Take a Tour Around Our Designer wedding Invitations

We thought our customers would like to take a tour around the more unusual designer wedding invitations. As they have some unique features that really need a demonstration, we made this short video.  Hope you like it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD_JADvIdBE

New Celtic Wedding Invitations & Satationery

We have just concluded an exercise to broaden our range of wedding invitations and stationery for our website.  The newly updated website will go live from December 2011 and provide the bride to be with a range of wedding stationery unrivalled for choice and quality. 

Our main aim was to investigate unusual designs that will allow couples’ to express themselves in ways that are natural and familiar.  Our latest additions are based on traditional Celtic designs, and comprise six individual designs, bringing a range of invitations and stationery to couples with a Celtic connection or to those who will just appreciate the simplicity of good traditional design.

The newly added Celtic designs will offer a visually satisfying experience for guests of the Bride & Groom.  The invitations and complimentary stationery are produced using the finest parchment card incorporating high quality page inserts.  The stationery prices include printing to the clients requirements with a choice of attractive fonts.  Although the quality and beautiful presentation of all our wedding stationery is paramount, the prices are very affordable.  Check out our website for further information.http://www.celticweddinginvitations.co.uk/

Wonderful Wedding Cakes

My Daughters Wedding Cake

Choosing your wedding cake is one of the most enjoyable parts of the planning process.  Not only is it something you can both decide on, they’re all such works of art it's a pleasure to browse pictures and magazines to find the cake of your dreams.  When starting your search remember the cake is going to be one of the main focal points of your reception, so you're going to want it to look great as well as taste divine. If you are having a very traditional wedding a white, tiered wedding cake, either stacked or with pillers, is perfect.  If you are having a modern or unusual wedding you might want something more flamboyant or even themed.  Either way, a good place to start searching for designs are books and wedding magazines; keep a scrapbook of pictures you like and even have a go at sketching your own ideal cake.  Once you've found a shape you like it's time to start searching for the right person to create it; ask for recommendations from friends, your venue and other wedding suppliers.  It's also a good idea to keep contacts from magazines, or bridal exhibitions where you could actually see examples of the designer's work and sometimes even have a taste.  

As in all things wedding, it's better to start your hunt early, such as six months in advance, to ensure you get the cake maker you want and to book them in time for your wedding day. Remember, these are works of art that can't be produced in a day!  

Think about the presentation.  Since you've spent so much time choosing a beautiful cake put some  thought into where it's going to sit on the day.  Your cake should have its own table, perhaps scattered with some fresh or dried flower petals.  And make sure it’s in an area where it can be admired by your guests, not hidden away in a corner!

 Looking for Handmade Wedding Stationery our elegant invitations are available on line now.
http://www.renova-weddinginvitations.co.uk

Blooming Marvellous

Call In The Flower Professionals

Tempting as it is to have a go at creating your own flower displays; the reality is that, unless you were trained at florist, the professionals are going to make a better job of it.  This is your wedding day, you are unlikely to have another one, so you want everything to picture perfect and flowers play a key part in the aesthetics of the wedding look, from your bouquet to the petals strewn around the reception tables.  Because of this I urge you to start sourcing a Florist as soon as possible.  Don't be afraid to take in pages torn from wedding magazines as this will give your florist an idea of what you want and they will be able to advise on whether your expectations are realistic for your budget and style.

There is no escaping the fact that gorgeous wedding flowers come at a cost; it's a skilled job to arrange them creatively plus they are often being flown in from abroad, which hikes the price.  As a rule, expect to spend 5 to 10% of your overall budget on flowers, which would include bouquets, buttonholes, ceremony decorations and reception flowers.  It will certainly help your florist if you can advise them from the outset roughly how much you've got to spend, so they will know not to suggest elaborate displays that you can't afford.  Do shop around before finally hiring someone, as you will find prices do vary depending on the reputation and location of the florist.  As well as a basic price for the flowers you will need to factor in things like VAT and delivery and any prop hire if necessary, such as vases or baskets.  Be aware that if your wedding is being held somewhere remote, then the team may charge you travel expenses to and from the venue to deliver and collect the flowers and props.  I recommend asking the florist to roughly calculate all of this in before you sign on the dotted line, as you don't want any nasty shocks when you receive the final bill.

Looking for Handmade Wedding Stationery then visit our site. 
http://www.renova-weddinginvitations.co.uk/ 

Wedding Vows and Readings

Before and after you speak your legally binding vows, there is in a civil ceremony, sometimes the opportunity to include your own words in addition to the statutory ones.  However, I would stress that these down to your registrar as to how much freedom you were allowed, so do check before you start writing poems and long speeches.  If you do want to personalise them here are a few tips; keep them short and sweet (you don't want your guests falling asleep!), decide whether you want to write separate vows or repeat the same one to each other.  Practice them beforehand several times and, if you're having trouble writing them, think on the promises you want to make to your partner, such as being their friend for life and staying faithful.

Readings

Wedding readings aren't a religious or legal part of a service, but I recommend having at least one as they really do inject more romance and sometimes humour into the big day.  Readings can be said by the bride or groom, but it is more usual to choose close family and friends to say a few special words, such as a godparent or sibling.  Some couples choose to ask the mothers of the bride and groom to perform the reading, as they don't traditionally make a speech at the wedding breakfast.  If you're having a church wedding service, you will need to choose suitably religious readings, though if you have a laid-back vicar you might also have the option of including a secular, (non-religious), reading too.  A good starting point is the Bible, from which a popular passage is Love from the Corinthians, chapter 13:4-13.  A civil ceremony is much more relaxed about your choice of readings, with couples choosing anything from writing their own to extracts from Winnie the Pooh!  Ideally you want something that's meaningful, romantic and sums up the two of you and your feelings for each other. Check out poetry, past and present, scan wedding-related websites for ideas and take a look at those ever popular readings; Friendship by Hartley Coleridge, Never Marry But For Love by William Penn, and To Be One With Each Other by George Eliot.