Don't Send Your Invitations Until You Hear This, Sophie explains all things wedding stationery.

This week on The Aisle Diaries Podcast, Joella and Sophie are joined by a wedding stationery expert to answer the questions every engaged couple has when it comes to designing their big day.

From save the dates and invitations to on-the-day stationery, signage and wedding timelines, we're uncovering everything you need to know before ordering your wedding stationery—and the mistakes couples should avoid.

In this episode, we discuss:

✨ When you should book your wedding stationer
✨ Save the dates vs invitations – what do you actually need?
✨ Wedding signage essentials (and what's just a nice extra!)
✨ How to create cohesive wedding styling through stationery
✨ Budgeting for wedding stationery
✨ The importance of transparency when booking suppliers
✨ Managing timelines, production dates and last-minute changes
✨ Real advice for couples feeling overwhelmed by wedding planning

Plus, we chat about Christmas and New Year weddings, how to prioritise your wedding to-do list, and why having an experienced stationer can take so much stress out of the planning process.

Whether you've just got engaged or you're finalising the details for your wedding day, this episode is full of practical advice, expert insight and plenty of wedding inspiration.

🎧 Follow The Aisle Diaries Podcast for weekly wedding planning tips, supplier insights, bridal spirals and honest conversations from behind the scenes of the wedding industry.

Produced by TAEPodcast - www.taepodcast.co.uk

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:02

Welcome to the IOL Diaries Podcast, the place where you find out what really happens behind the chaos and confetti. Because someone's got to tell you the truth, and it's never boring. With tips for your big day, I'm Sophie and I'm Joella.

SPEAKER_01 0:18

I don't even make an invite. It's not that. It's more than that.

SPEAKER_00 0:25

Right, gosh.

SPEAKER_03 0:36

Hello and welcome back to the I. Would you like to introduce yourself?

SPEAKER_01 0:47

Okay, I'm Sophie Elizabeth from Sophie Elizabeth Wedding Stationer. Woohoo! Here for the Sophies. I feel really jealous of it. You left out.

SPEAKER_03 0:58

God damn it, can we get the fruit for the day?

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:01

Sophie ABC. It's fun in this club. Um, so um, yeah, just tell us what you do, everything like that. How you got into stationery? Start from the very beginning.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

Oh dear. Um, I had a craft business years and years ago.

SPEAKER_03 1:18

No way.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

COVID hit, and everybody got a cricket machine. Oh yeah. And everyone was selling stickers for 50p, and I'm not about that life. I like to be very particular in what I do and a bit bit OCD-ish. So I was like, no, I am just gonna stop. So I did, and then somebody said to me, Can you do my daughter's wedding invites? And I was like, Yeah, how hot can it be? Oh, famous last words. And then I started with her invites, and then we kind of just went from there. And then somebody else I knew was like, Oh, well, you've done wedding invites, you can do my sisters getting married, and then it kind of snowballed over the last five years, and yeah, and here we are. So I do everything from any save the dates, invites on the day stationery, big backdrops, and all in between everything else. Wow, yeah, that's exciting.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

I do not envy you. You did your own. Yeah, and I that's the regret I have. It's hard, isn't it? It's so hard. When people say, like, oh, I'm just gonna do my own. I'm so creative, I know how to dabble in canva. The print inside is not for me. It's not fairness, is it? Everything actually, the format, the placement, it's not easy. It isn't.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

It's hard knowing what you need on there. Yeah. How many you need. Yeah. What's gonna look great, yeah. What's gonna it's trial and error a lot of the time, though, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 2:34

And like if you make a mistake and get them all printed.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

Yeah, I've did you? What did you get wrong?

SPEAKER_02 2:41

It wasn't her wedding safety. It was too late. I was like, I'm not paying that again because it was really expensive. Had these lovely brochures made. You paid way to them. Yeah, way too much. But I needed them. You needed them AC. So I paid Wow, yeah, and then I I noticed a typo in the main cost, which was.

SPEAKER_03 3:03

Well, luckily it was the bride's cost in, so you did the bride's cost in, and it was actually higher than the price that you actually give up. So I was like, well. I I was like, I was like, just leave it. Yeah. I was like, if people question it, then be like, oh, that's not not the pricing.

SPEAKER_01 3:18

Yeah, go from there.

SPEAKER_03 3:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

I've had like DIY brides that have moved their wedding date because they've had the invites printed with the wrong date. And they've moved the whole wedding. No. Yeah. What?

SPEAKER_03 3:31

And then they've come to me and I feel like we need more context on that.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

They've come to meet and found me when they're doing their table plans on the day stationery, stuff like that. Yeah. So I've done that and then it got changed. I think it was from like a Saturday to a Wednesday. She wasn't bothered, she was dead easygoing, and I was like, oh, that's a big change. Yeah, so things. And how many guests? I don't know, you know. Well, I do, but I can't remember. It was ages ago. So it was quite yeah. So that's why I would say like I would always stick with somebody who knows what I do it every day of the week.

SPEAKER_00 4:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:03

You know what you're doing, and it's nice, people think it's nice to have a little something that they can do.

SPEAKER_03 4:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:09

That's that's always a little bit stressful, isn't it?

SPEAKER_03 4:12

Yeah, honestly, no. I wouldn't, I wouldn't do it.

SPEAKER_02 4:15

So do you like well let's talk about the process actually? So do you would you triple check like can I just confirm it is Saturday, the 13th of?

SPEAKER_01 4:26

I do a design appointment with all my couples online. So I go through, I have a performer form, I fill it all out. Yeah, this is your date, you're getting married here. I send proofs to the couple, they all get a digital proof before I even print stuff. My mother-in-law proofreads all my stuff because very ADHD, we're like just 100 miles per hour, we all of us. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:50

I feel like wedding people are just a different specimen.

SPEAKER_01 4:53

Yeah, we're all we're waiting for the next thing all the time. So that's that's quite a lot. And you know, hold behinds it. If I do something wrong, I'll just get it reprinted.

SPEAKER_02 5:01

Yeah. Good. Yeah, which because we will make mistakes, won't we? And it's easy to when you type it. Absolutely. Like me and the stories last night. Oh, yeah. Sophie spelt stationary roll.

SPEAKER_01 5:12

Um, I I'm my little thing.

SPEAKER_02 5:14

I put disco balls in the middle of a reel because I was like this, like this my safety trying to.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

Did you see the disco ball?

SPEAKER_02 5:19

No, I said to Joelle, I was like, I didn't notice them.

SPEAKER_01 5:21

I was like, I saw the stationery and I was like, oh, it's my biggest one. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:25

Yeah, that was me.

SPEAKER_03 5:26

So before we go down that route, um, talk us through like the process from A to Z, how it works with you, right? From the very first initial very, very beginning.

SPEAKER_01 5:35

Okay, we book you in, we save your production date. Production date is dependent all on when you want to send your invites.

SPEAKER_00 5:41

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

That's a whole other section of when you want to send them. I can give telephone appointments to people. So just so you know that we're gonna fit each other's vibes, because I'm dead bespoke. If we're not gonna gel, we're not gonna gel. If you want something that's just a cookie cutter wedding, you're probably not my couple. And that's okay.

SPEAKER_03 6:04

Everybody has their definitely, I massively agree.

SPEAKER_01 6:08

Um so I will book you in or based on your production date, and two months before that is when I would do your design appointment. So I give myself a massive window. Life, etc. And we go through all that process. If people are rubbish on their emails or WhatsApps or getting back and forth, like, yes, I want to change this, no, I like this, da da da da da. We go through all of that, then I literally create them, send them off to you. At that design appointment, I will have discussed all you're on the day stationary. So things like table plan name cards, menus, all that stuff. Bring it all down. Don't need that information until eight weeks before your wedding. So when you're getting into the realms of final numbers, RSVPs. RSVPs. I should have given that a long enough time for people to chase for me to then have them. Yes. But I don't also want people paying for 80 name cards if they're not having 80 people and things like that.

SPEAKER_03 7:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:06

And then eight weeks beforehand, you give me all that last information and then I get it sent to you guys. And easy as that. Delivered. Delivered or collection. Quite happy to do either. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 7:19

Do you which do you prefer? Do you prefer putting it out on the day, or do you prefer or delivering it to the couple, or do you prefer them?

SPEAKER_01 7:26

A lot of my couples are I don't live local to here.

SPEAKER_03 7:31

No, you don't. Where do you live, Sam?

SPEAKER_01 7:34

I'm in North Wales. I'm an hour and a half away from Ugilly. So um, yeah, posting's always easy because obviously I can do countrywide, it doesn't make a difference to me. Um, I did my brother's wedding, he got married in Chile at the beginning of this year. So I did all their stationery, so we they actually found printers overseas, so I just gave them all digital stuff, and so that was interesting to try and do things like that as well. Um, but yeah, post and direct people.

SPEAKER_02 8:02

How was that? Was it difficult?

SPEAKER_01 8:05

Not really. My brother's quite particular particular, they knew what they kind of wanted. Yeah, they kind of changed because obviously it was multilingual. So nice. I love that. As long as you can give me translations, I don't really mind. I live in Wales, we have a lot of Welsh weddings. A lot of people come to me still that want the Welsh language on everything, which is yeah, it's lovely, but as long as you give me the Welsh translations, I won't speak Welsh, yeah. So, yeah, if you want, it's absolutely fine as long as you give me the translations and you're quite happy in your own knowledge to know I'm not spelling. Yeah, no, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 8:44

No, but also as well, like somebody might have a certain way of like saying something to their partner or something like that in a different language, and it might be spelt a little differently because it could be something between them two. Absolutely. So, like always getting them to do it is yeah, yeah, better massively.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

I've got a bride, and she gave me the Welsh translation for everything, and then she was like, No, we need to change that, the wording's wrong, or the way it's in the sentence doesn't look right. Yeah, that's fine with me, aren't we?

SPEAKER_02 9:10

Yeah, I have no idea. It gives you a bit of anxiety that you know, like spelling into I's and stuff. I don't think I'd be good. I'd be like panicking if you're gives me time. Oh my god, please arrive. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:23

We're all human.

SPEAKER_03 9:24

I know yeah, massively. I think I've had my name spelt once on a table plan wrong. I'm like, but I think it was just it was literally just two of them.

SPEAKER_02 9:34

Well, I must admit, when I mentioned like you're my colleague, and I don't know, I'm like, oh yeah, Joel, and they're like, Joella, that's one name. And I'm like, yeah, Joella. Do it so they are like baffled, and I'm like, because I'm just like, yeah, it's Joella. Yeah, like I it's not ID. Do you know what I mean? But then my friend was like, so her name is Joella, like as one. I was like, yes.

SPEAKER_03 10:00

I I have had it before to be fair. Um, and then I was on the phone just before you arrived in Starbucks before her, and um I had rang a band, and they for the first time they repeated my name back to me and spelt it right to me, and I was like, You're the first person that's ever done that to me. I was like, and they were like, Oh really? And I was like, Yeah. Why how would people spell it? Everyone responds with an E on the end, and it really or they spell it J-O L E L A. And I'm like, how? Yeah, or I get Joelle all the time, and I'm like, it's not my name, it's not my name. I know, and I keep getting seraphina and I'm like, I'll just respond to that this time. We'll just roll with it. I'm just like, whatever.

SPEAKER_01 10:40

Whatever, whatever, we're too tired.

SPEAKER_03 10:43

Um so talk us through, then um, I know there's a couple of questions later on, anyway, from couples, so we might repeat ourselves a little bit, but talk us through kind of like when is the best time for somebody to inquire with you, like for absolutely everything.

SPEAKER_01 10:59

Anything as soon as you've booked your date. I always say like as soon as you know you want somebody for any service in the wedding industry, get them booked. Yeah, because you're gonna be really disappointed.

SPEAKER_02 11:12

Would you say for you, is there any particular time of the year?

SPEAKER_01 11:16

Is it all of it?

SPEAKER_02 11:18

No, like for me, I'm like getting January.

SPEAKER_01 11:21

Yeah, January inquiries are wild, aren't they?

SPEAKER_02 11:24

Yeah, but I feel like the response time for me is quicker because I'm not out on the job.

SPEAKER_01 11:28

Yeah. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. It's really difficult, isn't it? I I pre-book everybody in anyway, if I can. I do have a small selection of like ready to ship stuff on my website, just because some people do just want something they can go online, or they're last minute and they want something, and I can fit that in easier than having design appointments, multiple backs and forth. Like, is this shade of flower okay? Is this shade of pocket fold okay? What about this ribbon and stuff? So if you're not bothered about them choices, just go straight ahead on the website. But and you don't need to pre-book for that. Um, but all my other couples are always pre-booked. I do with pre-booked on the day stationary and your invites as well.

SPEAKER_02 12:08

Amazing. So, how does that work with the website then? It's literally goes into like different sections. So, like you've got the invite section. Yeah. Oh, that's so interesting. I can't deliver.

SPEAKER_01 12:19

If I've done it right, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:22

Purple turns up instead of blue. Easier in terms of admin, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 12:26

Yeah, yeah. Because I found a lot of time, I mean, we're all living in the sage green era still. Oh, I think it's here to stay.

SPEAKER_02 12:33

Really?

SPEAKER_01 12:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:34

Oh, big kid, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:35

What's your favourite colour like? Black and white.

SPEAKER_03 12:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:38

Time and time again.

SPEAKER_03 12:39

It's Brandon.

SPEAKER_01 12:40

Yeah. I can't help it. We're I think we're all the same, aren't we? Yeah, I just love life. Yeah. I do like it when couples come to me and say, I want like a pink. Yeah. And I'm like, oh god, it's really difficult, it's really challenging, but it gives me something to do. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:53

Because sometimes I'm like, I'm not a Fusionali, and I'm like, oh no, but I've seen it quite a few times at weddings we've spoken about this on previous episodes, where everything's classic and then they have that pop it looks so bright really bright orange, and it's like, wow, that is you remember it. I remember it if it's done right, and that I'm never gonna forget that. And your opinion on sage green.

SPEAKER_01 13:17

Can we rather than sage green? Let's have like olive, yeah, olive racing green, really dark green.

SPEAKER_02 13:25

I love olive green.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

I love olive green. Not khaki, olive.

SPEAKER_02 13:29

These, this is my green, that is my favourite green.

SPEAKER_01 13:33

I think we have a whole colour palette of green. Yeah, wedding, anything, yeah, rather than just one colour. Let's do loads of different colours. Yeah. And that's yeah. I love it.

SPEAKER_03 13:45

Yeah, I think if you're a green person in the sense of that, if green is your favourite colour, don't just go for sage. Yeah, it's go have have a look at the variety of everything.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

Everybody has done it. Sage green. And it's gonna be difficult to do it.

SPEAKER_03 14:03

It's placed hanging on. Yeah, and it's also coming back even like more at the minute. And I don't know why, and I don't know, it's just a thing of like.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

I think because obviously I do the invites last year for this year's wedding, so I know everybody this year is still gonna have sage green from last year. Um colour has been coming back in like yellow, big time, they look really nice, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:25

So there we want my face chocolate brown, chocolate brown, and also at the minute, like wildflowers when you're having them at the wedding, because like the sort of like the mix colours are massive at the minute. I love it. Yeah, I think it's just beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 14:40

This morning's bride was wildflower, um, and she had like pops of bright, not pastels, yeah, right. That's what Saturday's about. Just a bit messy, yeah. Just yeah, wild basically. It was amazing. I love that. Yeah, not too uniform, nothing. It wasn't she was so chilled, she was just like not bothered by it. She's like, first time I've seen these bouquets. I was like, have you not like shared any thoughts? And she was like, No, I just said do what you want. And they literally looked unbelievable. I love that.

SPEAKER_03 15:06

And the expectation there as well is that it's gonna be better because you've not got an expectation of something, it's not gonna be a disappointment, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:15

Yeah, yeah, I do. It's interesting.

SPEAKER_03 15:18

In terms of timings, then from you, what is the average of when people come to book you? Is it two years, eighteen months, a year?

SPEAKER_01 15:26

Over 12 months normally, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:28

So around about 18?

SPEAKER_01 15:29

Yeah, between 12 and 18. Yeah, it tends to be wedding fair season at the beginning of the year. Everybody's booking for the year after. Yeah. That's when you get most. And then end of the year, wedding fairs again.

SPEAKER_02 15:43

Do you limit me too? Like the the diary, yeah, you a year aha ahead. Yeah. Me too.

SPEAKER_01 15:50

And I limit how many couples I take on as well. Do you? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:53

So how many do you take on, if you don't mind sharing? You don't have to if you don't want to.

SPEAKER_01 15:56

I don't, I don't, it depends all on when they fit when yeah, when they book in, I have like an inquiry form of estimate how many.

SPEAKER_02 16:05

Yeah. How do you cut that off? I'm awful, like I try and then I don't.

SPEAKER_01 16:10

Do you say no?

SPEAKER_02 16:11

Okay. I know.

SPEAKER_01 16:13

So I do try to. Yeah, because somebody comes along and you might next month not have as many, which is fine, I can catch up then. Um, sometimes I'll rearrange things and make them have them a month earlier. So if I've got like a quieter month or something like that, if they're really good on the emails and get back to me, I don't mind pushing it a bit further to their production date. So rather than two months before, I'll do it a month before. Yeah. So there's always swings and roundabouts. However, just so you know you're getting that when you want it.

SPEAKER_03 16:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:48

Or I would always book them in, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:50

Fab. Yeah. And what is the timeline that somebody should send out save the dates and invitations?

SPEAKER_01 16:57

I'm gonna don't do save the dates. Don't do them. They're American, they're a waste of money. I do myself out of a job. You say the same. I don't like it.

SPEAKER_03 17:07

I might just send a text or just even make a wedding website and send the link to it.

SPEAKER_01 17:12

I do it at the moment. Um, if you're booking in for an X amount of invites and pre-booking in, I'll do you a free digital save the day. It's absolutely fine.

SPEAKER_03 17:23

It's exactly exactly what I am.

SPEAKER_01 17:25

If you're desperate to get something out.

SPEAKER_03 17:26

I am literally like, if you don't want to just send a text, like literally you can go onto WhatsApp and send a broadcast list. Absolutely, a multiple broadcast list to all of your guests, and all all you need to do is let you do a digital one, like you say, on Canva, or even just a text message.

SPEAKER_02 17:43

I do feel you're gonna be like, I do you feel like that's what's happening with invites as well, though.

SPEAKER_01 17:48

I do and I don't. I'm very 50-50. Obviously, I need to keep myself in a job.

SPEAKER_02 17:52

I know.

SPEAKER_01 17:53

However, I I'll do things like say, don't do a save the date is a waste of money. Put something that money towards a welcome board on your wedding day because it's probably gonna cost the same. A lot of people are going digital. I think the old school people, or if you're having a massive wedding, they are more wanting to feel something, they wanna the amount of couples I get at tables at wedding fairs going, oh my god, I love like feeling it. And we don't often get a post anymore, so it's hard to get something through, isn't it?

SPEAKER_03 18:23

And it's also I think that that first invitation is your experience of how you're gonna be from the very start, right until then. Absolutely. I always say, no matter what, do a wedding website, and I've sung it from the praises in here, but put a QR code on the website, on your on your invitations already.

SPEAKER_01 18:39

I love that.

SPEAKER_03 18:40

Because all somebody needs to do is everybody's got one of these, all they need to do is literally scan it and it takes you straight there. Exactly, and then everything is on an Excel spreadsheet for you, and you don't need to do the actual work.

SPEAKER_01 18:51

If you're having menu choices, we're not putting that in the invites, it's just a nightmare.

SPEAKER_03 18:57

No. So, what information then, for anyone listening, needs to go onto an invitation?

SPEAKER_01 19:03

The day, the date, the time, the day, the date, the time, the location. I literally have the same thing on there. Um, if you're having menu choices, dietary requirements, RSVP, and that's pretty much it. My then optional extras are accommodation details. Obviously, I know a lot of the venues when kind of know what you need to put on there. Um, if you're having children at the wedding or not, because I think You said that quietly. Yeah, because some people are 50-50. I personally know. Thanks. Same thing. Yeah, unless they're your own or close families or bridal party kids and stuff like that, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 19:43

But people are there, they're getting drunk nine times out of ten, it's not a place in the no no children under the age of literally six, well, thirteen even is good to sit on your speeches. No, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:56

Well, I did um a lovely bridal trail at the weekend, and she was the opposite to us, and then she was like, You're married, aren't you? Did you have kids at yours? Absolutely not, no, and she'd gone in about having kids at all weddings, and I was like, I do think I do think it's personal.

SPEAKER_03 20:16

I do think it's personal preference as well. So, like we so we had this conversation because obviously I'm me and Johnny aren't married yet, yeah, and um we had this conversation, I think it was last week, and we were like, we would actually have to invite kids because all of our friends we're in that stage of life where you've got but There's 18 toddlers on our list, and I was like, nope, if it became as a kids' party, not a wedding. If it came to the but I think because I've like I'm one of eight, so like we've all got kids, and it'd just be that everybody would have to be in the family wedding. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 20:49

And your figures for your wedding, your numbers, if you uh have booked a package and you've only got 50 places, then if half of them are kids, it's taken.

SPEAKER_02 20:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:00

Yeah, yeah. It's not ideal, is it?

SPEAKER_02 21:02

Each to their own, isn't it? It really is.

SPEAKER_03 21:04

But and how would you word it on an invitation if somebody didn't want to invite children or if somebody did want to invite it?

SPEAKER_01 21:10

I literally have one sentence and it says, although we love your little ones, this is an adult-only wedding. And then my couple say to me, Oh, but what happens if I've got one kid? That's none of nobody else's business. No, if you've got one child there, if it's your own child, it's absolutely fine.

SPEAKER_03 21:23

And I don't think people understand that that it is personal preference to you. If you want your goddaughter there, if you want one child there, that's your choice, it's nobody else's choice.

SPEAKER_01 21:32

So you don't have to explain yourself to anybody either. That's a lot of worry I get from a lot of couples. It's like, oh my god, so it's gonna say something. Don't care, sure we do.

SPEAKER_02 21:41

Yeah, I feel like that one sentence as well is like bold enough to see and read, not like a poem where it's like, ugh, yeah. Yeah, which I know people do do to again soften the blow, but for me, just black and white, it's straight to the point.

SPEAKER_03 21:54

Yeah, yeah, straight to the point. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:57

The same with I always put a gift poem on invite. Now, people are really awkward about it. But would you feel more awkward if somebody was to say, What would you like for your wedding? And if you want to say cash, it's an awkward subject and people don't want to ask for cash. Whereas if it's written on an invite already, then that's okay. People don't care about it.

SPEAKER_03 22:19

Take it as kind of like it's not coming from your voice personally. It's coming from a piece of paper. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 22:24

It's less awkward.

SPEAKER_03 22:25

Yeah, people just don't like to talk about money anyway. They don't, they don't. Um, so I was going to ask you, how did you enter the wedding industry? But you've answered that before.

SPEAKER_01 22:36

But my first job ever, from when I did um work experience in high school, I did it at a wedding dress shop.

SPEAKER_00 22:44

No way.

SPEAKER_01 22:45

So it's kind of come full circle, and then I got a Saturday job from there. So my first part of working life was in the wedding industry quite a few years ago. Quite a long time, but yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:58

And then again, we were gonna say, Can you remember your first booking butt and how did you feel?

SPEAKER_01 23:02

But I know you've answered that you're nerve-wracking, and I've learned a lot of lessons since then. I remember she had 120 guests, and she wanted um it was like a peachy orangey kind of colour, the acrylic table plan, and we were doing a vinyl names on it. Now 120 vinyl names, tiny, tiny. It took me a week to make, so I don't offer them anymore. Needless to say. PTSD.

SPEAKER_03 23:27

Yeah, I'm not doing the require this with sofa after this.

SPEAKER_01 23:29

Yeah, answer is no, I'm busy.

SPEAKER_03 23:33

The answer is just a straightforward no. Um, so what would be your top advice then for couples who are getting married and are looking to book their station in?

SPEAKER_01 23:45

Oh have a rough guesstimate of numbers. It's always one per household, not one per person. Yes. Because you end up ordering three million and you need six. Um so that's really interesting. A lot of people find that out when they've booked to save the dates and they order a hell of a lot and don't need it. Um, you don't when you book in with me, I would say you don't need to know your colour, your final details, anything until close to the time. Because you might change that on your journey as well through. And that's again absolutely fine.

SPEAKER_02 24:18

Is that does that happen a lot?

SPEAKER_01 24:20

Uh yeah. Yeah, I bet it does. Yeah, because they decide that they've booked a venue, but they were really gonna have hot pink, for instance, but then they've booked a barn and they don't want hot pink. They want being orange, rustic, rustic.

SPEAKER_03 24:36

Something else to go with, like, and I guess also if time of year as well, like if you've booked in November, you're not realising Christmas trees are gonna be up. Yes. And things like that as well.

SPEAKER_01 24:45

Lean into the Christmas tree.

SPEAKER_03 24:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:48

Only in December though, not November. Oh no, I'm uh I I put my Christmas tree up in November. However, if I was having a Christmassy wedding, I don't want it in November, I'm not in December.

SPEAKER_03 25:01

Remember two years ago, um it wasn't last year, I think it was the year before we came back from Lanzarote, and it was bonfire night while we were away, and we literally got back the week after, and I was like, right, Christmas tree's getting up to date. I was like, what?

SPEAKER_02 25:15

And I'm like down earlier.

SPEAKER_03 25:17

I put it down earlier as well.

SPEAKER_02 25:18

So I think get it up earlier.

SPEAKER_03 25:20

Yeah, and I'd rather just clean the house.

SPEAKER_02 25:22

Like while but I do agree, like if I was getting married and I wanted that Christmas element, it would I'd have to get married in December.

SPEAKER_03 25:30

Yeah, yeah, because you want to feel close and everyone wants to feel that bubbliness of yeah, then that is a lot of December wedding, isn't it? See, whereas I've got one of my best friends getting married next year in December. Okay, 22nd of December.

SPEAKER_01 25:42

Well, that's really close. I bet you that's really lush, and it's three-day wedding. Wow, yeah, oh, the themes you could have with that 22nd, 23rd, 24th.

SPEAKER_03 25:51

No, it's in like it'll be 21st, 22nd, 23rd.

SPEAKER_01 25:54

I love that.

SPEAKER_03 25:56

No, I'm here for it. She's she is a Christmas girly through and through now, so it's very happy.

SPEAKER_02 26:02

Everybody else is Christmas. No, no, it's fine, they know about it.

SPEAKER_03 26:06

Yeah, they've had a scene of the show. But then also as well, also as well, like Christmas doesn't start until Christmas Eve. Usually for for us, like we don't Johnny doesn't finish work till Christmas Eve at like 11 o'clock.

SPEAKER_02 26:16

Mad Friday though, most nine till five is. Um because my husband's birthday is the 20th of December, and I always say you're so selfish. Like everything's about you.

SPEAKER_00 26:28

Not bad. I just want Christmas Christmas!

SPEAKER_02 26:31

No, I do like the idea of it, because I'll be honest, when we were considering our wedding and we didn't get to like the destination, blah de blah blah, we were like, oh my god, how good would it be to have our engagement party on New Year's Eve?

SPEAKER_01 26:46

I love a New Year's Eve wedding as well.

SPEAKER_02 26:48

And then we opted against because everyone that came back to us when we put the feelers out was like, nah, sorry, busy, busy with family. That's our Christmas. We were like, fair.

SPEAKER_03 26:59

But when it's I think deep down, people don't say, but they are a bit. They're thinking it, they're just not saying it. I think when it's a wedding compared to an engagement party, different, it's different. So I think when you're going to a wedding, you don't have to have the excuse of spending time with family, also from some people, but then also as well, you don't have to pay to go somewhere, in the sense of yes, you obviously have to pay for your drinks and whatever you have at that wedding sometimes, but you don't have to pay like a hundred pounds per person for a three-course meal. Yeah, it's not a good one. It's not gonna be as like an ever entire.

SPEAKER_02 27:35

Yeah, so great, like do the wedding on New Year's Eve. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 27:38

I think it's a five idea in a New Year's Eve wedding.

SPEAKER_02 27:40

I do you think a wedding near Christmas is a lot for other people though? Sorry.

SPEAKER_01 27:44

Yeah, it's a lot, it's a lot, but we got plans, we know about it because we've had an invite way in advance.

SPEAKER_03 27:50

If you get if get your invite way in advance, you're all right. It's actually nearly two years. I've got a bride getting married in December of 2028 and she's booked a venue to all over on a date, so she's like I work tonight.

SPEAKER_02 28:06

It's been like I'm working like 22nd this year. Is it is it your friend? Um it is what it is, but I don't know. I just think as a guest and like people attending, it does put a bit of a spanner in your into your Christmas.

SPEAKER_01 28:19

I suppose if you've got a lot of friends that are working, having to take that time off rather than spending the time off between Christmas and New Year.

SPEAKER_03 28:27

Yeah, I suppose it's different.

SPEAKER_01 28:28

You might it depends whether you want to get your numbers down or not, doesn't it? As well.

SPEAKER_02 28:33

But no, New Year's Eve wedding, all for that.

unknown 28:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:37

Big old party. Yeah, because then there's nothing to do anyway. You just sit on the safe, don't you like? Wait for it to hit 12. You're like, Happy New Year! And then we're all back there. And then it's the tree. Yeah. Or sometimes you don't even make it. Yeah. Yeah. So tired you just go to bed and then anyway, enough about that.

SPEAKER_03 28:57

So we have questions from couples. Oh, so do you want to go first?

SPEAKER_02 29:03

So we'll just go with the first one. Okay. We don't know where to start with wedding stationery. What's the first thing we should book? Me. Yeah, I love that.

SPEAKER_01 29:14

Straight in.

SPEAKER_03 29:15

Straight to the point.

SPEAKER_01 29:17

And I always say to my couples because they're so overwhelmed, and that's why a lot of my couples book me. Don't worry about all that stuff. Just know we've got it ticked off the list, you've booked in. This we will sort your invites out. We will also sort your on-the-day station, and I'll talk you exactly through your essentials, what you are absolutely going to need, what your venue will want you to have.

SPEAKER_02 29:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:38

Um I'm assuming you take a fee when they book, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 29:42

And you just take a deposit based on what they're going to book, or is it like a set? Just a set amount. Okay. Yeah, regardless of what they're doing.

SPEAKER_01 29:49

Regardless of what they have. Small or little, it's this amount. Absolutely. Absolutely. The only thing you can do all via the website, and they've just got to check that their production date is fine with me. All my prices were on my website because transparency.

SPEAKER_03 30:03

Yeah, I can't be bothered.

SPEAKER_01 30:04

You must have really mastered this site because it literally ticks up. Yeah. Yeah. Because you get so many inquiries, and I'm so busy that we can't keep on top of it. On top of it, and I like to be really quick. I hate having outstanding emails, I hate having outstanding messages. I'm a bit particular. So if everything's there, then everybody knows what's yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:29

And also it's transparency as well. Like, there is obviously a bit of a a nominar in I think across the whole industry, no matter what, do I put my price on my website? Do I not put my prices on my website? But I think transparency is key no matter what, even if you have a starting from like for another supplier that's not you, like a starting from price, yeah. Just purely based on couples will will look for that.

SPEAKER_02 30:52

It's the first thing people want to know.

SPEAKER_03 30:54

But it is this whole thing though, as well. And I did see something which I found really interesting last week. I don't know if you saw it in the group in the group chat, but it's basically um a Australian photographer, Josh. I don't know if Josh, I think it's her name's Nugger. How to find it afterwards, but um, he was saying I don't put my price on my website purely because I don't want somebody just to book me based off my price, and I want them to book me because of me. But then I have my pricing on my website, and if it's not right for you, then you're you're going to look elsewhere. It saves wasting that time. But also, if it is right, we hop on a free call and we go through everything in the sense of like from A to S to make sure you are the right couple for us, yeah, and and what is covered in everything like that as well. So I I do think showing it and having that transparency, especially from stationery, is super super important because like I have so many couples that come to me, and then I'll go off and find them quotes and contact you or whoever it may be, but and be like, Can you give me a price in for this or X, Y, and Z, or have you got the data available or anything like that? Yeah, and the amount of times I just get like a list of but then it changes and varies, and yeah, transparency is great.

SPEAKER_01 32:10

Yeah, I have like I do different stationary like styles for the pocket fold, a gatefold, all that's all on my website because we're all really busy in the wedding industry, and if you're not my couple, that's okay, there's somebody for everybody. I'm not the most expensive, I'm also not the cheapest. Um I'm middle range, up to luxury, depending on what you want. They're my starting from prices, but if you want something absolutely extravagant, then the prices will vary, obviously. If you just want the bog standard pocket fold and we can put it out, it's absolutely fine. All the prices are online, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:50

So if somebody was wanting to like come to you basically and be like, I've got this idea, can you do it? Do they just need to pay the deposit with you and then we look at the idea later on and then you give how does it.

SPEAKER_01 33:00

They kind of ask me, uh, can you do this? Yeah. If the answer's no, I can't, that's absolutely fine. I'd rather tell people at the very beginning.

SPEAKER_02 33:10

Yeah, no, I'm disappointed.

SPEAKER_01 33:12

Yeah. Um my I had a couple recently and they gave me a lovely AI image, and it was I've told them I can't do that, I'm not a robot. I can't do AI. We can't get the same images, we can't get the same ratios on what that looks like and stuff. And it's just what was it? I'm intrigued. Yeah, it was just like an ivory, florally thing. It was beautiful, not my style. I can do it, I can turn my hands to everything because it gives you, it pushes you out your comfort zone at times, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_03 33:45

Was it for an invitation?

SPEAKER_01 33:47

It was for an invitation.

SPEAKER_03 33:48

Okay, and what was it just the front the it was a gatefold but a square one?

SPEAKER_01 33:52

I'm like, yeah, that's fine, we can change the size, but I can't get those exact images because she wanted the exact one that she'd show me. I I'm not a chat GPT, I can't do that. Um, and I said, Well, I can't do that, I can do something very similar and I can get your style from it because a lot of times I'll take people's inspiration pictures and create something, and um we just couldn't yeah, come to an agreement. So what happened there then?

SPEAKER_03 34:18

On it, she just walked away and obviously has gone somewhere else, and that's okay because there's there's somebody out there, but there's also no but there's also no point in you doing saying, Yeah, of course I can do that, and it'd be completely wrong and them disappointing at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_01 34:35

Absolutely, yeah. You want to make sure that everybody gets what they want, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:40

Um so how much of our wedding budget should we realistically set aside for stationery?

SPEAKER_01 34:50

Oh, that's a good one. I have heard in the past about eight to ten percent, but that's a hell of a lot of money.

SPEAKER_02 34:57

Um yeah, that is, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:59

It literally looking at me like you how much should it be? It all depends on what you want as well, though. If you are quite happy with just an invitation suite and that's all you want, brilliant. My prices obviously vary. The most expensive invite I do at the minute is £9 per invite. So if you've got 80 guests, you're gonna need about 35.40. Then you're on the day stationary, set aside a budget. Now, I always say to my couples, if money is gonna be an object on your on the day stationary, don't give your guests a menu option because then in turn you're gonna need menus on the table for every single person. So if money is an ob like a decision-making thing, yeah, tell me at the very beginning. Yeah, because then I can guide you through the end process as well.

SPEAKER_03 35:46

And you can just have one on the table, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:49

Which still looks as nice, it does look nice.

SPEAKER_02 35:51

Uh a lot of my couples or and just think about to the website, sorry. I'm just I think it's amazing like how you could literally get all that from your website. But I know I would prefer to speak to you. Absolutely fine.

SPEAKER_01 36:03

What book it just message me?

SPEAKER_02 36:04

But what do you get more of? For like do more most people just purchase it on the website, or did most people want to speak? I'm just letting my head think because I know how particular I was about mine, yeah, and the ribbon and the fold and all that idea. I had like curved things on there, I went all out. Yeah, this is the start of setting how my wedding's going to go.

SPEAKER_01 36:25

Absolutely, and it's an occasion, and a lot of people forget that. I know we were saying before about things going digital, but this is your wedding day, it's a pretty big deal. And it also sets the expectation for us. Yeah, that's that's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_02 36:35

And I love uh which we've spoken about so many times, I love the little details. That is me. I am renowned for that. The little extra I am any event, yeah. The 30th next month, I'm doing it all because I love it, I don't care. Good, that's just me, and I know, but then I know a lot of people are like, oh, a waste of money, like whatever.

SPEAKER_01 36:54

Like, but it's not a waste of money if it's important to you. And I say this to a lot of people at the very beginning of their journey. Uh, one of my wedding besties just got married the weekend before last, and at the very beginning of her planning the wedding, I said, What is important to you? She's a wedding singer, so entertainment music was really important. I said, Don't scrimp on other things, like put your budget where it means the most if the things are massive for you, and that's what you're renowned for. Then have all those little extra bits, have the reserve seat intact, have the bathroom boxes, have the little QR codes dotted around everywhere, have the bar signage, have everything, all the signage.

SPEAKER_00 37:33

Yeah, I do.

SPEAKER_02 37:35

But like that. Ethan was like, what the fuck is that?

SPEAKER_03 37:39

What are you bloody ordered? But that's the thing is it is it doesn't matter what part of the industry it is, whatever is important to you, go with it. Yeah, like you have to, and everyone's got an opinion of something, so just ignore them. Yeah, yeah, shut the door. Yeah, and if stationary is important, absolutely, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:57

So you can't really give an answer as such that because it's bespoke to that person as well.

SPEAKER_03 38:02

Do you know the average of what somebody would spend with you?

SPEAKER_01 38:05

Invites and on-the-day stationery, anywhere from 800 to 1,500 for everything, and that's for a big wedding. I class a big wedding as like maybe a hundred. Yeah. And if you're an extra beauty bride, you're probably gonna spend at least £1,200 for your on-the-day stationery. Yeah. That includes the big huge backdrops I've got, which are insane. They are insane. I'm gonna see they are. What is there? So they're three sections, big wooden pieces you have. They're beautiful. Welcome board on one. Gorgeous, love it already. We have shelves. We have got shelves on one section. Yeah. You can do your table plan, or I had a bride the other week use it for her favours, black and white wedding. She had black and white gift bags. Oh, yeah. Amazing.

SPEAKER_02 38:52

We had one with um champagne. And it's got the mirror on the other side.

SPEAKER_03 38:56

Yeah, yeah, love it. Yeah, uh you first gorgeous that to One O'Claire's is where I saw it. I think I think you did it at Wanna Claire's.

SPEAKER_01 39:06

I could have done.

SPEAKER_03 39:07

Where do you store all this?

SPEAKER_01 39:08

At home.

SPEAKER_03 39:09

Wow. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:11

Like the kids have the kids did have a playroom. Did that anymore. They go in the garage. I'm very work very hard. Yeah. They're all in the garage, it's fine, and I've got a big van.

SPEAKER_02 39:29

And do you have multiple?

SPEAKER_01 39:30

Uh no. So again, that limits Yeah, it limits what we can do, and they're really heavy, so I have to be very nice to my lovely husband because I make him do it.

SPEAKER_03 39:43

And deliver it on the day of the wedding. I go with him.

SPEAKER_01 39:46

So he basically works for me. Has he got a uniform? Yeah, of course he has. Although my name all over.

SPEAKER_03 39:55

I bet he like walked off and you're like, Dad's me.

SPEAKER_01 39:58

And sometimes the other weekend you had it on, and I thought, did I have mine on? But my logo was on the back, so I looked like I just had a black t-shirt on. And I was like, oh, you look like the only one in uniforms. The kids have uniforms as well. Oh, that's everybody's branded. It's a little details, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 40:13

Again, though, why why would it not be when you're doing stationery?

SPEAKER_01 40:16

Yeah, absolutely. I could be, I've had conversations with people up and down the supermarket just because I've got a branded t-shirt on.

SPEAKER_03 40:22

You just don't know who is about this is the thing you actually used to. I used to. And um I won't wear it on a wedding day anymore because I'm there all day. Yeah, it's a good thing. If I was if I was setting up it, but I don't want to be in somebody's photo with my branding on. Yeah. Because that's their wedding day, it's not about me. Whereas like I feel like for you two, it's over.

SPEAKER_01 40:47

I'm there and then I'm gone.

SPEAKER_03 40:48

I I feel like also for you, you're doing some you you're doing physically. Well, I even look at off the back of the mirror.

SPEAKER_02 40:54

I've got a different, I've got a bougie mirror now, actually. I've got a Chanel mirror. Oh, yeah. Just to add for the uh luxurious bridal makeup artist. But yeah, I did have it on a mirror and I didn't like it when the photos came back. No. It just said like, boom, my brand right there, and this poor poor bride's. But like something quite subtle for you all away. Yeah, because they make them pose with the mirror.

SPEAKER_03 41:15

Yeah, I don't know, I just was went against it. Something quite subtle though for you would be like a blazer with your logo on. Same for me, and like a Gile during winter would be perfect.

SPEAKER_02 41:24

I actually had it on my shoulder because they quite often capture from behind. Clever. That is clever. Clever. I don't wear it anymore.

SPEAKER_01 41:30

I'm gonna do some new uniforms this year. I just need to decide on what I actually actually is great for me because like I said, it's all right there, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:39

And it wasn't huge either, it was just put it on both shoulders just in case.

SPEAKER_03 41:47

Um, so we've actually answered those two questions. One of them was about do we really need to save the dates? Um, so what's the biggest mistake you see couples making when they're ordering their wedding stationery?

SPEAKER_01 41:56

Ordering too much. Yeah. But that's why I'm there saying, Are you sure you want 60 invites? Because A, that's expensive. And B, how many's coming to your wedding? Because you might not need that.

SPEAKER_03 42:10

No, and also not everybody comes.

SPEAKER_01 42:12

So do you want to spend all that many on order? For them to be an envelope.

SPEAKER_02 42:17

Would you put guest names on the invites?

SPEAKER_01 42:19

I don't, I always advise do it on the envelope because if we're doing like a pocket fold invite, I give them to couples, I give them the option whether you want a d open or closed. So 90% of the time, 99% of the time, they haven't closed. Yeah. So just write it on the envelope, it's fine.

SPEAKER_03 42:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:36

Yeah. Easy.

SPEAKER_03 42:38

And what would you say to put on that envelope? Would you say peep both everybody who is in that household who's invited?

SPEAKER_01 42:45

Or would you see one person? Whoever is invited goes on the envelope, and that is it. Because we got a um what do you mean? Like, did you get an invite by any chance on Friday?

SPEAKER_03 42:57

So we got an invite to a wedding on Friday. It was a digital invite. Okay. One of our findings getting married in September. Okay. This year. What? Nice, quick. Love that. We knew it was going to be a cut a quick wedding. And I was like, crap, I've not texted her back. I was like, Johnny, I'll text her back shortly. You better do the RSD bad end to then. The text message didn't come to me. Okay. And I know that they listened to this as well. Um, the text message didn't come to me, it came to Johnny. And I was like, and they were like, Johnny turned around and was like, right, we need childcare. And I was like, Do we need childcare? Are we both invited? Does it say your name? Does it say my name? Or does it say both? And he was like, What do you mean? Card on the text. And I was like, Well, let me read the message because then I can tell you I know if it's just for you or if it's just a big thing. We're not having a day off. I would be as well. Well, it's just it's the evening, so they're getting married at the church with an immediate family, and then it's just the evening that everybody's invited to. And um, I was like, need to know details here because I need to know what's what. Also, it's my own luckily, it was my only weekend off, actually. In September. Nice. Um, and he was like, No, no, we need such child care, it's for both of us. And I was like, just pass it here and let me read it. Luckily, it said both of you. And I was like, Okay, so that is for both of us. And he was like, What do you mean by this? And I was like, Well, if that didn't say both of us, I would assume that's to you, and I I wouldn't come just purely based on the fact that there is no names or there is no direct instruction on to who that is for. So no matter what you are putting, and this is where the misconception with children comes from as well. So they did it so beautifully because they even put about like obviously, like um, about children, we love all your children, there's no children going to be invited, kind of thing. Brilliant. It was straight straight to the point. It was perfect. They said that they were doing a church ceremony, but it's only with immediate family and everybody's invited to the evening.

SPEAKER_01 44:48

There was enough detail on it to know exactly what was what. And it like we were saying before, is it can be so awkward if everybody puts that at the very beginning. For my couples who do digital invites, even if it is like an ambiguous kind of invite, write a text beforehand.

SPEAKER_03 45:06

Yeah. But also as well, you and you were my whoever is in that household, so say for example, if it is Sophie and Ethan, and you are friends with Ethan, and you want Sophie and Ethan to go. Put Sophie and Ethan, don't just put Ethan because you would assume you're not invited. Yeah, it's just him, yeah. Yeah. And it becomes the same with kids. If you want kids, don't just put nothing because actually put their names because then they know exactly who's going. Especially if there's no name on the invitation. Yeah. That'll be my top tip. Saves drama. Let's put the drama.

SPEAKER_02 45:42

Um I feel like you've gone over those other two. So what should be in the invite?

SPEAKER_01 45:46

Sorry.

SPEAKER_02 45:47

Adults only wedding, how'd you word it? Um so what's the best way to ask guests for dietary requirements of song requests?

SPEAKER_01 45:56

I'm a bit 50-50 on a song request anyway. Because you're paying a DJ to do their job. If you're having a DJ, they should kind of read the room what people are on the dance floor. You don't just want to give them a long advantage.

SPEAKER_02 46:07

Some DJs don't even like song requests, do they? No.

SPEAKER_01 46:09

No, they don't. So I I do edge towards not putting that on an RSVP. Dietary requirements literally write it. Literally just ask them because they'd rather have it than kill someone off with a nut allergy on the day, wouldn't you? Because that's all even more awkward. I would rather that too. If it comes down to me, thanks.

SPEAKER_02 46:32

Oh, sorry, just have bring your epipan. We're not changing any menu.

SPEAKER_03 46:38

Sorry. Yeah, we it we had it on yesterday's wedding. Um, the photographer was veggie, and the bride couple, I don't know if they didn't tell the venue or whichever, but she was like, Oh, I'm veggie. She's like, just take everything off, give me a plate of veg. Like, I'm yeah, just as long as you don't get me meat, I'm not bothered. Yeah, but yeah, I and I was like, Where did you put it? And she was like, Oh, it's on my top of my booking phone. I was like, Yeah, but did you physically tell them? And she was like, No, it was on my booking phone.

SPEAKER_01 47:03

Yeah, people are not gonna read it.

SPEAKER_03 47:04

But people just are silly and just don't read it. So if you are a supplier and you're listening, tell somebody like I always mention it in my final details. I'm like, I'm really sorry, and it becomes a bit of a laugh, I'm like, I'm really sorry, but I'm that awkward one that's celiac. I'm like, Yeah, and then if both me and Georgia are there, I'm like, she's veggie, I'm celiac.

unknown 47:21

Good luck.

SPEAKER_03 47:25

At one point, we were the only two at a wedding with uh last March with the allergies, and I was like, sorry, sorry about me, Han. Um, would you suggest that for a written invitation and then for a wedding web if one is got a Q?

SPEAKER_01 47:40

Yeah, reiterate it, yeah, absolutely. A lot of these um wedding websites you can use the the ones, the Americanized ones, you set your questions anyway. Joy.com is yeah, that's the one I tell all my couples to use because it's brilliant. It's fantastic, yeah. Everything's organized, it's in one place. Yeah, as long as they remember to put the question on there after me reminding them. Yeah, yeah, it's brilliant.

SPEAKER_03 48:07

So, um we have guests travelling from abroad. Is there anything extra we should include on the invitations?

SPEAKER_01 48:14

Not necessarily. It depends if your venue has accommodation, if not, then local accommodation, carriages times, what times kick out, sometimes living in North Wales we sometimes don't get a very good signal. If wedding venues are in the middle of nowhere, so pre-booking taxis, things like that.

SPEAKER_03 48:36

Can we not brush over that topic? Like, I don't know about you, but when you cross the border from England to Wales, the signal goes. Cut off, it just stops.

SPEAKER_01 48:48

Yeah, it's just I haven't been across that border twice this weekend, like it just stops. Yeah, and a lot of them are Barney kind of wedding venues, they're really far out, so it's really difficult. Yeah, the drives are horrific, anxiety, yeah, yeah, it's not ideal.

SPEAKER_02 49:06

I'm always like, can I have an emergency number? But then, like you said, if your signal's gone, no emergency number's gonna nothing's gonna work.

SPEAKER_03 49:12

No, it's like that wedding I had in Shropshire the other weekend. So the couple put on my booking form the wrong address. So luckily my head would have fallen off. Luckily, they were ten minutes apart from each other, so they were the same name but just different postcodes. So I was extremely lucky in that instant, but we got her and it was obviously at house, and I was like, there is nobody here, but they'd done it to a couple of suppliers, so they must have just copied it because it's not their life, it was family land, so it was the groom's side, so she must have just copied and pasted it off like Google or something like that. Um or it must have just done like autopilot so easily to it. It's so easy, like completely easy. Um but now I like triple triple check because of that a couple of weeks ago. I'm like, can I confirm?

SPEAKER_01 50:01

Yeah, like oh my god, please don't be three hours away.

SPEAKER_03 50:04

Yeah, like and we literally like we were in the middle of nowhere, rocked up to this house, there was no signal. And I it's actually dangerous.

SPEAKER_02 50:10

Like it happened to me with it um years ago, actually, when I first started one of my first weddings, and it was another barn wedding. And um the assisting makeup artist that I had, bless her, like just took her to the wrong location, and she was like 45 minutes away, and she rang me and she was like, So, you're not gonna believe it, but like I'm at the complete wrong place. I'm nowhere near. I'm nowhere near, I am on my way. Anyway, she got there within like 25 minutes. I went, Fedus. Are you okay? And she was like, I don't know, I've just got here safely, but I've been on two wheels, like it is it was bad not to be a little bit more. The things we do are aware of this, isn't it?

SPEAKER_03 50:48

Honest to God, I think I think Georgia got some videos because I was driving. Luckily, she was in the passenger seat, so she had her phone up. I had and then she had my phone up. It does, but I'm always on my own. It's honestly I usually am, so having her was brilliant.

SPEAKER_01 51:02

There's not a soul in town, it's dark, it's wind. Why is it always dark and winter? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 51:06

And you're like, this is it, this is it, I'm not gonna make it. I'm gonna make it with a wheelie bin. Yeah. This route, she was this woman at this address, was like, oh, somebody else came and it was uh it's only literally you go up this road and turn right, and we were like, okay, fab, when this road turn right, you go over the freaking hill, you go down the fucking hill, you go up the hill, you go around the hill, you go blah blah blah, and you get to the end, and yes, it is right. And it's all single-lane trap. And I was like, if a fucking tractor comes up this road, I am going to die. And I'm gonna have to come to George River.

SPEAKER_02 51:35

My insurance doesn't cover me for this if you die.

SPEAKER_03 51:39

Bouncing off the roof of your car, I was like, I need to slow down as well because it was literally like she I know she was like doing a day in the life for us as well. And I was like, and she actually got a video, and I was like, I've never found that.

SPEAKER_01 51:54

I didn't go into a new venue, and I a lot of the times I'll take my mum with me to a wedding fans. Your mum's the sweetest. My mum is the cutest. She comes with she likes a little day out with me, that's all yeah. She makes my lunch for me, it's great. She's making mum everywhere. Free food and uh we've gone to this brand new um venue on Anglesey, and why just sat now? I've got a massive van and I've loaded it all up, and I thought, wow, wow, what can it be? And then it took me down some single country lit. Um quite a confident driver, but oh, I was sweating. Yeah, yeah, when all your stuff sniffs in the past. Yeah, oh yeah, it was a nightmare. We actually went down there the other week, and my husband was driving the van. And I was like, I've come down here in the van. Because he like, really? Yeah, and I said, Don't go this way, it's really narrow, go that way, and we can go around.

SPEAKER_03 52:44

He's like, No, no.

SPEAKER_01 52:45

Oh, it was narrow, yeah. It's exciting.

SPEAKER_03 52:48

But you're like holding your breath.

SPEAKER_01 52:50

I'm a terrible passenger anyway. So might as well have my phone goes like for the break and everything.

SPEAKER_03 52:58

Johnny's like, just want to get out and pock him up.

SPEAKER_01 53:03

I normally just fall asleep just so I can block it.

SPEAKER_03 53:06

I have to try and like look at my phone or something so that I don't Oh no, I get cars. No, I don't, yeah. No, no, but you I'm alright sometimes. I think it's just Johnny probably who's driving. So I'm gonna ask this one um because I feel like it's a lot of the case of sometimes my couples will ask as well. So um what happens if guest list changes after we've already ordered the table plan and you've started? So say for example, you in this instance you would finish the table plan.

SPEAKER_01 53:35

No, I'm quite happy for my couples. I will always confirm with you that I'm gonna send it to print now.

SPEAKER_03 53:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 53:41

If there's any changes before that, if there's any changes afterwards, uh I'll just charge you a reprint. Okay. Pretty much. It's as easy as that. Yeah. Yeah, it's it's changing a couple of names on there and and just re-going to print again, I guess. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. As long as it's not like an individual name that it's like.

SPEAKER_02 54:01

I know it is what it is, and you're probably just gonna say it literally is what it is. Like Saturday's wedding, there was like four people that dropped out, bless her. That's tight. And like she had all everything printed. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 54:12

So it is just a there is there is genuinely nothing, and I I say this to mine because I'm just like, there's no point in you panicking and sweating over that small stuff because you're not gonna be looking at that table plan, it's gonna be a guess, and they're also they're not gonna know until they're gonna be able to do that.

SPEAKER_02 54:25

The venue was amazing, they were moving tables around, so you wouldn't know that. I was like, everything that's been printed for that it's a waste, isn't it? I hate it.

SPEAKER_01 54:32

What I would always say is if there's a couple of dropouts and you're not changing the tables as such, yeah, as in you've gone from six tables to five tables, if it's a couple, just leave it.

SPEAKER_03 54:44

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 54:45

If you can and you're not that bothered, just leave it. Yeah. Because, like you say, nobody notices it anyway. Tell the venue on the day. So if somebody does check the table plan again, say, oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 54:55

Yeah, um, this person, where are they?

SPEAKER_02 54:57

Yeah, we'll just take it off. We'll just take the place name off. Yeah. Just quickly, what um trends do you think couples might regret in a few years' time? To do it green.

SPEAKER_01 55:10

Anything to do with stationery? Sage green stationery. You know what? I don't know. I don't really know. Quite a lot of my couples are quite when they do actually do the sage green, it's like the foliage pictures on there and stuff. So that's quite nice. I don't think anything it'd go out. Um, yeah. Unless you'd like to What about certain designs? They're all timeless, I think. Are they?

SPEAKER_03 55:40

Yeah. And all personal preference. Yeah, they are all personal preference, aren't they?

SPEAKER_01 55:43

I have a lot of couples that would like a theme. I I do worry that some couples might regret that down the line, but it's part of who they are as a couple. You've picked that theme for a reason. Yeah. So if you were a mad football couple, then we've picked those colours, we've picked that design for a reason. That's part of who you are. Then you're not gonna regret it. Yeah. No, I wouldn't have either. No, and then I guess you're all right. I didn't even say anything.

SPEAKER_02 56:10

Sorry if you're listening, but my face, I was like, football theme. Oh fuck off. I'm sick of it. This whirl couple scared done. Done. My husband woke up right when we lost the next day and he went, Oh god, I'm just so upset about last night. Oh god, great.

SPEAKER_03 56:28

I went, I got asked. I got asked at a meeting and I was like, I feel fair.

SPEAKER_01 56:33

I know, everyone keeps going, Are you watching the World Cup?

SPEAKER_03 56:35

No.

SPEAKER_01 56:36

We're not a football family, we're rugby. We're rugby. Not really, which is why I nearly punched Ethan when he came back with that. Who is that? Yeah. But we get a lot of a lot of couples, like bridegroom couples, the grooms always want to try and feel a bit included. If we can include them a little bit. And it's football colours. Yeah, it may be, or something along them.

SPEAKER_03 56:58

I have had um a couple do Aston Villa couples before Aston Villa colours before, but they they did it based on um I know, I know, but they did it based on just their name cards, they didn't do it for anything else. The way I can do it, they only literally did tiny name cards, and that was it, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 57:18

The way when I meet a couple, it wasn't like the whole thing. I didn't think about that, but I will take bits and do it classy, so I don't want anybody to exactly what it was. So you wouldn't really know. No. No, no.

SPEAKER_03 57:32

So just before we go on to like a bridal spiral, um what is the difference between stationary and stationary? One spelled with an A and one spot with an E, Sophie.

SPEAKER_01 57:42

One with an A, one with an A is spelled you're you're stopped, you're stood, you're stood still, you're in a car, you're still. You're stationary. Station Ari. Station Ari with an E is paper goods. And that is final.

SPEAKER_03 57:56

Paper printed goods.

SPEAKER_01 57:58

That is it, that is it, that is final.

SPEAKER_03 58:01

So just a last point from us is um please could you give us a bridal spiral for something that has happened to you to do with stationary or anything that you can think of. Something good, bad, stressful, chaotic, funny.

SPEAKER_01 58:16

It's all chaotic, that's just like oh my gosh, I don't even know. Do I have one? I kind of gloss over it, so my couples don't have a clue.

SPEAKER_03 58:26

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:27

If something's missing, I've I've we've all been there, it's been done.

SPEAKER_03 58:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:31

Um, I have done that on one wedding. That was probably my spiral. We made it work with the wedding planners, we're good.

SPEAKER_02 58:37

What was it?

SPEAKER_01 58:38

I'd missed a whole table out. I threw myself right under the bus there.

SPEAKER_02 58:43

How did you no? You don't throw yourself under the bus. Because we're you missed. We're human from it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:49

We're all we're all learning.

SPEAKER_02 58:50

I always say this to my kids, but all learning. Everybody will make mistakes, whatever job you do, you'll me you'll send the wrong email, you might upset somebody unintentionally. We will all make mistakes. When people deal with it, it's how you deal with that.

SPEAKER_01 59:04

So, how did you deal with that? So, the gorgeous wedding planners, um, I literally sent them the file. They went back to the office, they printed it, so it looked like very similar, and I just gave them a refund. Yeah, it's my bad. How did they react, the couple? I don't know. I'm assuming they were fine with a refund. Or did they know? I don't know because the wedding planner sorted it out for me.

SPEAKER_03 59:27

Which is a good thing, and that's another reason to have one.

SPEAKER_01 59:29

It is absolutely good.

SPEAKER_03 59:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 59:32

Well they're like, don't worry. Yeah. Yeah, I was out with the kids, it was literally a Christmas wedding.

SPEAKER_03 59:37

They most likely wouldn't have known about that until Anna, but your heart just sucked.

SPEAKER_01 59:40

It does because you want to give your couples, you want them to feel like they're the only couple that matter on the day. And when you do something, you're like, oh my god. Um but now I will, if you have a table plan with me, everything goes in. Like, can I triple check everything as if it's made me a better stationer? That's what I mean then. Yeah. You learn from it. Absolutely. And I always say to my couples as well, like, everybody needs to check what I've given you as well. That's why I have a buffer as well. So if there is anything missing, if there is anything that you wanted to change, we have time to rectify it as well. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:11

Amazing. Well, thank you so much. I thank you. I've learned a lot, especially especially the spelling.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:17

Um, I told you earlier, we were like, what?

SPEAKER_02 1:00:20

Well, I must admit I was at like a thousand miles per hour last night.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:23

We all are easily done. I used to do it, you're fine. Anyway, Duella? Where can we find everybody find you? Oh gosh. What is your Instagram handle um website?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:33

They're different on Instagram and Facebook. I think one Sophie Elizabeth Weddings website is www.sophie-elisabeth.com. Uh Facebook is Sophie Elizabeth Weddings.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:45

Just amazing. Oh yeah. Thank you, Sophie. Thank you. Thank you for having me. And where can everyone find us though?

SPEAKER_02 1:00:51

Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, um, YouTube, my music, just everywhere in any podcast. In BM, you can provide the name Provide Clearly. And then our email address is darediary.com. I nearly forgot that letter. You're staring at me laughing. Thanks so much, everybody.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:16

Thank you.