Reception table centrepieces

There is a lot of scope for personalisation and originality when it comes to deciding how to decorate the tables at your wedding reception. Traditionally and most commonly, flowers are used, but this is not the only direction you can take your table decoration in!

This looks grand, but doesn’t have to be expensive! Vases can be picked up cheaply from your local supermarket (IKEA is also good for this kind of stuff), and feathers can be found on ebay, fancy dress shops of from local craft stores. Confetti.co.uk are selling feathers and skeletal leaves at the moment for less than £1 each – take advantage of the sales!! Don’t forget that vases like this are investment pieces for your marital home – you can never have too many flowers around the house!

Martini glasses are cool and modern, and can be customised to your own tastes! The photo above shows it decorated with flowers, however another affordable alternative is floating tea-lights. It sets the mood and looks gorgeous! Many Brides use these and then sell them on wedding forums such as You and Your Wedding Forum, and so they are available to be picked up at a reduced and affordable price!

Candelabras are a classic, yet elegant addition to any table! If you shop around you can find these in many charity shops or online on sites such as ebay or the wedding forums for relatively cheap! The candles give a romantic feel and they can be decorated to your own taste! They’re available in loads of different colours so you are guaranteed to find something to suit your theme!

Smaller vases can be decorated in many ways! This photo is the perfect example of this! Flowers, tea-lights and petals! Gorgeous, romantic and cheap!!!! I have seen vases like the one in the middle for around £6 in my local supermarket! Tea-lights can be picked up extremely cheaply (around 200 for £5), and depending on which flowers you choose, this can also be a cheap addition to the centrepiece!

Birdcages look brilliant in the middle of tables for a spring/summer wedding, and can also double-up as a card postbox! They can be decorated using flowers, fruit, fabric butterflies amongst many other embellishments! These are advertised on the various wedding forums, and increasingly on ebay! The metal ones can be painted to match whatever colour theme you are going for, and will easily sell on after your big day if you want to recoup some cash!

Here are just a few of my favourite image of table centrepieces I have found recently!

Ladies bathroom toiletry basket

A thoughtful idea appreciated by all female guests at a wedding is a toiletry basket found in the ladies bathroom at your wedding/reception venue. These can be made for relatively cheap, but will be appreciated by everyone!

Using a basket is optional, I know a number of brides who just arranged the items next to the sink and managed to create the look they were after.

Below is a comprehensive list of items most female guests would appreciate.

• Spray deodorant – think plain and simple smells, nothing too flowery or pungent. The brand Sure is usually a good bet, and their range of no-white-mark sprays would be perfect for spraying around evening outfits.
• Hairspray – medium hold is usually good idea as it is neither too light or too heavy
• Nail file – essential! The amount of times I’ve caught and broken a nail but had no file to hand could be counted on about 5 peoples hands!
• Clear nail varnish – not only good for repairing any varnish chips, but also holds together ladders in tights!
• Baby wipes – good for babies, good for adults!
• Chewing gum/mints – a handy remedy for garlic breath!
• Gaviscon – for dodgy tummies!
• Paracetamol – handy for sore heads! Especially for non-drinkers who have headaches from noisy music!
• Ibuprofen – ditto to paracetamol!
• Plasters – blisters. Need I say more?
• Hair slides – for mid-evening hair repairs!
• Hair bands – as above!
• Cotton buds – fixing make up dilemmas!
• Pantiliners – for lady disasters!
• Hairbrush – for taming those unruly locks!
• Lint roller brush – for tidying up suits and dresses!
• Body spray – to replace the worn away perfume!

A nice little addition is to leave a note explaing what you are leaving for them. The best one I’ve seen is as follows:

“So happy you’re hear to share our special day!!

But should something happen to go astray,

Please help yourself to the contents within,

Hairspray, lotion, gum and even asprin!

Use only what you need and leave the rest,

It may be useful for another guest!

So repair the damage that may have been done,

Then hurry back to join the fun!!”

Print it out and put it in a photoframe to give it an elegant and classy look!

Confetti.co.uk Sale!!!

The wedding website confetti.co.uk are currently holding a sale on a variety of wedding related items!

Many items are reduced by up to 65%, so if you are on the look out for place cards, favour boxes or table plan stands, have a quick look at the website to see if you can grab yourself a bargain!

They are also doing a two free stationery sample offer currently when you enter the code SAMPLE at the checkout. Even if you don’t plan to buy from then as you want to DIY your invites, choose a couple in the style you are planning to make for templates! Even better, its FREE postage on the samples, so there are no hidden costs!

Best fonts for DIY wedding invitations

Getting the font right if you are using a computer to create your DIY invitations can be a little tricky. Things are either too plain, or too fancy, too bold or not bold enough!

Using the website www.dafont.com, I have found lots of different and FREEfonts that are easily downloadable onto your home PC or laptop. Here are a few of the best!

Chopin Script – slightly tudory, traditional styling

http://www.dafont.com/chopin-script.font

Freebooter Script – slanted, with emphasis on letters with long tails or tall tops

http://www.dafont.com/freebooter-script.font

Champignon – small, perfectly formed but elegant

http://www.dafont.com/champignon.font

Wedding nightmares – the title does not represent the font! Traditional looking, with a calligraphy edge!

http://www.dafont.com/wedding-nightmares.font

Discipuli Britannica – simple, clean shaped letters

http://www.dafont.com/discipuli-britannica.font

Loverboy – this would be PERFECT for a village fete themed wedding!

http://www.dafont.com/loverboy.font

Callie Hand – perfect for the “wedding invitation/evening invitation” script on the front of the invite

http://www.dafont.com/callie-hand.font

Remember, this is just a tiny proportion of the free fonts available for download on this site. There are other sites that do free fonts, but I’ve found this one to have the most variety, and the most free downloads! You will definitely find something that matches your theme and style perfectly!