Monthly Archives: September 2008

Gift Ideas for a 1st Year of Marriage

Do you know of someone soon to be celebrating their 1st Wedding Anniversary, well the traditional gift is paper so here’s a few ideas for what you could gift to them on their special day.

  • Some paper napkins, as you can buy so many beautifully patterned serviettes these days
  • An origami set for beginners
  • Paper tickets to a concert or show
  • Paper note pad with a pen, tied with a ribbon
  • And for the fun and silly amongst us, perhaps a pack of soft toilet rolls!

Traditional Wedding Anniversary Gifts

It was recently my own Wedding Anniversary, and like me, my immediate family gave my husband and I a little something to reflect the years of marriage that we celebrated.

If you aren’t familiar with the full list of ‚  traditional gifts for each year of a Wedding Anniversary, then here they are:

First – Paper
Second – Cotton
Third – Leather
Fourth – Fruit/Flowers
Fifth – Wood
Sixth – Candy/Iron
Seventh – Wool/Copper
Eighth – Bronze/Pottery
Ninth – Pottery/Willow
Tenth – Tin/Aluminum
Eleventh – Steel
Twelfth – Silk/Linen
Thirteenth – Lace
Fourteenth – Ivory
Fifteenth – Crystal
Twentieth – China
Twenty-Fifth – Silver
Thirtieth – Pearl
Thirty-Fifth – Coral
Fortieth – Ruby
Forty-Fifth – Sapphire
Fiftieth – Gold
Fifty-fifth – Emerald
Sixtieth – Diamond

If you have a Wedding Anniversary coming up for yourself, your family or a friend, and are not sure what to give, then do come back to my News Blog as I will be providing you ‚  with a few ideas ‚  over the coming weeks. ‚   Some of these ideas will have a ‚  unique twist and don’t need to be expensive either. ‚   For example for my sister’s 3rd Wedding Anniversary I gave them a prettily boxed Imperial Leather bar of soap!

Ayrshire Post Article for Autumn Bridal Review

Wedding Advice for Ayrshire's Autumn Bridal Review

If you picked up a copy of the Ayrshire Post 2 weeks ago, you will have hopefully seen my Wedding Advice that featured in the Autumn Bridal Review. ‚   If you didn’t, then here’s a copy of the original wording I sent through to the Editors.

Advice for the Engaged Couple, by Sarah ¢ ‚¬ „¢s Creative Occasions

These days there is so much that you can do to celebrate your Wedding Day, so where do you begin……

My recommendation is to first consider how you want your Wedding Day to feel, should that be: traditional; elegant; comfortable; classic; modern; etc. ‚   This will usually lead to a style of Wedding, and a choice of Ceremony, either Religious or Civil. ‚   Next is your choice of venue and Ayrshire has so many wonderful places ranging from: your local church; a Scottish castle; a hotel with a variety of facilities; a community hall; open-air in a garden; a contemporary marquee; to the grounds of an historical site.

Rather than have a theme dominate, unless ¢ ‚¬Ëœover-the-top ¢ ‚¬ „¢ is your desire of course, let a theme emerge naturally. ‚   As a couple, incorporate your ideas subtly by considering: what is meaningful to you; what occasions you have enjoyed and your shared interests. ‚   From these ideas you can begin to develop: your means of transport to and from the venue; the catering and style of food; and a choice of entertainment.

For your bridal gown, use the internet and magazines to pull together a selection of images that you like. ‚   Shop around to find a store that you feel comfortable with, as you will be spending quite a lot of time in it and with the staff, to perfect your chosen dress. ‚   ‚   Let them see your wish list of images, and allow them to pick a variety for you to try on. ‚   Do not hesitate to ask for their opinion, as the staff will have dressed many brides and will know what styles suit you.

A colour scheme is important, as it will unite all aspects of your Wedding, from the bridesmaids to the groom ¢ ‚¬ „¢s outfit, and the flowers to the stationery. ‚   Your guests will be overwhelmed by the beauty of a colour co-ordinated occasion, so it ¢ ‚¬ „¢s key to strike the right balance. ‚   You can use either a single colour in varying shades, or try two colours that complement each other.

For that special touch why not create a table centre-piece that is designed around a printed image of you as a married couple, or treat your party to a stunning display of sky lanterns being released into the night. ‚   However you decide to celebrate your Wedding Day, ensure it remains your Day, take time to enjoy the build-up, and if you need any help please do not hesitate to contact Sarah ¢ ‚¬ „¢s Creative Occasions. ‚   Good luck!

Reload at the Ayr Racecourse

Last Friday evening ‚  I went along to the second day’s celebrations of the Ayr Gold Cup races, to watch and hear a local Ayrshire band perform.

Reload are a 3-piece band made up of Drew who plays keyboards and guitar, Elaine who sings and plays keyboards, and Andy who plays saxophone, guitar and keyboards.

The dancefloor ‚  at the Princess Royal Suite was full, and everyone was singing along to some good ole classics. ‚   I really enjoyed Reload, and would recommend them for ‚  your ‚  occasion.

Tis the Season of Wedding Fairs

We are amidst the season of Wedding Fairs.

I spent another day this weekend, in Glasgow at the SECC checking out the huge variety of suppliers exhibiting at the Scottish Wedding Show. ‚   It was absolutely superb, in terms of the: numbers of suppliers; range of services and products; and the quality of the displays. ‚   I met loads of wonderful people which was great to actually put the faces to the names that I’ve become familiar with over the last many months.

If you missed out on the Show this weekend, then don’t fret as there are still many more Fairs coming up, including:

  • Sunday 28th Sept from 12noon at the Seamill Hydro in Seamill
  • Sunday 5th Oct from 12noon at the Gailes Hotel in Irvine
  • Sunday 19th October from 1pm at the Holiday Inn in East Kilbride
  • Sunday 26th Oct from 11am at the Park Hotel in Kilmarnock

Wedding Show Highlights at Barcel ƒ ³ Troon Marine Hotel

On Sunday 14th September I went along to a Wedding Show at the Barcel ƒ ³ Troon Marine Hotel and it was one of the best shows I’ve visted of late, due to the beautiful surroundings, ‚  open ‚  space in the exhibitor’s suite and more importantly the wide variety of suppliers.

I enjoyed meeting ‚  a few more local businesses, and the catwalk show was brilliant, with designs for the whole bridal party from: Capri Skies, Hourstons, Kilts ‚  4 U and Joyce Young.

If you haven’t heard of Joyce Young and in particular ‚  their Tartan Spirit range of bridal wear, you should really take a look at their website, as their couture dresses are out of this world. ‚   They mix ‚  elegant styles with a ‚  touch of tartan, ‚  and are truly stunning.

Ayrshire Weddings can View 360

View360 Scotland

I met up with John Robinson of View 360 Scotland ‚  this week, as he runs a unique venture supplying married couples with a wonderful memory of their Wedding Day

View 360 Scotland ‚  provides virtual 360 degree imagery of a venue ‚  for ‚  your personalised Wedding Website. ‚   The primary difference with John’s designed ‚  wedding websites are that they are fully interactive, including:

  • a virtual tour of your ceremony and reception suite
  • your wedding day music
  • a co-ordinated theme and colour scheme
  • an album of a selection of your photographs
  • a published guest list
  • a guest book for guests to ‚  leave their messages for you

Your wedding website can be accessed ‚  by anyone you wish and wherever in the world they may be, so you can share your special day with family and friends, near or far, and ‚  all within 48 hours.

Wedding Advice to Feature in Ayrshire Post

Following our advertorial in the Ayrshire Post last month written about Sarah’s Creative Occasions exhibition at the Ayr Flower Show, we have been asked to write a piece of Wedding Advice for all of Ayrshire’s Brides and Grooms to be.

The Ayrshire Post’s wedding feature will be on sale on Wednesday 17th September, so ‚  do purchase ‚  a copy to read our tips and ideas.

The Scottish Wedding Show

The Scottish Wedding Show

The Scottish Wedding Show is titled ‚  Scotland’s best event for brides-to-be, and it will take place at the Glasgow SECC on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st September 2008.

Over 300 wedding suppliers will be exhibiting there, and you can also indulge in some free wine tasting and sample cocktails, as well as ‚  sitting back to enjoy the catwalk show.

Sarah’s Creative Occasions will be networking at the event.

Sarahs Creative Occasions