this will soon be available as a DVD watch this space please ignore any references to buy don’t know how to get rid of that

The new trend for wedding invitations is lace lace lace!!!!!

We have launched by huge demand a traditional lace wedding invitation

The lace we are currently using for our vintage wedding invitation range is Cluny lace

The flower / floral design in each scallop on both edges is a slighter darker ecru / natural colour than the main ecru of the lace – this is deliberately this colour so this little floral / flower design stands out a little which makes the lace unique to Cluny.

This lace is 3 1/2″ inches wide with two scalloped ‘eyelash’ edges and with a very pretty floral / flower Cluny pattern design.  It is made with quality fine gauge cotton.

This lace and all our laces are very ‘vintage‘ in style .They are made on these old machines and it is the closest you will ever get to handmade cotton lace – made in such a way as to simulate the old fashioned handmade lace. You can see if you look closely in the picture the lace is not completely ’flat’ as the pattern, in this case, the flowers, it is outlined on the surface of the lace.

This is the same in all Cluny laces. So, there are two sides to all Cluny laces with the ‘outlined’ side always being sewn uppermost on the object or garment.  We are very proud of the laces as they are made today and I don’t think you will find any better cotton laces in the world.

(Please note this is NOT flimsy nylon lace but good quality fine gauge Cotton Leavers Lace)

All the laces are still made in England today – by the family of lace manufacturers –   Cluny Lace

Their company- the last manufacturers of cotton leavers laces in the UK, is owned and managed by the eighth and ninth generations of family – they were already framework knitters and flax dressers by the 1730s and started making lace when this fabric was first produced by machines in the 1760s, at the start of the Industrial Revolution. Throughout the last one hundred and fifty years Cluny Lace has continued to build up a data bank of hundreds of lace patterns. By combining the best of old traditions with new technology we are still able to produce in a wide range of exquisite designs of Leavers Cluny style lace allovers, edgings and insertions and Leavers Fine Cotton Valenciennes style lace allovers, edgings, galloons and insertions. Many of the lace patterns still used today were designed and draughted by the sixth and seventh generations of the family. No other manufacturer in the world produces the same range of patterns and these patterns are unique to Cluny.

A Leavers machine is in fact two machines; a wide machine working on the principle invented by Mr. John Leavers in Nottingham, England in 1813, twists together the threads to form a fast net, and a jacquard machine, adapted for use on the Leavers machines between 1836 and 1841, puts in the patterns. 

The machine weighs 17 tons and twists 10,000 threads simultaneously to make this beautiful lace. 

The Leavers machine is said to be the most complicated textile machine in the world.

 When the laces are made on these huge old machines the resulting lace comes off the machine in a colour we call ‘greige‘. This is the raw undyed cotton which is also fairly dirty from the black lead which is used in making the machines run smoothly.  In order to dye the lace to whites (which incidentally there are 120 different shades of!) / ecru or any other colour the lace has to go through a rigorous process of scouring,  dyeing and finishing in extreme temperatures and is stretched on large looms to pull the cotton laces back into shape and to set the width.  All the laces have a 3 to 5 % composite which is not cotton - usually nylon and occasionally polyester to help the cotton hold in the dyeing process and cope with modern washing machines which would ruin the lace without it!  In the ‘trade’ strictly speaking a garment or fabric can be called cotton as long as it has at least 95% cotton composition – which all Cluny laces have.

Sample Wording Below

lATEST Wording provided by

http://www.cardsshoppe.com/wedding-invitations/wedding-invitations-wordings.htm

For any occasion unassigned seats sounds fabulous in theory and may be one less chore for the organiser.

Reasons why you should do a table plan?

There may be an unseemly rush for what are considered to be the ‘great’ seats.

It will take so much longer to get your Friends and family seated if you do not allocate their seats and the last few guests who arrive fashionably late  to arrive find themselves walking around looking for empty seats.

Couples May need to be split up as there may be only single seats left and some older relatives may end up seated where they can’t see or hear anything.

 Now the fun begins

 To set the tone for your big day there will have to be a lot of planning to keep the keep you wedding stationery consistent with the Wedding Invitations may require some planning on your part. To help you we have prepared a list of which invitations you need.

• Engagement Party Invitations – The engagement invitations announce to your family and friends and that you have taken the next step in your relationship and are formalising your commitment to each other and wish to spend the rest of your life with the person you love. The engagement invitations can be totally different to your wedding invitations and don’t have to cost the earth. More importantly it is highly unlikely you will know your colour schemes at this stage of your plans.

• Save the Date Cards - These are really designed to let your guests know prior to your wedding the date you have in mind. These are generally sent out at least 12 months before the big day and inform your guests of the day and place of the wedding. These are perfect for overseas weddings whereby people would have to save up for the trip.

• Bridal Shower Invitation or Kitchen Tea – Your bridal shower or kitchen tea is an optional event and is becoming more popular in the UK as each year passes. These should only reflect the time, date and location of the event. Many people are now doing this by text and email to save on costs.
• Hens or Stag Night Invitations – Hens and Stag Nights usually include a theme and may be undertaken in remote location, such as a weekend away etc. These are normally provided by the organisers if you are having them.

• Wedding invitations – Your wedding invitations should be sent out 6-8 weeks prior to the event if you are In Ireland and the USA however in England they tend to send these out 3 months before the big day. This is the first indication of the theme of the wedding so it is important to take time over choosing the correct invitation. It is important to let your guests know who is hosting the event ie Mum, Dad or you etc where and when the wedding will take place as well as the formalness and dress code of your big day. Generally it is good manners to include an RSVP so that your guests can inform you of their intentions of coming and Dietary requirements. It is usually accepted to include a stamp for them to do this. You could also take it one step further and make your own stamps with your picture on it. (Smilers)

•  These should be sent to each couple, Single Guest plus their Partner or guest, and to a whole family it is also polite to send one to the priest however they rarely attend.

• You may wish to include a map and gift list

Wedding Ceremony

 Order of Service programs – These are becoming less popular but are a nice idea so that your guests can better follow the ceremony. It is also a good idea for the readers and allows the ceremony to be seamless.

Table Plans Menus and Place cards all work together and are used in the reception venue to identify the seating arrangement for your guests informing them of where they should sit. What they are eating etc.

Thank you cards - Thank you cards let your guest know that you appreciate them coming to your wedding and also gives you an opportunity to thank them for their gift.  These should be sent out no more than 8 weeks after the wedding. It is also possible to personalise your thank yous with the actual gift received and will save you valuable time later on when you have returned to work.

Our new wedding Invitations Loyalty program click on the above logo to gain 10% discount

Some couples look at a few ideas and make their decision based on recommendation or what they have seen in a magazine.

Your personal designer at Handmade By me will discuss all the design options with you and will make suggestions to ensure your invitations are one off designs. Most of options discussed will cost you very little if any extra over the standard designs in our range.

There are a number of options available for wedding invitations, ideas that will set your wedding apart from the rest and certainly make it more memorable.

Our in house designer will cover the following points before you make your final choice of design.

When exploring different styles for your wedding invitations, they will help you to make sure that you do not accidentally leave out something important and will discuss the finer details with you.

They will always offer you a chance to further customise your design so that you have the exact invitations that you want in the end.

Every couple will be allocated their own designer who will help them make their choices perfectly to compliment their wedding theme.

Royal Mail are keeping their customers informed of the planned industrial action and on ways to avoid delays on its website:
During the strikes, if possible we prefer to use our Courier rather than using the post. This costs a little extra @ £6.99 but it is well worth the money for the piece of mind.
If you still prefer to use Royal Mail during the strike, you might want to consider:

• Letting your Guests know that there may be a delay in their invitations being received.
• Taking your post to a Post Office as it is more likely to be collected than from a post box
• sending post by Special Delivery.– but check with Post Office staff that these services are running.
• Using our alternative courier to deliver your invitations means you avoid the delay.
• Consumer Focus, the consumer watchdog, is also offering postal users general advice on its website:
• Find out about the impact of the strike for consumers on the Consumer Focus website

The Communication Workers Union voted in favour of national action, meaning the earliest any national action can take place will be in mid October.

We strongly request that you choose our courier option on checkout.

Items that may have been included are Wedding Invitations, Order Of Service, Wedding Guests and Gift lists. When did you last look at yours? Are they still languishing in a box somewhere?

There must be thousands of wedding dresses carefully wrapped in tissue paper gathering dust at the back of the nation’s cupboards.

Handmade by ‘me’ have encapsulated your “treasured memories” with their Wedding Themed Couture Memory Boards in such a way as to breathe new life into your precious keepsakes.

A must have for any of this years weddings!!

Ivory Couture Memory Boards