We’re delighted to have David From SBL Print chat with us about his experience in of working in the Wedding Industry! Here are his wise words of wisdom and what 44 years of printing wedding stationery have taught him about weddings!!
It should be the happiest day of your life. As a young girl, you may have dreamt of the big fairytale wedding. For some, the horse-drawn carriage, doves etc might actually happen. For most, something a bit simpler will be the order of the day.
And that is not such a bad thing. If money is no problem, crack on with said horse and doves. For the rest of us, planning the wedding should be a fun, exciting affair with no doubt having a budget in mind.
There is a (fabled?) local story of a couple spending £25k on their wedding only to divorce within 18 months. Geez, my own brother had a beautiful wedding in a castle in Lincoln and was divorced within five years AND was still paying for it long after the Decree Absolute was signed! (Bridesmaids wore Black Taffeta and looked stunning! Who knew…)
In no particular order…. views and comments are from me and no-one else! I am not or claim to be the fount of knowledge to all things wedding related. It is just I am older than most… and have seen things.
But I am good in a quiz if you need an extra man - trivia and music are my specialist subjects.
WEDDING DRESS
Does it matter if your wedding dress costs £200, £2000 or more? I have seen some beautiful dresses over my time that would not break the bank. Only you and your closest will know how much it cost. You are going to wear it once (Amanda Holden aside…). Traditionally, it would be used to clothe your child as a Christening gown. You could sell it of course…
GROOM ATTIRE
Unless hiring a morning suit, I do not see the point of hiring a suit when you can buy one for a similar price. You will definitely use it again.
GUESTS
There may be people you have not seen for years (or even met!) who someone else in the family says that they should be invited. It can cause a problem. I once had a prospective bride nearly in tears at a wedding fair who had £10k and wanted the best wedding possible for 40 guests. Top champagne, best food ever. Her guest list was north of 60 and her Mum was pressuring her into inviting this person and that person, distant cousins etc. My take on it was if parents are chipping in to pay for said wedding, then maybe there could be some compromise. She and the groom were paying for everything themselves. It's Your Wedding Day. I think you are allowed to go, full diva, where your wedding is concerned. NOT every day Gemma Collins….
WEDDING INVITATIONS
I may be shooting myself in the foot here but here goes…. since 1976, I have been in the print trade. We print things like letter headings, business cards, pads, leaflets and pharmaceutical items to name a few. Wedding stationery is just printing to me. People tell me we print some really nice things. Ink on paper and board is what we do best. However things have moved on. Folks want the whole nine yards. Ribbon, diamante, laser cut, mirror, Kraft board, the list goes on. Pinterest and Instagram - where were you when I needed you most. I forgive you.
They look beautiful, they really do. I couldn't agree more. I am taken aback at the extravagance of some of them. “But it's what we want” I hear time and time again. But let me share something with you. I bet you a pound to a penny 99.9% of them will end up in the bin (recycle bin if we are lucky). Nothing makes me happier to receive a big hug (and we could all do with one now!) from the bride who is absolutely ecstatic over a simple A5ish size card with beautiful flowers printed and her wedding details. Just around £60. She is happy, I am happy.
“I want 50 DL size pocketfold invitations, 4 inserts, a ribbon and diamante on the front”. That will be approx £270. “Ok, that is fine”
FINE!!! Now to me, “that is money we could use for an upgrade for our honeymoon”. This is what we used to say to our prospective clients at the wedding fairs that we show our wares. We no longer say this as we know “the customer is always right”. We are not stupid. If we do not offer the ribbons and diamantes, our competitors will. SO we give our customers exactly what they want - and a little bit more. Remember the diva thing? There is a fine line between Diva and Bridezilla. Just no need to hassle me for your day stationery (table names, place names etc) with months to go. I will not let you down. I print funeral order of service sheets so know about pressure and time sensitive deadlines.
You know who you are.
* Save The Dates - not my favourite thing unless you have a summer wedding or a wedding abroad when you need to give plenty of notice. It does take the pressure off getting your invitations printed earlier but some folks are more organised than others. Just saying….
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
My wife and I have a lovely big wedding album somewhere in the house. It is not viewed that often. It is obviously nice to have a visual record of your big day. I am not keen on video as I hate my voice but it is not my wedding here…. However, I wish we had spent more on our photographs. We have one big photo on show. I think it is there just to remind everyone that I did have a decent head of hair way back when.
WEDDING RECEPTION
Is food the same from place to place? I suppose it is comparing oranges with lemons! You get what you pay for. I quite like the idea of a later wedding which means a high tea or straight into an evening reception. It does away with that awkward waiting time between the day and evening receptions.
WEDDING ENTERTAINMENT
It seems to be a thing that some folks think they need a casino, jugglers, saxophonist, selfie mirrors, giant Connect 4, magicians and the like. Whatever floats your boat. Nothing wrong with a DJ and music for the night. Or even live music.
I don't really have much to say about the rest. I like the idea of foam flowers. Cake in the shape of Lego seems a bit weird but anything goes today.
So if you need a price for approximately 100 motorcycle themed invitations and you ring a stationer and they say £700 straight off the cuff, I think you are (literally) being taken for a ride on said motorcycle.
You do not need a themed wedding. Harry Potter or Star Wars. You can if you like. It is entirely up to you. Colour is optional. I had one bride having five bridesmaids each in a different pastel colour which was a great idea. I also had one having 17 bridesmaids YES SEVENTEEN BRIDESMAIDS. Ok, the full story was she was not in the first flush of youth and each meant something to her and she could not have this five or a different four so 17 it was. Her choice.
I can see most of this is about money. I am not a mean man. I give to charity, look after my friends and family. And we feed the dog well.
So remember, it is your wedding day. We are here to help you get your invitations in front of your guests. It is not rocket science. Just do not ask for Cadburys Purple.
We understand most weddings that were due to take place this year have been postponed. We can help with your reprints. WE ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS!
Website: www.sblprint.co.uk/yourweddingday
Telephone Number: 0151 920 2996 | 07866 457 552
Email: david@sblprint.co.uk
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