Two by Two studio ramblings...

Vintage lace & Santa's sleigh...

2012-01-19T21:28:00.000Z

Whilst the studio is abuzz with spring orders, I'm still thinking ahead for new designs for next autumn. At the moment I'm mixing vector florals with illustrations to create a really different look. The roses below were drawn by hand, scanned in and redrawn, it creates a really sharp image.

Combining with the lace design creates a modern twist, great for vintage weddings!

I meant to post the above a little while ago, its our gorgeous Kitsy design in cadbury's purple and vanilla. They were printed on our textured shimmer board and the cadbury's puprle was a very thick matt board that created a stunning contrast. Everything was finished with Swarovski crystals. Looked great.

At christmas I was asked to produce my santa's sleigh table plan...

With matching table name cards! It was such fun to do and the tableplan looked great. It was printed on photopaper and mounted on foam board. I recommend the guests sign it and it's kept as a keepsake.

Oh, that reminds me, magic santa dust. Must, must, must get the pics online.

Right that's me over and out for today.

Bloomin' lovely!

2012-01-13T16:18:00.003Z

Today we finished Becky's designs; big blousy blooms mounted in topaz, ultramarine and colbat. Set with Swarovski crystals, mounted on contrasting board and mounted again in an info wallet, the design is finished with a contrasting ribbon. These will appear on the website next month when the art studio launches. Meantime, if you would like to enquire about the design please just get in touch and I'd be happy to help: hello@twobytwoweddings.com.

When I started Two by Two I was well known for my digital images; flowers, buildings, faces...the orders were always personalised and I created something really unique for my clients. In terms of a design led business, we've consistently expanded our portfolio and we invest time in design development; two and a half years ago I returned to art school and took an intensive refresher course in illustration and was lucky enough to be able to take time out of my working week to draw, draw, draw. I put my illustrations into my stationery and for the last 2 years I've had a private portfolio of illustrations that I've offered visiting clients. The range has grown and we are launching our "art studio" service shortly to roll out the designs into our website. It's an exciting time for us.

Rolling out designs has a sadder side in that we've also had to invest a in a good lawyer. He's fierce and has spent some time date stamping the websites of certain individuals who have "been inspired" by our previous portfolio's. I hate having to write this post but I am tired of watching some businesses I have consistently admired be ripped off. People call it a compliment, I call it irritating, but as a business we've been sensible and protected ourselves.

Right, so that's me over and out for this week...what awaits the studio next week! Oooh, it's The Wedding Industry Awards next week, I'm looking forward to a good night out!

Have a good weekend!

Natalie :-)

All at Sea!

2012-01-12T17:56:00.001Z

I've been busy with birds and fish today. Really busy actually, as yesterday we had a power cut. Sorry if you were trying to get through to us...digital phones! Normal service resumed late last night and we're all at sea today with a vintage seaside theme.

Not totally all at sea! We've also been flying high with our birds design. (I'm trying to see how many corny sayings I can get in here!!). This design features latice lacework set with birds, emerald swarovski crystals and finished with a sage green insert. It's our first autumn order. Talking of orders, I'm producing invitations for brides who's wedding dates are AFTER mine. Which is making me panic completely, I've still got my map to finish and then the entire design has to be hand finished with crystals before it can go out. Guess what I'll be doing this weekend...?!

Ha Har! Shiver me timbers...

2012-01-11T09:40:00.002Z

I've got a new project on the go. I've had to do some reasearch into a) pirates and b) knitwear. Which is a strange coincidence given that my final degree show combined both pirates and knitwear. Whilst pondering the best course of research I remembered at art school my tutor, Simon Knowles, telling us to treasure our sketch books as they would sit on the book shelf as a reminder of our development, to be taken down and used in the future.

I was a good student and I've kept every sketch book (even the one with bits of decaying plants in) and yesterday off I went in search of my "Pirate Yarns" sketchbook. I spent some time looking through the shelves which house my sketchbooks and I had a lovely afternoon remembering my art diploma, my lovely classmates,, of being a fashion student living and studying in London. It's simply charming to have a glimpse of "before", and to see how I always wanted my own business and how excited I was at the prospect of being able to make a living as a designer. Simon Knowles was absolutely right; 20 years on and my sketchbooks served as a delight...and also a starting point for my new project.

I thought I'd post a couple of my "Pirate" pages to amuse. These are from my degree final show, a collection to be sold in Liberty's; 20 years ago I felt the world should be dressed in knee high socks, poncho's, shorts worn with high heels and hoodies...well shiver me timbers!

Images Copyright Natalie O'Donovan

Greetings!

2012-01-10T10:07:00.003Z

Over at our Not on the High Street store we're selling our gorgeous greetings.
These designs are from our words range and feature patterned images finished with foiled silver stars. Cards come individually wrapped in cello bags.

The sales are on over there, you can bag yourself a great bargain. 10% off!
You can see more of our gorgeous greetings at http://www.luviodesign.com/

Happy 30th Kate!

2012-01-09T12:16:00.000Z

I opened up my inbox last thursday to see an order for our Katherine design. OK, so you may have previously viewed it on our website as "Lily of the Valley". It seemed ever so appropriate, with the gorgeous Royal Wedding bouquet featuring Lily of the Valley flowers that we rename our design Katherine, on her birthday too!

This image is from Instyle with a great piece about the meaning of Kate's wedding flowers.

Click here to view it.

The Katherine design goes live on our website soon, as part of our new art room range. If you are interested in this design and can't wait for the web design cogs to turn please email me for info at hello@twobytwoweddings.com.

In the art room...

2012-01-06T10:50:00.002Z

On the subject of our new art room, here's our new Emilie design. Big, blousy hydranger illustrations, set with ribbons and swarovski crystals. I'm currently working on this in blue, colbat and tangerine. Will post pics soon!

Happy friday. Cognratulations for surviving the first week back after xmas.

Nat ;-)

It's here!

2012-01-05T18:14:00.001Z

2011 was, in short, the most challenging year I've experienced. I want to start this blog by saying thank you for the oodles of love and support I received, in particular to my partner Jon and to my client Becky Thomas. Hello to my ten new friends, it's been an honour getting to know you (and a pleasure receiving cupcakes!). It is when the going gets tough that your life falls very clearly into place. In terms of business I now have relationships who I will carry with me until the end of time, because they helped me reach a certain point, for which I am forever in their debt. If this is sounding like a riddle, don't worry! I won't go on about it. Let's just say, I happily leave 2011 behind. It's done and this year is all about YOU LOVELY LOT...and a little bit of me.

Firstly, this year I'm set to gain a mother-in-law, a father-in-law, a beautiful sister-in-law and a whole new family, when I become a Mrs...ooer, and me convinced I'd alway be an old spinster! I have LOVED every moment of being engaged, from my beautiful proposal, to the celebrations and more recently the emails I'm getting from the people most special as they book flights, hotels and make plans (some have even included hot pots, eh auntie!). It is a special moment to have all the people you love most in one place and I feel very honoured that our families and friends are sharing our day. It is with some amusement that I'm classed as "an older" bride (really I'm 27,*crosses fingers*). Jon, my darling, you were ever minute worth the wait.

I could write 10,000 words alone about my planning experience, but I'll spare you, after all this blog is just a little bit about me. Moving forward...into 2012...and there's something else happening.

Somehow, and I'm not quite sure where all the time has gone, we are approaching our 10th year of business. In March 2002 I registered my domain name, built a website and launched forward with my little business, by 2004 I was working at it full time and today, in 2012 I've worked on iterally tens of thousands of weddings. I really must count them, I remember each couple and as the years go by it's a joy to have contributed to the other occasions in their lives: babies, new homes, anniversaries and beyond. It's all been part of the delightful jigsaw.

To mark our tenth, I mean, TENTH, anniversary I'm introducing 10x10. It's a flat rate 10% discount to all the girls who are getting married same year as me. Just quote 10x10 when you order.

Right, well, the only difference between now and 2002 is that I'm outta here at 6pm (not 6am!).

Happy new year. It's going to be a good one.

x x x x x

p.s. the images are our save-the-date cards, available in our art room launching soon (as soon as the images have been edited, cropped and uploaded!). Do email me if you're intrigued.

more xxxxx's

Nat x x x

Waves

2011-08-22T11:29:00.000+01:00

Summer has flown by. We've been finalising our new ranges, signing contracts with our greetings business, finishing the summer workload and basically getting ready for the next season. My workload is managable again which means the blog is back! Yippee! Looking forward to sharing current projects and studio moments with you. *Waves*.
x x

See you in July!

2011-06-22T22:22:00.000+01:00

A little note to let you know our blog is going on holiday and it, or rather me writing it, will be back in July with a shiney new wallpaper, a snappily designed header and some really, really interesting things to say.

Meantime, you can hear me say a lot less, a lot more often on Twitter (twoxtwoweddings). Or you can get in touch with me via email if you want to chat or if you're my mum reading this...I'm leaving just now.

See you in July. After Wimbledon. Which isn't at all what I'm doing. I am in my studio working and not on Murray Mound. No Sireeee, nope, no, not at all.

N x x x

Gorgeous Guestbooks!

2011-06-21T09:54:00.000+01:00

I love, love, love guestbooks. Our range has recently expanded and now includes stunning luxury leather and suede guestbooks. Finished with Swarovski crystals, diamante buckles and teardrop crystals, not to mention lovely satin ribbons. Personalised or plain. Perfect!

Coming soon...our Enchanted range. For a preview-peek please email me directly: natalie@twobytwoweddings.com

N x x

Country living!

2011-05-21T12:10:00.000+01:00

Since moving to "the country", oh ok, 1.8 miles from Winchester City centre, I've become a little obsessed with the whole Country-Vintage-Garden-Party theme and it's a big influence on my own wedding planning. How do you translate this theme into eclectic elegance?

My starting point in the design process was our beautiful "Sophia" design. A design that has often been described as understated yet glamorous. I wanted to combine the elegance and glamour of the design but feature a little surprise once the bow's untied and the details of THE DAY are revealed. Enter Cecilia.

Cecilia is a gatefold card, available in two sizes and ivory or white and the ribbon can match either the white or ivory board OR the inner colour. Recently we've produced a gorgeous aray of colours, including sage green (above) and unusually yellow. There isn't enough room to show the on the day items but drop me an email and I'll send you some pics.

Right, off to pick wild flowers.
Happy weekend.
x

Viva la venue!

2011-05-20T14:29:00.000+01:00

I love bespoke wedding invitations. Having something completely unique is a wonderful way of showing your guests the style of your wedding. "On Location" wedding stationery does take a little more research than usual, but the results are mightily worth it. We've recently completed commissions for London, Sommerset House, St Lucia and Ireland and I've been struck how individual each finished invitation suite is.

In terms of my own wedding, producing something that evoked the style of us as a couple and also represented our wedding day was a challenge. My solution was to show the places we have been as a couple alongside the City we have chosen as our venue for our day. I'll be posting the results online soon.

----

Designer Wedding Show

2011-02-13T23:31:00.006Z

Today I headed off to Battersea for a day at The Designer Wedding Show. No ordinary day. A day as an actual bride-to-be, with one of my actual bridesmaids, looking for those gorgeous, hard to find, must have delights that are uber critical for ones BIG day.

I can't witter on too much about my BIG day. I am waiting on my Save the Date cards from the printers in order to announce my wedding to my family and friends. It's been a busy month which means my work is last in the queue. I'm told we'll be finished in a week or so, then I can come out of hiding and get them in the post! I should stop writing now really, because I am close to discussing my wedding in detail. I could write 2000 words alone about the venue's history, its' uses over the years and how the blue of the interior matches my palette exactly and how the gold detailing in the ceiling isn't too bold and as for the chandeliers...see, this is dangerous.

The two words to describe my wedding mood board (Yes, I have one. What can I say?!) are glamorous and fabulous. Those of you who know me will know my love of sparkly, gorgeous things and those of you who have visited The Designer Wedding Show will know it is the place to start! I have exhibited at the show on many occasions and as an exhibitor I have often walked the aisles wondering if I would ever require the services of a cup cakerie. Today I was that bride-to-be and as a bride-to-be I visited the show armed with my list. Top of the list being shoes, flowers and yep, cup cakes

I chose my main wedding cake instantly; a beautiful hydranger inspired creation. It was love at first sight and Rosalind Miller was my show favourite. Her work is delightful. I also loved her cupcakes (see above left), most especially her cameo cakes.

For my shoes I have chosen Francesca by Emmy Shoes. They match my dress perfectly. I am told they'll be comfortable all day, but that doesn't matter because I will happily hobble around for the sake of such a beautiful pair. The best thing about Emmy is you can try at the show, dream about them on the journey home and then pop online and order. My sister had a gorgeous pair of D&G shoes for her wedding. Shoes are important in our family!

Finally, flowers. The above image is pretty similar to the bouquet I loved on display at Jane Packer's stand. Her pieces are intricate, stunning and robust enough to survive both the day and the hurtle into the crowd. Along with shoes, chucking the bouquet is also important in our family. As the oldest single girl I have a total of 7 caught bouquets in my loft. Before Jon and I were engaged people stopped throwing and just handed them to me in a sort of feeble chuck, so techically it was still a catch. As one of the last to be married I am duty bound to ensure it is thrown, and caught, appropriately.

I'm off to Jane Packers shop to chat "lily of the valley" v "hydranger" in a few weeks. Yes, I know, lily of the valley is best known as the flower of grannies, but since Liz Hurley it's seeing a revival. Plus I want to do something in loving memory of my lovely Grandma. I'm discovering weddings aren't just about things that sparkle, loving memories play a big part.

I would absolutely recommend The Designer Wedding Show to any bride-to-be as a starting point in their preparations. It's a beautiful show, the exhibitors are great fun and I wonder how they stay fresh for the 3 day duration. Will they really remember my wedding date? Tomorrow when I book my cake and unwrap my shoes we shall see!

Next month I'm at The National Wedding Show and several local shows. Come on. Indulge me.

Happy Valentines Day.

Images above: Cakes on stand © Rosalind Miller. Francesca shoe © Emmy Shoes. Bridal Flowers © Jane Packer. Images are intended to show what I have chosen for my wedding. They are copyright each business and may not be reproduced without permission.

2011 is here!

2011-01-06T09:10:00.000Z

We are back in our studio after a great break. You may have noticed we've updated our website and it's brimming with new designs, new images of work and has great advice and help for planning your wedding. We've had some client appointments this year and those colour schemes are INSPIRING to say the least.

In order to help your budget stretch we have held our prices, so you won't notice the VAT increase here. We aren't anticipating our prices will rise until much later in the year. As always, if you request a quote we honour the prices no matter when you place your order. You can also book us ahead of your schedule; makes for straightforward planning.

I hope you like our new designs, and do get in touch if you need any help, advice or just fancy a chat about your wedding stationery.

AND happy new year!

Natalie x

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T22:13:00.000Z

Wishing you all a wonderful, fabulous, happy, healthy new year.

We are back in our studio on Wednesday 5th January from 10am. Looking forward to hearing all your xmas news!

Best wishes
All of us at Two by Two Weddings x x x

Snow-vember!

2010-12-03T13:02:00.002Z

Please do excuse the title of this blog update, but with the roads blocked and life completely slowed down by the weather it's difficult not to think of anything but the snow!

Last year we were snowed in, snowed out and snowed in again. I received a call from a sample-seeking client who asked me why I hadn't sent the sample. I tried to explain that the studio and I hadn't seen each other for days, she didn't understand. She didn't order. It led me to rethink our operations and free myself from the constraints of a daily commute.

On friday the last shelf went up in our new space. Saturday and sunday the boxes were unpacked. On Monday new studio life commenced. Pause for a cartwheel and applause. It's in Winchester, it's gorgeous and ready for visitors. Please do call and make an appointment to browse our ranges, it would be great to see you.

It's been utterly fantastic being able to get into the office and work. The snow has been very harsh in Hampshire and I've read the frustrated comments of other stationery tweeps struggling to get into their studio's. This is a very busy time of year and not being able to work is the worst experience imaginable. Being able to make it to my desk each morning has more than made up for not being able to travel to the appointments and meetings that were scheduled off site this week, although I'm particularly gutted to be missing out on a night in Birmingham on Saturday. My first Birmingham curry will have to wait!

Aside from the new office November has been a good month. Our figures are up on last year which is wonderful (THANK YOU!). Importantly, we've finalised our course dates and I have new details and dates ready. Please do contact me if you would like to attend our D-I-Y courses or would like further information for consideration. Our courses have run since 1997 and are great fun, really useful and will equip you with lots of industry knowledge relating to creating your own stationery.

I've also finished my own website: http://www.natalieodonovan.com/ is now live and provides an overview of, well me! The next Two by Two Weddings release goes live shortly. We are checking the links and uploading new products as I type. Thanks so much for your enquiries for next year and 2012. I've received my first booking for February 2012! Amazing.

Right, well I've posted some pictures of my new view (above), an icy inspired table plan, menu's and some gorgeous santa dust that's proving popular this year.

See you in December. Stay warm!

Natalie

Oooh October

2010-11-05T10:51:00.000Z

Today my blog is dedicated to my family & friends. Family, in my case, doesn’t describe the people I have a genetic connection with, it extends beyond that: to the people whom I am intricately involved with who make up my world. I always think about my family & friends during this time of year, as I get ready for christmas and print off my christmas card address labels. It's interesting to think about how the year has unfolded, how dreams have come true and an occasional miracle (or two) has happened.

When you make the decision to launch your own business and move from an office environment your world shrinks: no more coffee breaks, no more leaning against the fridge chatting about last night’s TV, its constant work and every moment is revenue earning, or biased towards generating revenue. If in the midst of the constant work a connection, that doesn’t involve a profit margin, evolves it’s incredibly special. I cherish the people I have met in the Wedding Industry who have become friends. Serving the public is demanding, challenging and sometimes emotional and that permeates through your computer and into your office. Support is vital. Twitter has become my virtual coffee machine and I’ve connected with some wonderful businesses, sorry "peeps", and it makes for some great office banter. I also consider myself lucky as I’ve also gotten to know some of my clients, who I now count as friends, I’ve heard about family upsets, people overcoming illnesses to travel to weddings and beyond that the ups and downs of family life as their lives have progressed. I’ve been sitting here plodding along, whilst my clients have been growing their lives. It’s been a wonderful experience.

Twice a year I connect with other businesses and meet my clients at the spring and autumn wedding shows. This is the first year, for many, many years that I haven’t experienced the chaos associated with shows and whilst I’m particularly sad to have missed both The National Wedding Show and Modern Bride that is taking place this weekend, I've also enjoyed having time off. Exhibitions have been critical, not just because they serve to grow our business, they also provide an opportunity to meet our clients, glean feedback on our work, and to connect with our friends in the Wedding Industry. I'm looking forward to being back with great gusto next year. Good luck for this weekend, if you are exhibiting at Modern Bride, if you are visiting please do let me know what you thought of the show. It's apparently going to be very good.

Talking of next year, there are some amazing plans bubbling away in Two by Two hq, we’ll let you know in good time and I’m particularly excited about our expansion plans...I’ll stop now before I upload the photographs and introduce you to the extended team. Next time I write the new office should be finished, the latest website revisions complete, and if I hurry up and finish my blog I’ll have time to run over to choose my skylights from Velux which means we may even have a roof in time for Christmas!

See you next month.

Superb. September.

2010-09-28T17:21:00.002+01:00

No mood board this month. No time for mood boards. I've got a studio to build!

My self employed life started in a shed at the bottom of my garden, when I lived in Surrey whaaay back in the early noughties. We ran out of room and "home" became a glass office on a business park in Hampshire. I never felt creative in that space; out of place in flipflops in a building full of patterned ties. In 2007 the building suffered an extreme flood and it wiped out...erm everything. I wondered if it was a sign.

Looking back on my shed with such fond memories I have often longed for the simplicity of a home studio; being able to draw late into the night without worrying about the walk to the car park. Being able to wander into a creative space on a saturday and having the luxury of being able to spend an hour on a project. Being creative is consuming and for me, having an office a bus / cab / train ride away was very restricting.

From a client perspective, inviting brides and grooms-to-be into your home makes work even more personable. I've missed that. In the early days I had a famous chef sitting at my kitchen table (before the shed even), whilst I apologised for the lack of studio and room, he said experiencing the start of someones dream was an exciting place to be. I worked for him once again in 2009 and he said my formal set up wasn't as much fun as the early days, he liked the glimpse into my home life.

Almost as soon as I left my shed, and most definitely since "floodgate", it has been my absolute dream to build an office at home and we've been searching for an appropriate home for over a year. In April we found our dream home, after months of waiting we moved in. 17th September was a glorious day. Now I am having my office built and I just cannot wait for the plaster to dry and my design life to have a new dimension.

Below is a photograph of my new view. I feel extremely lucky to be part of this landscape and you are most welcome to share this with me - I'm bringing our diy courses to my new studio (as soon as it's finished) and client appointments will be here, rather than in the production unit. Until then, from the yet to be unpacked boxes, and amidst the yet to be organised office, see you next month - I'll feature two glorious months work. Promise.

Time for a tea break!

N x x

August...

2010-09-01T15:04:00.000+01:00

Well, usually this time of year I'm on holiday, planning a holiday or just returned from a holiday. Not this year. We are waiting to move house...and waiting...and waiting. I had hoped Augusts blog would be written from the table in my new kitchen, and I'd be frantically sharing not just the progression of my wedding plans, but I hoped to share our moving stories, uh oh...no sireee.

So, instead I've been here in the studio creating new ideas and putting together our autumn portfolio. I am excited at the first orders we have already received. August is a strange month actually, sitting in summer clothes designing snowflake invites and penguin inspired pieces. It looks set to be a busy christmas, which is lovely; so many venues have brilliant christmas themes. I've always fancied a winter wedding; the thought of rolling up to the venue in a fur cape, England in winter would make for some gorgeous wedding pics. Ooooh I'm getting all inspired!

In terms of what's been going on in the studio, well, mainly a dark palette with ivory highlights and diamante detailing. There have been lots of bows this month and guest books, lots of lovely guest books. Eclectic, stylish and contemporary is how I would describe it.

In terms of the wedding industry, you can find us on twitter most days: www.twitter.com/twoxtwoweddings. It's a great resource for us and we have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know other wedding companies and potential clients. If you are getting married and have set up a twitter account, please do get in touch and we'll gladly follow you (and witter on at you!).

Right, well it's back to the studio and more snowflakes...enjoy September!
See you soon
N x

Jewel-July

2010-07-24T17:30:00.000+01:00

Hello, again

Are we really almost in August? Every month I remark on how quickly the year is speeding by and each month, when I sit in front of my laptop, I take time to reflect on the people I've met, the work that has been commissioned and the parts of my job that have inspired, challenged and made me laugh a lot.

It's been a very happy month here. Work has been steady, enjoyable and interesting. It's been an absolute pleasure to connect with so many of you who are getting married next year and in 2012. There a many different themes and subsequently I am developing some new ideas. Actually, this is a pretty intensive design time for me, so many unusual projects for clients and on a personal basis I've been busy checking the next revision of our website and reviewing the samples for our 2011 collections. I'm chucking out some current designs, as I consider the trends are well and truely done, and making way for the new work I have been sampling. Please do keep looking at the website for new work and do keep talking to me about your inspirations. It's really down to your input that I am able to provide such a varied portfolio and keep my work fresh.

In order to help you with your themes I've got a new section of the website going live. It's the colour inspire zone and at the bottom of this post you can see the visuals that are going online. We produce so much work in so many different colours that it's impossible to feature everything on the site, so the "colour inspire zone thingy", as it's become known in the office, serves to demonstrate what's possible.

Two by Two Express is still proving popular and I am enjoying the visuals you're sending through, keep 'em coming for our gallery. Thanks so much for taking the time to send your pics in.

So, looking back at July I see it's been very work oriented and not a lot of playtime. Although I did catch Shappi Khorsandi live and she was brilliant. I'm looking forward to the Summer exhibition of Winchester art club. This annual exhibition offers the chance for local artists, both amateur and professional, to exhibit a range of work from painting to sculpture, drawings to prints.

My mood board above shows some of the July commissions. All very neutral and natural this month; vanilla, latte, blush and beige featured strongly with animal prints, butterflies, grasses, fauna mixed with a bit of sparkle.

Have a great August. Over and out! Enjoy the colour board thingy's...
N x

Joyous June

2010-07-01T14:33:00.002+01:00

Here we are in June and I'm completing my second quarter statements...deep joy. I find all this admin very time consuming and I get a bit niggled how much time I devote to the behind the scenes running of my small business. I still remember how naive I was before all this; thinking my days would be spent idolising on my hammock and drawing in my studio. Hmmm. Lucky for me help arrived last month in the form of Mrs Blick. She's an angel sent from heaven and is my new accounts manager. She's brilliant, amazing and if you ever have the pleasure of dealing with her you will love her too.

So, having Hels aboard free's my time up to work on more proofs and I have noticed a little trend cropping up...fuschia and black. I noticed this combination creeping in last year, the year before I worked on many fushia inspired weddings and the year before that black was predominant. Now fuschia and black have met and make for a pretty unusual, utterly stunning combination. I've put a few pieces above for a little inspiration.

You'll notice Rob Ryan has crept into my story board this month. One of my clients loves and worships Mr Ryan and we were able to work together to create her stationery featuring his work. Do email me for more information if you would like the same for your wedding.

Other trends popping through: pattern, pattern, pattern...mainly bold, always contemporary. Gorgeous! I'm also getting different thank you card images and have noticed a lot of your photographers are uber organised with a "thank you" sign. Please see the lovely Chery and Stewart Easton, above. If your photographer doesn't have one of these beautifully scripted signs please do contact me and he can purchase one from us for £8.00 per A3 board, incl P+P.

Two by Two Express has been live for a while now and it's working well. A lot of very dedicated brides are creating some lovely pieces and I'd appreciate if you would send me some pics of your finished work for the gallery. Whilst we are on the subject of online stores; I'm currently chin deep in my greetings cards online store and finishing the products for this. I'll post a link once we are live and I hope you like my designs there as much as you seem to like my wedding work.

Well, over and out for this month. Looking forward to a busy July and August. Do get in touch if you need any stationery help or if you would like to find out more about our work.

Take care
Natalie

Marvelous May!

2010-06-02T09:14:00.000+01:00

May was...marvelous!

I always enjoy May, it's a busy old time for me in the studio. Having completed many invitation orders May is usually spent concentrating on "on the day" items. Namely orders of service, menu's, table settings and of course tableplans. Tableplans are great fun to do and capture the essence of a wedding. Our tableplans can be seen in glorious technicolour here. I have some of our recent pattern plans to upload and I promise to complete this over the course of the next few weeks.

One of the most interesting things I have gotten to grips with this month is Flickr. I have long wanted a library of images to show previous projects and colourways and Flickr seems to be serving this purpose. I've only uploaded 177 images and realised that I have about a million more to upload before I scratch the surface of the work I have completed...I am starting to realise I have been designing stationery for a long, long time.

Which brings me onto our anniversary. 21st May 2004 was my official start date of working full-time at Two by Two Weddings. I began my business in 2002 and accepted a small number of commissions during that year. I remember I was working full time and my objective with my business was to see if I 1) enjoyed it and 2) could fathom all the paperwork that seemed to accompany a business start up. I still really enjoy my work and as for the paperwork, well thankfully today I have some help!

So, what did I do on my 6th anniversary? I uploaded our new website and launched Two by Two Express to a "wider audience" (i.e. everyone!). The idea behind Two by Two Express is to provide a 2 tiered service for either couples in a hurry or for couples who want to express themselves. I'm selling a range of papers, cards, ribbons, embellishments and beyond. My aim is to assist you in being really creative. There are lots more products going online over the course of the next weeks so please check back. The link to Two by Two Express is here.

You'll notice too that Two by Two Weddings has had a little makeover. With so many designs I wanted to order them and I have organised my work into Classic, Boutique and Couture. Classic is my range of single cards that can be wrapped and ribboned, Boutique houses my signature designs and Couture is a range of hand drawn and embellished designs that have grown from individual commissions I have received.

Our sample store is still online and you can order a sample through this online or via fax / post. Full details are on the website and if I can assist please do email the studio hello@twobytwoweddings.com and I'll get back to you asap. If you see a design on Flickr that you would like to see please email me and I'll organise that for you.

May really was a marvelously creative month and having completed many weddings I'm waiting for the thank you card orders to come in. We specialise in photo thank you cards and I love this part of my job because I am able to see how my couples look. Having a mail order business is all very well but there's nothing quite like seeing your clients, I thoroughly enjoy this aspect. I'm also asked what I look like, here's a picture of me with gorgeous Milly and Poppy.

See you in June.

Natalie x x

Ahhh...oooooh April

2010-05-04T13:08:00.001+01:00

It's 4th May, I'm late with my blog. It's the bank holiday's fault, oh and actually, it's also the fault of Brides Magazine & You and Your Wedding Magazine who's websites have kept me utterly absorbed this month. I'm not making excuses about my lateness, I'd usually be on time, it's just I have recently entered the realms of "bride to be" and it is distracting, confusing, inspiring and surprisingly time consuming.

So, where do you start in planning a wedding? I guess you begin with some announcement cards (mine have yet to go out, sorry family and friends), some key people (I am having a best man!) and a location...this is where we faulter. I have been to many weddings over the years, in many different locations; the furthest being a beach in Koh Samui where the bride arrived on an elephant. Each wedding has been beautiful, different and inspirational.

We have discovered that a wedding is most definitely dictated by the venue. I used to think it was the flowers, the stationery, the colours; a combination of factors, now I think a lot of it is down to where you are. Every woman I know has seen Sex and the City and every woman I know remembers the "Carrie moment", it's the bit in the film where she stops in her tracks on the stairs of the library and decides that's her wedding. I was in that very Library this time last year and I remember thinking it was awesome.

Being in that library in New York last year made me think it must be difficult not to get drawn into having an enormous event where 200 of your closest friends (!) get so plastered they can't remember the colour of your chair ties or the route home. Stepping back seems a good plan: I know it will be next year, I hope my dearest friends and family will be there and I can't wait.

Being engaged has most definitely given me a fresh perspective on my work and what I am producing. I am noticing a wave of colourways. This month blue, purple and gold were extremely popular and it has allowed me to produce a whole host of work in gorgeous lavender & blue shades. I am in the process of putting our galleries on flikr for a bit of bridal inspiration and on my new website I have an inspire zone where I spotlight a few of my favourite colour schemes.

After I have written this blog (and had lunch) I am going to be putting up the "under construction" notice on my Two by Two Weddings website. I'm launching a new part to my business "Express". It's for 1) people in a hurry and 2) for those who want to have some fun expressing their creativity via their wedding stationery. We've been testing the products for months and I can sum it up as being "writeable, printable or makeable". I've thoroughly enjoyed seeing the site develop and there are some great products (says the bride to be!). We have to test a few links and tweak the odd bit of text and hopefully by the time you read this we might be almost ready to launch!

Meantime, if you are in London on May 18th do pop along to Bridal Tuesdays at Century Club, 61-63 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 6LQ. Bridal tuesdays are running: May 18, July 6, September 7, November 2 and will provide a great opportunity to meet some great wedding suppliers. I'm also continuing with my monthly articles at The Wedding Community, this month I'm covering save-the-date cards and hope to bring some new ideas forward. Other than that it's work-glorious-work and please find above some of the work we've completed this month: Vintage Lace remains popular, as do our Jo, Kitsy and Olivia ranges. Hopefully we can create something to inspire your wedding. For now I'm off to look at some (more!) venues and hopefully experience my Carrie moment...

See you next month.
N x

Marry Me March

2010-03-31T15:16:00.003+01:00

I've been following a few blogs of late and I must say, I don't know where people find the time to blog daily; here I am at the end of March wondering (yet again) where the month has gone and how do I fit it all into a few short paragraphs? I realise I seldom talk about my inspirations and I have mountains of notes to share on subjects ranging from save-the-date cards to 275 ways to use a monogram. I have also recently developed an interest in engagement announcements. Why? Well, yes, I am engaged...woop woop...pause to blush.

So, this months blog is the first of a series of engagement blogs, it begins our journey to the altar (and will follow my quest NOT to turn into a bridezilla!).

I met Jon in a Tapas bar in Basingstoke. I went to school in Basingstoke, years before (erm...25 years actually) and whilst our schools backed onto each other we never met. We went to the same roller disco when we were eleven, when I was at art college in the 80's I'd get my bananarama inspired perm done in the salon where one of his best mates worked. Aside from the amusing coincidences we never met, until 2008, and I have to say it's so absolutely true that "when-you-know-you-know".

It was an odd time to meet; I had just bought an utterly gorgeous pad aka "spinster heights". I'd been through a lot of moving during the years prior, I'd had a terrible time with a flood almost wiping out my business and after two disasterous dating experiences with a couple of, well utter idiots, I was filled with a sense that my fate involved just me, only me. I loved my new home, a renovated part of a hospital wing, and I'd actually gotten quite good at not minding the "oooh what's a nice girl like you being single" comments. Most of all I loved my wedding and baby businesses, I've never been envious, I just thought it might be quite nice to experience it for myself. Enter romance!

Months and months on, when Jon stated we would be going on a mini break in March and asked me to choose between Florence or Venice. I chose Florence. One of the things I'm most grateful for, in my job, are the opportunities I've had to travel, I have been on some amazing trips over the last couple of years and I knew Florence and I would get along great.

Florence is the most amazing City, utterly divine, uber chic. It's an absorbing, wonderful experience, I would recommend it a million times over (see below for my top 3). It's just fabulous. Jon proposed on 20th March just past 1 o'clock, on a balcony overlooking the city, on one knee holding the most beautiful ring I have seen. I said yes.

My 'fiance' designed my engagement ring, a labour of love that had taken months of work and research. The ring is a brilliant diamond set in a lotus flower setting. The lotus flower, in Indian mythology, represents birth and beauty. The lotus seed is buried beneath muck and murky waters and in time grows out above the water and blooms. Fairly symbolic I thought.

My inspiration board, above, shows a few favourite bits from my trip and is really the starting point for my wedding planning. That's me bottom right and bottom left is the man of my dreams. There are so many possibilities and I must say, despite my experience of weddings, I am fairly scared by all the planning and preparation...at least I have my invitations sorted (I'll be posting my engagement announcement on here, just as soon as it's complete).

Well, celebrations aside, it's work, work, work here and next months blog is already planned. I have a new part of my business launching after Easter: Two by Two Express, which houses some great new lines. Our website is currently being updated and the new version is going online mid-April. Plus, the online store is almost complete and you'll be able to buy everything from greetings to announcements online. Phew!

Meantime, here are my 'new bride to be' recommendations thus far:

My top 3 best bits of Florence:

Angels restaurant, gorgeous restaurant a short walk from The Duomo.

Pitti Gola Cantina, an absolute must. We went three times! Loved their wine list and their fantastic service. If you are having an Italian wedding they ship too. See the website for more details.

Palazzo Galletti, our stunning hotel. Each room is named after a planet in the solar system and is beautifully decorated.

Finally, closer to home, my beautiful ring was hand made by Parchment Jewellers in Winchester by a rather lovely man called David, who's also getting married this year. I'm set to do a blog on Parchment street over the next months, well worth a visit if you are planning a day out in the south.

Right, I'm off. See you next month.
Mrs Ryan-to-be!

Fantastic February...

2010-02-27T15:57:00.006Z

I am not sure where to begin my February blog! It has been one of the most satisfying months for me. I said goodbye to my 40 minute commute and bought my operation close to home. Suddenly, I live and work in Winchester and it's a great place to be. Being somewhere during the day is a very different experience to living life as a commuter. Additionally it is such a difference for me to work in a City and I have had a great time getting to know some lunchtime haunts. Winchester is bursting with galleries and attractions. It's the perfect place for inspiration and I have been very lucky this month in that I have been able to squeeze in some culture between clients. On a personal note my partner and I caught The Lady Vanishes at The Theatre Royal, I'm a huge Hitchcock fan and the performance was brilliant.

Studio life has been very busy (thank you!). January and February are always steady months in our studio and this year I have been fully booked for the first time in our history. Operations have expanded and our phone lines are now open 8.30am - 6.30pm monday to friday and saturday's from 9am - 2pm. I have retired from telephone duties! After 7 years of saying "Hello, Two by Two Weddings" I have hung up my headphones and I am now based exclusively in the studio. It's earily quiet in here and I have been able to achieve a spookily vast amount in a scarily short time. I always felt it was important, as the business owner, to be available on the phone 24/7 but recently the workload has increased, cold calls from the wierdest of places have become greater and it had become a challenge for me to handle the volume of calls. Hence I have capable hands on board and it's lovely.

So, onto achievments: FINALLY I am pleased to share that I am in the process of rolling out Two by Two Express. Two by Two Express was first shown at The Designer Wedding show in 2006 and offered writeable, printable, makeable stationery. It's always been available to purchase in our showroom and this month we have rolled it out to a wider audience and I am in the process of putting this collection online. Next months blog features it in glorious technicolour and if you are interested in an email when it goes on release please contact me at hello@twobytwoweddings.com.

This month I attended The National Wedding Show in my capacity as a wedding expert and was happy to answer your stationery queries. I also caught my work on Wedding TV; Wasing Park commissioned me to produce the stationery for their feature and it was such a thrill to see it in glorious technicolour.

My mood board this month is 100% wedding invitations and features a handful of this months orders. Neutrals, silvers, oranges, greens and blues featured heavily and patterns were so popular. Pattern is so versatile. If you are having accents of colours, rather than a strict colour scheme they are perfect.

The designs from top left clockwise: Rosa in ivory, Snowflake in white, Cecilia in spring green, Tromp l'oil in tapestry with orange pattern and orange with orange pattern, Rococco in silver and ecru, Tromp l'oil in champagne. The last image features our new 2010 designs: Lace bird, Bird with Fleur and Lace snowflake. These will be on the next release of our website which is going to happen next month. Please email us: hello@twobytwoweddings.com if you would like information on any of the styles.

Right, that's me for this month. Here I am working on a saturday, I like it: music on nice and loud, endless cups of tea and sense of satisfaction as I tick tasks off my list. Have a lovely March, speak to you when it's officially springtime!

Natalie

January...woosh!

2010-02-07T20:26:00.010Z

No sooner had our plane touched down from Dublin when the snow started falling. Again. January 2010 began with an inaccessible studio and our little team stranded miles appart. Eventually we managed to dig our way into the studio and on 14th January the first orders for 2010 were despatched. I say dig our way in, it was exactly that and once in it was very difficult to get out other than on foot. Thankfully as the snow melted normality returned and I was able to complete my January commitments and begin our working year with great gusto and enthusiasm.

I have been contributing to The Wedding Community for some months now and my January article covers "Handmade v homemade". I am very conscious that the profile of the brides I work with today are very different to the brides I worked with when I started. As my business has evolved so too have my clients wishes and today I find myself working with some very style conscious, creative and hands on brides. Personally I think it's a lovely idea to have such great input in your day and what amazing ideas. Our DIY workshops are a great way to discover the processes involved in making your own stationery, they have always been popular and great fun. We are fully subscribed until July and I'll release the autumn dates shortly.

January seemed to race by, ending with a studio move and a feeling that spring is around the corner. I caught a couple of great exhibitions: Louise Cattrell's astounding landscapes at The Discovery Centre, Winchester and The Christmas Exhibition at The Alresford Gallery. I was also introduced to Mawson & Company, one of the most popular and stylish salons in Winchester and I thoroughly recommend their Aveda treatments, gorgeous!

With spring just around the corner this months mood board shows a small sample of January's commissions: pinks, lavenders, lilacs and spring greens were big players. Styling centred around bows, crystals and thick, soft, textured boards. Our photographic ranges are high in demand and it's a delight to combine flora and fauna silhouttes and illustrations with such a personalised finish.

So, that was my January and as I type I am looking at my February diary squeezed full of gorgeous projects, invites and inspirations. Look forward to sharing in a few weeks. Meantime, happy valentines day!

Last month I...

2010-01-20T23:56:00.008Z

December was a brilliant month for me. I returned from my sisters wedding and a great Caribbean break, refreshed and revived and ready for our 10 day stint at The Winchester Christmas Market. The Market has run for many years and is stacked with wonderful must have Christmas gifts and goodies. Our Luvio shop sold our ranges of Christmas cards and greetings. I must say, I spend my whole time designing for who I think my customers are, it was pretty special sitting in a chalet for that time hearing reactions to my work!

Most of December was punctuated by SNOW (Will it ever end?!). It was pretty at first; building snowmen, drinking mulled wine, watching old films whilst the big, fat snowflakes fell. Then it became hazardous with the ice and then irritating not being able to travel. My boyfriend and I did escape off to Dublin for a fabulous family New Year and I got to meet my cousins little boy Tom for the first time. A gorgeous gurgling baby boy, very sweet. Other new additions to The O'Donovan clan included two Jack Russell pups who are utterly adorable. We managed to get to The Morrison, my favourite (after The Red Cow Moran of course!) Dublin hotel for drinks. Our visit was completed by it snowing in Dublin for the first time in a zillion years, we didn't mind and we stayed in cosy by the fire wittering away.

Before we left for Dublin I had a night with 2 more of my Irish cousins in the Sussex countryside watching 20 year old video's & playing charades. The video's were inspiring and I have decided to keep up the video tradition and I began that evening. When I watched my video's back my hand was shaking so much from laughing that I hadn't managed to capture anything except some strange coffee cup angled shots. Christmas and new year for me was a lovely, family oriented time and one of my new years resolutions is to steady my hand sufficiently to capture life in glorious digital-technicolour for us to watch in another 20 years.

The mood board above sums up my December; the work I completed, the people I worked for, the landscapes I experienced and the music I listened to. As I say, it was a brilliant month.

See you for January's update soon! Meantime, keep warm.

:-)

Snowed in!

2009-12-23T15:05:00.006Z

We spent the first part of this week snowed in! The ice has melted long enough for us to get the remaining parcels off and all that remains of this year are some admin and housekeeping tasks. What a great year it's been: lots of interesting and inspirational weddings and I realise how lucky I am to work in an industry that is always fresh and full of exciting clients. Long may it last.

2010 approaches and amongst my new years resolutions is a firm commitment to update my blog more regularly, and update my twitter. I think I shall spend less time twittering on about other people and more time talking about the projects I'm involved in. Let's see how it goes...

Meantime, happy Christmas and all the best for a wonderful 2010. Thanks to all of you who shopped with us during 2009 and hello to those who we'll meet in 2010!

All the best

Natalie

The National Wedding Show

2009-10-06T19:43:00.004+01:00

This weekend was THE National Wedding Show in Earls Court, London. What a show! We were thrilled with the response to our new ranges and are busy getting the samples requested out to those lovely people who visited our booth.

On our booth we ran a competition where we asked you to tell me why I should work on your stationery for free! The responses were just gorgeous and, needless to say, I am having a hard time picking a winner. I am going to announce the winner on my blog on monday...I need the weekend to mull it over. I am thinking of running the same competition on my website each month as it was so lovely hearing about your weddings. Some of you have waited so long to get "hitched"...I shan't worry anymore!

It was also lovely to see Polly Atkinson from Brides Magazine. Brides magazine were running clinics on their stand to cover the main elements of your day, offering advice to Brides and Grooms. What a great idea. Other highlights of the show were: being interviewed for Brides tv, seeing Lester Getty from No Ten http://www.noten.co.uk/, seeing the amazing Lawrence Lewelyn Bowen stand and the lovely people from Reportage Weddings http://www.thereportagecompany.co.uk/ and finally the gorgeous bouquet from Robin Honey http://www.robbiehoney.com/ that I carefully carried home. It's currently filling our house!

Here are a couple of shots of our stand...

Looking forward to working with you all soon.
Natalie x

This month we're in...

2009-09-24T15:50:00.007+01:00

It's always a delight browsing the wedding mag's for "real life" weddings, better still when the pages feature couples we have worked closely with and who have chosen our stationery for their occasion. Hence we were absolutely enchanted by the photographs of Rob and Emily that appeared in this months Wedding Venues and Services magazine.

The wedding took place in Hartley Witney, with the reception at The Elvetham. A truely stunning location. Emily chose our Sophia tromp l'oil design, in pink, and used their entwined monogram throughout their stationery. Everything was printed on "sparkle" board giving extra shimmer. Gorgeous...

As seen in Wedding Venues & Services, available at all good newsagents.

This month we are featured in Brides magazine in the "Wild in White" story. It's always a joy to see Polly's fantastic shoots, that girl has such style! Also great to feature next to our dear friend Antonio Scribe who created many of the pieces in the shoot. Brides is the UK's no 1 best-selling bridal magazine and can be picked up at all newsagents, and at The National Wedding Show.

Well, enough witterings. We are getting set for The National Wedding Show, it starts next week and our stand is H02 - at the front of the hall. Our glorious new ranges will be on show and you'll be able to pick up a copy of our e-catalogue and see many of the products about to launch in our online store.

See you then! Happy planning.

Natalie x

www.luviodesign.com

2009-09-12T08:09:00.003+01:00

We're off to Top Drawer, a trade show at London Olympia to show our new lines of greetings cards. Luvio, www.luviodesign.com houses our ranges of cards, notes, christmas packs. Our website is now live...enjoy!

Gorgeous!

2009-08-22T11:28:00.004+01:00

This morning I am at my desk editing the pictures for our greetings card brochure and website. We have our autumn trade show, Top Drawer, coming up in a few weeks and as I am off on my holidays next week everything has to be finished for wednesday. Hence the saturday morning at my desk.

The picture here is from the "gorgeous" range. It's a fun and quirky range that features mirrors. The idea being the recipient opens the card, see's a reflection in the mirror and voila, smile of the day. This is my favourite..."my baby is delicious" - great for valentines day.

More on our greetings cards September when the new site goes live.

Have a great weekend.

Flower Fabulous

2009-08-13T14:47:00.007+01:00

Orange & yellow notecards.

Pinks...orchid, gerbera & peony.

Deckle edge peony "new home"with diamate detail.

Best known for our glorious floral images I have been working on a new project, flower fabulous. I wanted to house my favourite flower images in one place. I guess it pretty much does what it says on the tin...fabulous flowers!

The new website is due to go live in September and features ranges of wedding stationery, greetings cards, thank you cards, notes and christmas cards. What's great about the website is that it automatically links into our online store, so you can shop for your favourite fabulous flowers online, by post or by phone. Don't buy your xmas cards just yet, I have some gorgeous holly inspired cards you'll love!

Email natalie@twobytwoweddings.com for more info.

See you soon.

Follow twoxtwoweddings on twitter!

2009-07-23T10:04:00.003+01:00

We love to twitter! Follow us to see what we are up to and save 10% on your order...links to our twitter profile are to the right of this posting. x x x

It's all about brights!

2009-07-22T20:24:00.007+01:00

Brights, brights, brights. It's all about brights!

I just love these invitations from our gorgeous Camilla range. Available as a single card, a mounted ribboned card or a card with it's own pocketfold wallet, the options are endless!

Do contact me for more information.

The new website cometh!

2009-06-25T22:58:00.002+01:00

It's late. We have just finished testing our new website. A couple of tweaks and we'll be on schedule for mondays launch. Which means the blog will become a regular activity. I am looking forward to putting all these wonderful items and pieces of interest I've collected over the last months on the blog.

Did anyone catch the hat exhibition at the V+A recently? There was a lovely fixture in the middle of the room. It looked so much like my old studio - the shed at the bottom of the garden. It was stuffed full of gorgeous bits of inspiration collected and stored in boxes and pinned on boards. It was lovely, the friend I was with commented I could put my bag in the cloakroom and easily work a shift there. It really did take me back.

Well, just a quick note to check this keyboard still works after such a time away!
Good night. See you monday with the new site :-)

Natalie

No blogs for a bit!

2009-04-17T13:48:00.002+01:00

I am not sure why, when there is a credit crunch on, that I seem to have less time than usual and I have let my blogging responsibilities slip. Apologies! I have an "in tray" overflowing with new work, new findings and inspiration. But, before I can dedicate an afternoon to scanning, chatting, pondering and uploading I have a number of tasks to complete. Firstly. Our new website.

It's set to go live in the course of the next month or two. It's exciting, wonderful, full of new ideas and will change the way we work making it easier and quicker to shop with us. Given that I'll have my nose to the web-grindstone for a bit I'm signing off my blog for the next weeks.

Enjoy the spring, and catch up with you soon.

Natalie

2009!

2009-03-02T17:49:00.013Z

Hello,

Our year began with a launch of our new greetings card range at Spring Fair in Birmingham. I was lucky enough to be sitting alongside some very established and altogether inspiring companies and had a throughly enjoyable show. Despite the snow we managed to take our first orders and I am thrilled that our product is already in stores. You will be able to buy online soon our wonderful range of cards, notes and albums.

Me at Spring fair, Birmingham 2009

The week before last saw our spring Designer wedding show which was its usual delight. It is such a civilized affair and always a pleasure to hear about your weddings and plans. Samples began to go out last week, very exciting!

Designer wedding show - summer brights proved very popular!

The busy start to 2009 continues with a new project I have been involved with going live. I have been working with the team at www.flowercard.co.uk to design some cards for their truely amazing and very innovative product. I'm mentioning this here as it is a great alternative to a traditional thank you card: visit www.flowercard.co.uk, shop online or request a brochure. Here are two of the designs that I have collaborated on...

Visit http://www.flowercard.co.uk/ for more information, or to request a catalogue.

Natalie

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-23T15:23:00.002Z

Hello,

Christmas is almost upon us, and this will be my last blog of 2008. I'm heading off for a much needed break and looking forward to an exciting 2009. I hope it's as amazing as 2008 has been.

Our opening hours are below, I expect most of you are working too and saving your holiday up for your honeymoon? Email me if you're bored and we'll chat about your wedding. I'll be in the studio between xmas and new year. I'm in the process of testing out our new website, which is due for completion at the end of January. It's so exciting merchandising our ranges and we've been busy creating some fabulous new products. I'll let you know when we're live.

Meantime, thank you for all the good wishes, compliments and general feedback we've had during 2008. It's been a wonderful year, your wedding ideas continue to inspire!

Happy christmas one and all and we'll catch up in 2009.

Natalie x

Our christmas opening hours:
Closed: 24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 28th December
Open: 29 / 30 / 31 December / 2nd January 10.30 am - 4pm
Back to normal on 5th January 9am - 5pm.

Fantastic christmas offer!

2008-12-04T13:08:00.003Z

The Reportage Portrait company has a fun and exciting style of photography. They aim to capture beautiful natural photographs of you and your family.

A lifestyle shoot with reportage is a world away from a studio-based session and takes place on location or at your home. Natural light creates relaxed and spontaneous portraits resulting in unique images that you will be proud to display in your home.

To celebrate Christmas the cost of a photo shoot is £45 (usually £85!!), which includes a 10"x8" colour or black-and-white framed print (usual print price £145). What a fantastic grandparents gift, or a fabulous way of doing something really special this christmas.

The website (click here)has all the information you need.

And for really stunning wedding photo's visit their partner site (click here)

Enjoy!

For more information, please get in touch on

01992 501180

or email enquiries@reportageportraits.co.uk.

Two things to write about!

2008-11-19T11:55:00.011Z

Firstly, we're celebrating the launch of a new wedding directory: www.wedding-directory-uk.com . The Wedding Directory UK provides all the wedding services you could possibly need to plan your day, and details all the services and goods you could possibly require for an unforgettable wedding. From venue to dress to hair and make-up; transport and invitations to catering and decoration. Our other favourite stationer is featured: Paul Antonio Scribe, but I won't chat about him just now as I'll be covering him in my blog soon.

So, onto the second subject I wanted to cover today. The directory is sponsored by Niemierko wedding planners. Niemierko is the wedding and event planning company of choice for savvy and stylish clients. Founded by Mark Niemierko, who has over 5 years experience within the Wedding Industry, Niemierko specialise in weddings, civil partnerships and other social events such as baby showers, birthdays and anniversary parties.

I just adore Marks work, the style of his weddings are just beautiful. Just take a look at these next shots...pure inspiration!

You can see more of Mark at:www.niemierko.com
email: hello@niemierko.com Or telephone: 020 7580 5010

Chocolate Wedding Cakes!

2008-11-12T13:23:00.008Z

When it's miserable outside I thoroughly recommend you focus on something heart-warming, irresistible and charming. Chocolate. That'll do it every time! I have devoted many sunday afternoon's to making Nigella Lawson's chocolate cake for it to be eaten in a matter of minutes by passing friends and relatives. No surprise, given my hobby, that when I met the amazing Purita Hyam at The National Wedding show in 2004 that my love of her work was instant. I hasten to add it wasn't just because Purita specialises in chocolate wedding cakes, the combination of delicious flavours and stunning fresh flowers was inspirational.

I have watched her range of cakes grow and develop in line with wedding style trends and inspirations. My current favourite style is her "chocolate pot" (see pic above): individual hand-made boxes beautifully decorated with orchids, strawberries or chocolate beans, displayed on a perspex cake stand. Guaranteed to add impact to any wedding celebration.

Purita's company www.chocolateweddingcakes.co.uk offers "Chocolate Sacher Torte", which (over many years of tasting!) I have learned is a cooked dark chocolate cake with a rich, moist texture, and a slightly nutty bite.

Purita's cakes are individually handmade with around 5kgs of Belgian chocolate. All her chocolate cakes are gluten free and she can also offer a delicious carrot cake as an alternative.

Her site has a comprehensive gallery of delicious cakes, you can see cakes decorated with the finest white or dark chocolate. They are mouth watering!

Purita can be contacted on: 01403 891518 or by email: purita@chocolateweddingcakes.co.uk. Enjoy!!

Real Wedding - Caroline & Julio

2008-10-31T16:29:00.007Z

Caroline & Julio were married at Cannizaro House. Which is an amazing venue in Wimbledon, London, UK. Cannizaro House offers a diverse and romantic choice of spaces and is a stunning space allowing your imagination to soar.

In terms of their wedding stationery, Caroline & Julio chose our Sophia, tromp l'oil design in Champagne with honey ribbon and gold contrasting text, printed on an embossed shimmer board. Caroline designed her "on the day" items to match and the couple chose menu's with Champagne tromp l'oil detail. The place settings featured their entwined monogram and the table plan completed the ensemble with the pattern detailing, set with honey ribbons.

Congratulations to both Caroline & Julio!

The menu and place settings featured the tromp l'oil patten
and were set with the couples monogram.

The tableplan, set with tromp l'oil patten.

Congratulations!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

2008-10-24T08:34:00.004+01:00

Our thank you cards are a great way of sending your guest a visual memory of your wedding day. During November and December you can email us and we'll send you a promotion voucher. The voucher entitles you to a £1.00 per card discount and is valid until August 2009. Our list price for the photo finish cards is £2.50, with the voucher you can buy the cards for just £1.50 per card. The price includes VAT, envelopes and mocking up your proof.

If you would like a Thank you card sample pack please email me: natalie@twobytwoweddings.com and I'll pop one in the post. Thanks!

Homage to Sophia!

2008-10-21T12:28:00.011+01:00

Today I'm paying homage to our lovely "Sophia" design. Sophia is a gatefold card, fastened with a satin or organza ribbon and available in two sizes: large (A4) folded and medium (1/2 A4). As Sophia has been designed with a range of finishing options it's a wonderful design created to ehance, or even set, the mood of your day.

My favourite finishes are the "tromp l'oil" pattern. A lovely pattern printed onto embossed or taffeta boards, the colour can match your wedding colours, or echo a pallette. We have printed this design in a range of colours, from Fushia pink through to champagne gold, mocca and even black.

If you would prefer a more subtle finish a watermarked image on the inside of the card creates a lovely surprise for your guests, once the ribbon is untied and the inside revealed. Or, if you understated elegance is more your style the neutral card with ivory ribbon is perfect. For further information on our Sophia design please click here . Meantime, here are some images of the Sophia's we have created...

Silver ribbon with photo printed on outside

Pink ribbon with gold and black text, on white board

Watermarked rose printed on white board

Gold ribbon with gold and black text, on white board

Giraffe print on white board

A lifetime of letters - The Zapfs turn 90!

2008-10-20T12:28:00.006+01:00

This year celebrates the 90th birthdays of Gudrun Zapf-von Hesse and Herman Zapf. They have dedicated their lives to design and have made invaluable contributions to the world of typography. Both born in 1918 in Germany, the Zapfs are one of the most productive working couples in design. Their long careers have involved nearly every method of making type, hand-crafted calligraphy, book binding, and graphic design.

The Zapf font is an incredibly popular font, often viewed as a contemporary font in modern graphic design. It features exuberant hyper-flourishes, elegant small caps, dozens of ornaments, more alternates and ligatures, index characters, and a very useful bold version-named Zapfino Forte. It remains one of our most popular fonts.

You can find out more information about Gudrun by clicking here, and you can read a personal message from Zapf by clicking here. All that remains to say is...

Wedding Matters

2008-10-17T11:13:00.014+01:00

Today I'm showcasing the work of Wedding Matters - a National Wedding Company specialising in helping busy couples save time, stress and money creating unique weddings.

Wedding Matters is run by Samm Riley who has worked in Hospitality and Event Management for fifteen years. She has extensive experience producing and managing sophisticated weddings with the Crème de la Crème of award winning UK wedding suppliers (that's us!). She contributes regularly within the media as a recognised and respected industry expert. Here are some of the weddings Samm and I have worked on together.

To contact Samm Riley @ Wedding Matters :

Telephone: 01752 605032 Email: contactus@wedding-matters.co.uk

Website: www.wedding-matters.co.uk

New ranges for 2008 and 2009

2008-10-16T15:12:00.009+01:00

This year our new ranges are designed to take your pockets into consideration.

As the designer at Two by Two it has always been crucial that I offer a product that is not only beautiful, but reasonably priced. It's my objective to produce an invite that you will treasure without completely blowing your budget.

Brides often ask, when they are carrying out initial wedding research, why the cost of stationery varies so much supplier-to-supplier. I'll post a blog covering the different print options at a later date, but basically it depends how your order is manufactured and who is manufacturing it. We invested in a production unit when we started out. This enables us to offer a high-quality product at a competitive price. In addition, our turnaround times are quick because we aren't relying on someone else to print and finish your order.

In terms of this years season, I've designed well priced stationery that still has the beautiful and eclectic "Two by Two Weddings" feel about them, with some really wonderful finishing. I hope you love the new ranges which will gradually creep onto the website over the next weeks (you can preview some of the designs in the "NEW" section of our website). These are the most exciting projects we've been working on for ages and I can't wait for you to see them!

Our new website goes live in November and you'll be able to see our new ranges, plus our "artroom" section. Meantime here's a couple of my favourites...

Heart in the sand mantle card, printed on textured watercolour board.

Vintage lace mantle card, printed on ivory with ivory ribbon.

"Sophia" with watermarked vintage rose and ivory ribbon.

Designer Wedding Show

2008-10-15T15:40:00.001+01:00

We're just back from exhibiting at The Designer Wedding Show in Battersea. Here's a picture of our "disco glitterball" stand. We showcased our new designs ahead of the launch of our new website (which is scheduled for release 1st Nov).

Also at the show were some inspiring stands - below is Paula Pryke's pink and red table - and some inspiring brands. We love Candy Anthony's 50's and 60's inspired dresses, and Mason Photography's style. We especially loved Peyton events on the Fulham Palace stand for the gorgeous Peyton and Byrne cakes they gave us each night. Delicious!

We were also visited by lots of journalists, and it was lovely to see Vanessa from You and Your Wedding, Amanda Hinton from Wedding Venues, plus we finally got to meet Cat Jenkins, Managing editor of Aspirational Weddings magazine a glorious coffee table publication (we have a couple of copies in our studio if you are visiting us. Vanessa, from You and Your Wedding has a pretty inspiration blog, full of tips, trends and ideas.

Real Weddings - Jackie & Martin

2008-08-01T10:45:00.001+01:00

A couple of pics from Jackie & Sam Ames wedding last year.

Jackie chose our "Lily" design with a black & white rose image, claret satin ribbons set on ivory board. For more information on the Lily design please visit "main range" on our website.

Jackie & Sam on their wedding day.

The Lily mounted wedding invitation.

Monogrammed place setting.

Mounted menu

The tables.

Photography is by Kim Durdant-Hollamby
www.theimagefile.com

We have moved!

2008-07-23T17:28:00.000+01:00

Earlier this month we moved into our new studio on the Enterprise Hub at New Greenham Park. The space is a working design studio that houses our entire collection of wedding stationery. Alongside our wedding stationery ranges are our ranges for Little One Cards (www.littleonecards.com), greeting cards, thank you and save the date ranges. We also have guest books, favours, ribbons, keepsake boxes and gifts for you to browse.

We are open during the week as follows:
Mon 12 - 6pm
Tues, Weds & Thurs 10 - 6pm
Fri 10 - 5pm
** Saturday visits are by appointment only and Saturday opening hours vary, depending upon if we're attending shows or setting up a wedding etc.**

How to find us:
Two by Two Weddings
Unit 3, Galaxy House
The Enterprise Hub
New Greenham Park
Berkshire RG19 6HW

0845 388 6946
hello@twobytwoweddings.com

About the site
New Greenham Park is a 150-acre development located close to the A34 trunk road and the M4 and M3 motorways. The Park owners have been granted The Queens Award for Enterprise: Sustainable Development 2008. For further information on the site please visit www.new-greenham-park.co.uk

Groomzillas wanted!

2008-06-27T12:37:00.000+01:00

You've heard of Bridezillas - the women who go crazy getting every aspect of their weddings 100% perfect? Well now there are Groomzillas! And a top-selling women's magazine is looking to interview some! So are you a man who's super fussy about his wedding flowers?

Is your husband/fiance going gaga the wedding breakfast and the DJ? And spending hours/weeks/years planning the festivities/his outfit? Is he forcing his best man to hit the gym? Or painstakingly creating his own invitations? Do you know a man who's mad about *every* tiny detail of his big day? If so, please get in touch as soon as possible! Case studies need to be 41 or younger, and be happy to be interviewed and photographed for a magazine.

Email carolinebenjamin2001@hotmail.com, or call 020 7520 6413 asap if you can help!

This years Charity announced!

2008-05-30T16:37:00.000+01:00

One thing I’m known to witter on in the office about is the subject of recycling. I’ve always tried to minimise our carbon footprint as much as possible, and consider the materials we use to manufacture, preferring recycled or sustainable sources and bio-degradable packing. Every week our paper, ribbon off cuts, along with various bits such as empty ribbon wheels go off to the art department at the local school. I occasionally receive the odd hedgehog, or other animal, made entirely from off-cuts. It’s great fun. In addition, each year, we also try to donate a percentage of our profits to a charity that has particular significance to me.

This year I have chosen to make a contribution to St Michaels Hospice, Basingstoke (www.stmichaelshospice.org.uk). I have chosen this charity in memory and in honour of the beautiful and amazing Mrs Jacqueline Anne Cull who was recently cared for at St Michaels. So, this year’s donation is in memory of a fabulous lady: Jackie Cull 11/06/70 – 20/04/08, with love x x x.

Keeping to the subject of charities, lots of our clients are marking the occasion of their wedding by donating to a particular charity. It’s a lovely way to mark your day and acknowledge an organisation that has given you support or inspiration in the past. If you are interested in setting up a charity gift list The Alternative Wedding List and Give in Celebration are great starting points.
http://www.thealternativeweddinglist.co.uk
http://www.giveincelebration.org.uk/

Plenty of couples are choosing to ditch table favours and instead make a charitable donation. If you are considering this option, and you’ve placed an order with us, we’ll print the table tags free of charge. The tags say:

“We have made a donation to [name] charity, on your behalf, in place of a favour,
[Bride & Grooms names + date]”.

Please do email us for more details.

Natalie

April...no showers!

2008-04-29T22:13:00.000+01:00

Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I've been rubbish at my blog these last weeks, I am appalled to see my last entry was in February. I blame those ever so efficient people at Foxglove for making The Designer Wedding Show so busy that we've been devoting our time to new clients, and undertaking the new projects we have on the go. Pictures soon!

I must confess, I have managed to avoid the April showers and snuck off for a little holiday. Not all play, I hasten to add, part work. My friends Billy & Nicole were married at Thai House Resort in Koh Samui...and yes, I was asked to design their invitations. It was a lovely experience producing something so personal, and then jetting off to share their day. I would thoroughly recommend "getting married abroad", it was such great fun and I have some wonderful memories of our time there.

So, lots happening here over the next few weeks. After testing our online store these last weeks, I'm pleased to report knickers and lollipops are proving most popular! We've got lots of new products scheduled to go on soon, and our store-beta-version will be uploaded soon. Not forgetting our new limited edition, it's going live in August, however you can email me for a preview if you just can't wait until then!

Well, this is intended to be a quick blog just to say hello and to show you one of my favourite pictures of our wedding in Thailand...Nicole chose a rather unusual mode of transport to get her to the altar!

Win tickets to the Designer Wedding Show!

2008-02-08T07:53:00.000Z

Next week we're exhibiting at The Designer Wedding Show in Battersea, and we have two tickets to give away! If you would like the tickets please drop me an email natalie@twobytwoweddings.com and we'll enter you into our prize draw. The winners will be announced next wednesday (13th Feb), and you can collect your tickets on the door at the show. The tickets are valid for either friday, saturday or sunday.

The show runs from friday 15th - sunday17th and you can find out more by visiting www.designerweddingshow.co.uk. We're on stand 222, next to the champagne bar.

Good luck and see you there!

Natalie

Wrapit Award Ceremony

2008-01-31T17:50:00.000Z

2008 shall be most remembered for the moment Pepita Diamand, founder of Wrapit (www.wrapit.co.uk), announced Two by Two Weddings as a national finalist in the 2008 Wrapit awards (www.wrapitawards.co.uk).

I started Two by Two, all those years ago, because I loved design and cherished the idea that maybe people would like my work enough to commission me to play a part in an important occasion. I remember being inspired by a verse from a petshop boys’ song “Being Boring”:

'I came across a cache of old photos,

and invitations to teenage parties.

“Dress in white,” one said with quotations

from someone’s wife,

a famous writer

in the nineteen-twenties. '

I’ve always kept items that have interested me, which is why I have an affinity with the vision of that song, and why I’ve collected mementoes as inspiration. As a designer, to have the facility to delve into a sketch book or a box crammed full colours, textures and stylish bits of loveliness is crucial; it keeps the mind working and the ideas fresh.

In the context of Two by Two Weddings, it’s the ability to be able to use my skills, coupled with the idea that I could produce a keepsake that would be buried in a box, alongside other mementoes that mark a life…a lock of hair from a newborn…an anniversary card...a postcard from a holiday…a wedding invitation. It’s a lovely concept, and an important role.

Last night was praise indeed, and as I type I truly know all the years of working so hard; the late nights, working weekends, few holidays, have been worth it - even driving to Manchester to rescue a table plan that was caught on a conveyor belt was fun. That my ever amazing client base has liked my work so much to comment so positively has given me an immense sense of achievement, and made me rather proud. For amongst the hundreds of wedding companies, all wholeheartedly committed to creating a perfect day, a wonderful memory, well, it’s nice to know that we have been recognized as being special.

Last week a lovely girl, Colleen, came to visit us. We were recommended to her by John and Claire whose wedding we had worked on. It took me a moment to place them, because they were one of my first clients. It took me right back to the beginning, when I would spend my weekends traipsing around the local wedding shows, getting to know my market, testing the product seeing if it was viable, possible, achievable. At that time I was a design consultant with a demanding full-time job and just a kitchen table to work at. I so remember the routine of leaving to get on the M25 for 7am to work a full day, coming home to work through the night. Most of my weekends were devoted to meeting clients and trying to get established. It was grueling, but it enabled me to progress Two by Two Weddings. The Wrapit awards have made me reflect on the last few years, and I conclude I would do it all again, without hesitation, because it has been an amazing opportunity and to be a national finalist in the awards, well it's wonderful.

Thank you so much.

Natalie x

Our beautiful commemorative plate!

2007-12-27T13:57:00.001Z

We're absolutely thrilled to be on the Wrapit awards shortlist for the 2008 awards.
I'd like to thank you for your positive feedback and great comments. It really was
the best christmas gift!

We're back to work on 2nd January, and look forward to a happy and prosperous
new year. Wishing you all a very happy new year!

Natalie x

Happy Christmas

2007-12-13T13:39:00.000Z

After four wedding shows, one baby show, twenty seven press articles, twenty five working weekends, one flood, one sense of humour failure, hundreds of sample packs, a shopping cart, a dozen patient clients who didn’t mind us taking a it more time than usual to deliver (see flood..!), one new business launch, an incredibly tolerant mother, a great team spirit, loads of laughs…and even more laughs, we’ve survived 2007 (and getting quite fond of the hole in the roof). THANK YOU all, even the fantastically annoying customers (mostly related to me), it’s been amazing.

Wishing you all the best for a wonderful christmas and a prosperous new year.

Natalie
x

p.s. Xmas opening hours: Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day & New Years Day.

Wrapit awards...Voting closes tomorrow!

2007-11-22T19:19:00.000Z

We've entered this years Wrapit awards.

THANK YOU in advance to all who allowed their view of our company to strengthen our entry. Our fingers, toes and eyelashes are crossed that we are nominated.

To be entered into it is a fun experience, and an opportunity to monitor the way we handle our clients. Which, we believe is pretty good - even WITH our appaling flood as experienced in June of this year.

Friday is the last day for voting, with the nominations announced in December.

We'll keep you posted, or visit the website: http://www.wrapitawards.co.uk/ for more information.

Thank you!

Natalie

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T12:06:00.000Z

Hello,

Another weekend…another show!

I’ve just returned from 3 days at The Designer Wedding Show. A thoroughly enjoyable show which is held twice each year in Battersea, and run by those wonderful people at Foxglove Events. I thoroughly enjoyed the event; I cannot recommend it enough, both from an exhibitor perspective, and also as a bride or groom to be. I am not sure any other event will offer you such individuality, quality and superior service. Two by Two Weddings have exhibited at The Designer Wedding show since it started, and as usual this year I was kept very busy talking about amazing weddings, themes and venues, and I have returned thoroughly inspired!

The Designer Wedding Show draws our 2007 shows to a close, and gives me a bit of time to reflect upon the people who have commissioned our company to design their wedding stationery. I still adore Jo and Matt’s sepia photo inspired wedding, and it was a privilege to have Damian Bailey, winner of the Wrapit Wedding Industry awards, photograph our work http://www.damianbailey.com/ .

Images copyright Damian Bailey Photography

I’ll be posting even more photographs that have so kindly been sent to me. It’s wonderful to be able to provide a bit of inspiration to our forthcoming brides, and also to pay tribute to those who have worked with us…especially this year as we recovered from the June flood (on a separate note I’m so excited about next weeks office refit…back to normal at last!!)!

Our next show in London is February 2008, and then we are off to New York to show our USA friends what we are made of. Meantime, you are most welcome to make an appointment to view our collections at our studio, which is currently in Basingstoke…there are plans to move location next June, nothing is signed as yet, but I’m so excited. On that note I have to go, before I tell!

Lovely to meet you all at the shows, and I look forward to hearing even more about your wedding plans over the next weeks, months (and in one case 2 x years!).

Happy Halloween!
Natalie

Postal strike by Royal Mail

2007-10-12T15:17:00.000+01:00

I sincerely hope that your wedding plans aren't too badly affected by the current industrial action by Royal Mail. If you're sitting waiting for the post each day, we sympathise.

Sadly, it seems there's even more strike action ahead, begining on monday 15th and ending on friday 19th. You can read all about it (if you really want to!) by clicking the following link:
http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/content1?catId=1000002&mediaId=51600692

Naturally, as a mail order company we have a plan, which we hope will bring a seamless service to you.

If you have previously placed a sample request with us your sample has been despatched. This relates to requests made at The National Wedding show in person, by email, phone or post up to 10th October. Please do let us know when you receive your pack. We're running a book in the office to see who's pack takes the longest, let us know as there's a prize!

From monday we are operating slightly differently, as follows:

Paid for sample packs @ £5.00 and over are being sent by next day courier. We will contact you for your daytime address, because we will require a signature upon delivery.

Placed orders will be handled as follows:
1. Your proofs will be emailed to you, and any amends will be emailed to you.
2. A hard copy (if required) will be sent by next day courier.

ALL orders are being handled by our courier who are operating a next day service.

If you would like further information please don't hesitate to contact Natalie, Louisa, Jocelyn or Heather on 01256 355796 or alternatively please do email us!

Good luck, and lets hope the action ends soon!
Natalie

Back safely from The National Wedding Show!

2007-10-06T13:07:00.000+01:00

Having just completed three days at Earl’s Court, for The National Wedding Show, here I sit on a desk that is once again covered in wonderful bits of inspiration. Whilst it’s fairly chaotic right now in our little office (hence why I am typing on a Saturday!), it’s also very exciting. Many heartfelt thanks to all who have placed orders as a result of seeing our work at the show, needless to say we are so looking forward to working on your commissions, and sharing in the amazing event that is your wedding.

Thank you too, for the feedback on our new stationery ranges, and of course our giftware line – I am amused that we sold out of lollipops, and I am secretly very pleased that orange seems to be the colour of the season, as I have a lot of new work to showcase at our next show which features bold bright colours.

Aside from a great National Wedding Show the other wonderful news, from our perspective is, post-flooding; we’re back in our studio, and almost 100% recovered! Horray! I remain grateful to our friends upstairs who managed to ‘acquire’ us a ceiling to enable us to get back in without too much fuss. The refurbishment completes on 10th November when our showroom will once again open for visitors…and we look forward to welcoming you in. Should you need to see us ahead of that time we are “at home” so to speak, but with a few boxes dotted about. Noone’s minded too much so far.

So, things for Two by Two, ahead of our refurb are pretty busy. We are currently completing our online store and it is scheduled to go online at the end of November. Meantime, we’re still ‘on the road’ and our next wedding show is The Designer Wedding show, which is in Battersea 26th – 28th October. We are thoroughly looking forward to seeing our fellow exhibitors once again, and to draping ourselves across the elegant furniture that makes for an eclectic and beautifully styled event. Ahead of the show we are attending The Baby Show at Earls Court, with our Little One Cards range. Don’t forget - a client who’s weddings we looked after who order through Little One Cards continue to qualify for a 10% discount!

Finally, I’ll leave you with the names of the couple who have won our free pair of tickets to The Designer Wedding Show – Sue and Fiona Shepherd, mum and daughter from Essex. Looking forward to seeing you, there’s a glass of champagne on our stand for you.

Take care

Natalie

Design Courses at Two by Two Weddings

2007-08-30T16:50:00.001+01:00

Weddings have moved on since the days of calling in the professionals to do everything. Many brides take great pleasure in choosing, deciding and even making their wedding stationery, and wrapping up small tokens for guests to take home is an imaginative and wonderfully memorable experience.

Two by Two Weddings have designed two essential courses to assist in the design, planning and making of your wedding stationery and guest favours.

Courses are held at our Hampshire studio, we ask attendees to arrive for coffee and introductions at 10.00am, with the session starting at 10.30am through to 4.30pm, with a break for lunch.

Each attendee receives a certificate, a ‘goodie bag’ and a list of suppliers. Morning coffee, a champagne lunch and all materials are included in the cost.

Each course costs £80.00 including VAT.
Numbers are limited and early booking is strongly recommended.

There are two courses to choose:

Course ONE - Design: My Wedding Day and Course TWO - Easy Handmade Wedding Stationery.

Course ONE: Design: My Wedding Day

This course shows how imaginative ideas, elegant details and finishing touches can make your wedding stationery remarkably stylish and wonderfully memorable. You’ll find ideas for everything from deciding on your theme, choosing paper, colours, elements and components for your stationery. You’ll explore inspirations and techniques for making your invitations, dressing the table for the wedding feast, and you’ll see how simple wrapping can transform humble but thoughtful wedding favours into desirable packages. Every taste is catered for from the coolly contemporary to the steadfastly traditional, you will find ideas that appeal and are sure to be inspired.

The course is divided into four main areas:

Design - we look at the basic yet essential elements of stationery design: format, size, finishing, distinguishing details, enclosures, wording, themes and colours.
Techniques - a practical guide to making your stationery professionally and expertly: folding + cutting how to's, perfect bows, applying embellishments, making your own envelopes and invitation wallets and pockets.
Give – we cover edible and non-edible favours, demonstrate a mix of wrapping tips and techniques for preparing your favours.
Create - we demonstrate how to pull all your ideas together...to completely capture the mood of your day. We explore how to successfully carry the theme through all your wedding stationery…from programs to table plans and beyond!

Course TWO: Easy Handmade Wedding Stationery.

Our second course is essentially practical and explores in greater depth the tips and techniques covered in ‘Design: My wedding day’. Having chosen your theme and colours for your wedding day you’ll find this course bursting with advice when making the elements and components of your stationery in a professional and high-quality way.

Nothing is complicated or difficult; all the details are fresh, simple yet designed to cater for all tastes. The finishing is very sophisticated and guaranteed to enchant and impress your guests. You’ll carry this knowledge with you and apply it to future projects, for example Christmas cards, birthday cards etc.

Note: Attendees are absolutely welcome on this course if they have not attended the Design: My Wedding Day course.

The course is divided into three sessions; by the end of the course you will be able to make your own save the date cards, Wedding invitations and table plan. The course covers handmade photo cards, stitched stationery, ribbons, stamping, embellished wallets and ‘playful’ papers. You will also be armed with the knowledge you need to make all your wedding stationery professionally and expertly.

The course also covers those tiny, but all important details which will equip you to add your own indelible style to the day. You’ll explore ideas for confetti (including vanishing confetti!), gifts for your bridesmaids and other important attendants, plus ring bags, cushions and favour boxes. You’ll discover novel ways to turn wedding ephemera into exquisite keepsakes. Finally, you’ll make an inspirational thank you card. Phew!

---

Both courses are one day courses, and are held at our Hampshire studio. We ask attendees to arrive for coffee and introductions at 10.00am, with the session starting at 10.30am. We go through to 4.30pm, with a break for lunch.

Each attendee receives a certificate, a ‘goodie bag’ and a list of suppliers.

Morning coffee, a champagne lunch and all materials are included in the cost. Numbers are limited and early booking is strongly recommended. Each day course costs £80.00 including VAT.

Course ONE: Design: My Wedding Day –
6th October / 3rd November / 24th November

Course TWO: Easy Handmade Wedding Stationery –
13th October / 17th November / 1st December

Please contact us for a full prospectus, or to book your place.

Natalie@twobytwoweddings.com / 01256 255796 or leave a message on my mobile 07870 205291.

Look forward to seeing you!

Table plans...

2007-08-10T14:46:00.000+01:00

Following the emails I've received over the last week I'm uploading further examples of our table plans.

For full details of all our on-the-day wedding items, please do visit our "reception" section on our website:

http://www.twobytwoweddings.com/html/reception.htm

Our table plans are an exciting way to compliment your wedding.

Once you have ordered your wedding stationery with us you qualify to purchase your table plan for £75 instead of £175.

Our selection of table plans are contempory, fresh and can be personalised to match your colours, and your theme.

Please contact Natalie or Jocelyn in the studio for more information, or email us hello@twobytwoweddings.com including your name and address, and a contact tel no.

Please drop us a line if you would like us to send you a note when http://www.tableplantastic.com/ goes live in the autumn.

All the best

Natalie

Summer?!?

2007-07-06T12:44:00.000+01:00

Hello

It's been a couple of weeks since my last blog. June went very fast, with many wonderful weddings and beautiful colourways making up our month. July is flying past at a rate of knots too - lots of magenta, burnt oranges and cyan colour schemes to brighten our days - much needed with this lack of sunshine.

07/07/07 is the most popular date in our calendar this year. We have many weddings this weekend, and we are hoping for good weather for you. We've had our own flood experience this week, although nothing to do with the weather, and everything to do with the builders upstairs leaving the taps on. Bless 'em. The flood has slightly impacted our timings on launching the online store, which will go live in a couple of weeks, our new site: http://www.tableplantastic.com is set go live in September now, instead of in July. You will be able to see our new ranges, including the new designs for 2008 at The National Wedding show: http://www.nationalweddingshow.co.uk 28 - 30 Sept at Earls Court, and at The Designer Wedding show: http://www.designerweddingshow.co.uk 26 - 28 October in Battersea Park. We have two pairs of tickets to The Designer Wedding show to give away, along with 5 special Two by Two goodie bags (containing thank you cards, champagne and chocolates). You can enter the competition by emailing win@twobytwoweddings.com (don't forget to include your contact details + tel no). Winners will be announced on the blog during the first week of September. Good luck!

If you would like any further information about any of the shows, or products please do email me natalie@twobytwoweddings.com or you can call the office between 11am and 4pm mon - fri.

Take care
Natalie

Our work at work!

2007-06-18T13:00:00.001+01:00

Many thanks, Helens mum, for sending in these pictures of Helen's tables, and glad to see a bit of blue sky! Congratulations again.

Natalie

Summer weddings...

2007-06-13T16:46:00.000+01:00

A very quick 'blog' this week. Wedding season is truely upon us, I'm typing this from a desk stacked high with boxes of beautiful table settings.

As this weekend is fairly busy, with events we have contributed to, I wanted to write a note to wish all our couples the best of luck. Thank you for your compliments and ever-so-kind words about our work (thank you too for the wine Gemma x). To quote an Irish blessing "May the sun shine all day long, everything go right and nothing go wrong"... We will be thinking of you.

Helen & Liam are getting married in Romsey Abbey on Saturday. I appreciate their letting me put an image of their table plan on here ,as a little bit of inspiration (click the image if you would like a larger image to appear)...

As pink seems to be very popular right now, I'll leave you with a picture the 'flower strip' design, as worked on this week...in pink!

Do contact me if you need any information about our table plans, or any of the designs.
If you are getting married soon, please don't forget to email me a pic of your wedding.
Next weeks blog is going to be around table settings and menus. If you have any special requests please email me: natalie@twobytwoweddings.com and I'll see how I can help.
Happy planning!
Natalie x

Website launch!

2007-06-04T18:23:00.000+01:00

Hello!

Amidst the preparations for the new online store, we've been updating our website. This week we've launched a couple of new areas:

Reception: http://www.twobytwoweddings.com/html/reception.htm

This part of the site houses all the "for the day" info. There's a basic gallery at the moment, designed to provide an overview of our capabilities...orders of service, menu cards, place settings, table plans etc. Obviously each style has it's own special range but I hope you enjoy a seeing our work at work.

Hen: http://www.twobytwoweddings.com/html/hen.htm

Our custom printed cards have meant we've been publicly humiliating "hens" for some time...or rather their maids and matrons of honour have! We're pleased to be able to offer 'save the hen date' cards to everyone. Contact me on 01256 355796 if you need more info, or a sample, or just want to go for it!

Guest books and albums: http://www.twobytwoweddings.com/html/gb.htm

At long last this part of the site is live! Thank you to all those who have patiently waited for this information to go online. We'll be adding dewdrop journals, glitter notebook, handmade Sari journals, Royal metalic albums & momento boxes to our site, as soon as the photography is complete. Our guest book and photo album gallery is soon to be launched, where you will be able to see them in greater detail.

I hope you enjoy what we've been doing. If you would like any further info about the above...or have a suggestion to make about something we should really include on our website please email Two by Two Weddings: hello@twobytwoweddings.com or you can reach me directly: natalie@twobytwoweddings.com.

That's it for today. We're in the middle of wedding season at the moment. It's been lovely hearing the recent stories, and THANK YOU for all the lovely pictures we've received of late.

Natalie

Gorgeous new invitation!

2007-05-30T11:30:00.000+01:00

I wanted to show our gorgeous new wedding invite that we recently completed for Jo & Mat. It's a development of the "Our Faces" range. It looks like our usual "Our Faces" card from the outside, when you open inside there's a treat...the card is a wallet with a pocket on the left for the direction and information card + gift list. The invitation is a mounted board that sits inside.
Jo's colours were ivory and chocolate brown, and the invitation reflected this. Made from heavy weight ivory board, we combined with shimmer brown board and set the card with chocolate ribbons.

If you would like further information on the design, you can call me on 01256 355796 or email natalie@twobytwoweddings.com. I'm in the studio from 10.30am mon - fri.

Best wishes

Natalie

Shopping...always cheers a girl up!

2007-05-21T08:52:00.000+01:00

It's a busy time. I'm learning all about shopping (as if!), or rather, shopping carts and am in the middle of building ours for our online store that goes live in June. It's fascinating, and I'm so excited to be able to offer our products online...we've got gorgeous guest books, notelets, thank you packs, 'do it yourself' kits and most importantly...gifts!

Here's a little preview of our new illustration range. A pack of 8 postcards will set you back £8, and 10 thank you's from £7.

We'll be giving 10 packs away to the first 10 brides who answer a special question correctly. The question will appear on the first page of the shop, when the site goes live.

We've also got gorgeous guest books. This one below is hand made and laid out to dry in the Indian sun after rose petals have been scattered over it. All our guest books are fair trade.

Our 'live' date, for our online store, is the towards the end of June, and you can email me: natalie@twobytwoweddings.com if you would like me to drop you a note when we're live. Until then I'm burning the midnight oil uploading all those gorgeous products!

Happy wedding planning!

Natalie

Welcome to our new blog!

2007-04-30T21:31:00.000+01:00

Hello, and welcome to our...erm...my blog.

Firstly an introduction; this blog is written and maintained by me, Natalie, the Two by Two Weddings designer. Here I sit, poised to share our work, new designs, inspirations, events, media coverage and to offer a little "behind the scenes" info as to how we achieve our work.

All the work and images featured on this blog are copyright Two by Two Weddings, and all 'guest' images appear with kind permission. Thank you in advance to those who have agreed to contribute to these pages.

If you have a comment or suggestion please do get in touch, and I hope you enjoy! Please scroll downwards for latest comments from our clients. Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Wedding Planning!
Natalie (pic below...)