Monday 18 November 2013

BEWARE OF WEDDING SCAMS!

It saddens me that Brides (and Grooms) get ripped off... especially on one of the most important days of their lives. Every now and again I have to post a reference to one of the worst cases of scamming I have ever come across... which I blogged about here. Kayleigh's was one of the first cases of scamming I had ever heard about.... but her's wasn't the last! I could fill my posts up with at least 1 a month and they are only the ones I hear about personally! 

But... no matter how many warnings are posted on the internet... still the scams pour in!

The Wedding Wire put out THIS POST about Chinese Knockoff - My actual DH Gate Trash the Dress Dress vs. what's advertised 


Morilee have had to put up a HUGE list of fake websites offering to supply their dresses at a greatly reduced price! And I have to admit I was totally shocked by the crazy amount of fake websites... here....

And the problem doesn't end with Wedding Dresses.... even stationery can be a scam! I had a Bride come to me, who had not only been scammed with her dress... but her wedding stationery bought from 'Light In The Box'  I wrote about Kayleighs horrendous experience HERE

Ollievision Photography have been having their own problems with a scammer that used their Photographs to promote his business. Their article 

Steve Jackson Photography – A statement from Ollievision regarding Steve Jackson’s unauthorised use of images taken from my portfolio tells the full horrific story. 


And believe it or not... these are only the tip of the ice-berg! 

Thanks to Social Media, we are now starting to see Facebook pages emerge warning Brides of what they can expect if they order from the internet from unscrupulous companies.

There are hundreds (I'm not kidding either!)
of people who have been caught out
and left out of pocket.
Their only crime is to try and save a few quid at a very expensive time!

CHECK THESE OUT!

Brides Beware!



My advise to Brides on the whole is 

DON'T BUY OFF THE INTERNET!

Or.... if you do... protect yourself as much as possible
and be prepared to throw away your hard earned cash 
and have to buy the item again somewhere else. 

I personally, can't believe how many young Brides (and some older ones too) will trust what they are seeing on Facebook and eBay and in fact, the internet in general as being totally genuine. 


FACEBOOK pages can be closed down and deleted at the click of a button!

EBAY - Many eBay sites nowadays state that the seller is from the UK... NOT TRUE!  I myself bought a really large sheepskin rug from a company in London. It took 8 weeks to get here, it was unwashed, came from Morocco and was only large enough to cover my Springer Spaniel! (See even I get scammed!).

WEBSITES - No matter how professional and dapper the website looks... DO NOT TRUST what you see! Just because the URL states .co.uk or .com means nothing!

Truthfully... the safest way not to get scammed
IS TO BUY LOCAL! And buy from a company that has some history and feedback. Not just a company that has just started up, no matter how well intentioned they are... many companies fail within the first 2 years of trading! And if the company is local, make sure they have a valid business address on their website! And a land line telephone number... not some mobile number that can be switched off in a heartbeat!

BEFORE ordering ANYTHING off the internet 
(and I mean ANYTHING!)

Check out the website 
 by going to SCAM ADVISOR .COM
and entering the websites URL! 

Above all remember:
If it sounds TOO GOOD to be true,
it generally is!

And you'll be hard pushed to get your money back! 

If you have been scammed... get in touch with your local
Trading Standards Office


Have you ever been scammed?
Leave a comment and warn others!




Monday 28 October 2013

Are you in?

Well.... as I said earlier..."I'm just a one-man band"  and I'm making this website by myself... with no help from anyone. In some ways that makes things easier, but as I have my own business to run, the posts at first will be sketchy.

The point of this website, for me, is to help to get some traffic going to suppliers websites and hopefully some business from it.

From the Bride and Groom point of view, it's a one stop directory of local and trusted businesses and as they haven't paid me a penny, it's an impartial listing (wherever possible). I refuse however to add people and businesses if I hear any bad press about them, as this tarnishes everyone!

I'm intending to send out emails to all those listed so I can run profile days where I can feature a local business and you, other businesses and couples can get to know people more.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

I need interaction for YOU!

Whether you are a business
or a couple,
I need your interaction on this 

Please talk to me! ....
Both suppliers and Couples,
I need your interaction! 


BRIDES & GROOMS!

Businesses need to know about their clients,
without knowing what people want and what issues they have
then businesses can't offer the best service!


BUSINESSES

I need to know
what problems and issues YOU face,
so I and the others can help you.!


At the end of the day....
the more you interact,
the more you will get out of it!

I've paid for only 1 year for this domain to continue
and I am prepared to put in most of the work...
but I need help and support to do this.

Are you in???

Either leave a comment below
or comment on our FB page...
if you are too shy for either...
then email me at
 inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk

Friday 25 October 2013

Wedding Awards - What do they mean?

I am on an eternal mission it seem to try and protect my regular Bride and Groom readers.
This week it's about

WEDDING AWARDS!

So... the item  or service you need has a flashy website.
Proudly on their site or blog they are proudly displaying a badge stating that the y were
some sort of Wedding Industry Finalist or Winner. Great news! you think to yourself.


  • Here's s site that can be trusted!
  • I mean, it's won an award for gods-sake!
  • So they must be really good?
  • Highly recommended? 
  • They are actually Industry experts! So they can be trusted on many levels.

If you are thinking all the above is true.... then you need to read on and see what I found out!

For the last couple of years and certainly within the last 6 months, I've seen award after award pop up and more and more websites and blogs proudly displaying everything from Wedding Magazine Awards to so called Wedding Industry Expert Awards. The awards are given out almost willy nilly and most are nothing more than a marketing ploy!

MOST and I use that word wisely MOST of these awards involve some or all of the following:


  • The supplier of good and or services pays a fee to enter (£50 is not uncommon)
  • A view of the award giving site looks pretty dapper and rather posh! (Remember... it's designed to get money from those who enter!)
  • The participant goes wild on Facebook to get everyone to place a vote for them. Please note, this is not directly proportional to the number of CLIENTS they have dealt with and who have been satisfied with their work. In fact... Joe Blogs can enter himself as an Expert, without even taking a photo! It's as easy as setting up a website, buying a few stock photos from the many companies out there, paying a fee and getting people to vote! In reality, that person can win an award by hiking up their votes through friends, family and other social networking places and/or have very little competition in their local area that have entered.... Therefore WINNING by default! 
  • They offer little or nothing in the way of Prizes... other than a certificate.
  • Finalist (everyone that entered)  is invited to their Award Giving ceremony... but entrants have to pay 'Big Bucks' to attend. (Which they do because they think they are in with a serious chance of actually winning!).
WHY IS MY BACK UP!

Lately, I was inundated with businesses in the Wedding Industry pleading with me to VOTE FOR THEM. I looked on the website to find that this Award company was actually based in the US! The competition was to be decided by so called Industry Experts (to be frank, I googled their names and websites and some of them need some serious help if they really ARE experts!). Then 2 days later I see that Everyone I know who entered actually had displayed on their Facebook pages, blogs and websites that they were Wedding Industry Experts Winners 2013! The results were out just a couple of days after the award had ended and was awarded on VOTES! No need to have experts adjudicate in the first place then? To be honest... I was sick and tired of the request from people who have just started out in the business and have very little if any, experience, never mind wanting to call themselves EXPERTS! 

At best, these awards are no more than a popularity contest. Yes... they may get more hits to their websites.... but hits and sales are completely different statistics!

SO WHY DO I 
HAVE A PROBLEM 
WITH THIS?

From the Brides point of view:

I am seriously concerned that Brides and Grooms seeing these badges on a website, gives them false hope of quality of goods or services. 

The award is NO MEASURE of how good the company is.
How long they have been in business.
Whether they can be trusted
or even if they are actually GOOD at what they do!

From the Wedding Suppliers point of view:

I am concerned that it's mostly NEW or very YOUNG businesses that get swept up in these so called Awards. They pay out money to enter, some even have to pay for a certificate if they actually get to the finals (which of course they do!). They somehow 'believe' that having this award will bring in more business... It WON'T! Brides haven't a clue what the award is for and to be honest, most working on a tight budget could be terrified of anyone displaying the word EXPERT on their site as been far too expensive and out of their league.

To Brides: Most Industry Experts.... don't need a worthless award to prove they are good in their field. Most of us are far too busy with work, not to even care about these awards.
Take these awards with a pinch of salt! Ask to see your suppliers portfolio of work they have done for past clients. 

To Businesses: BE CAREFUL! You have to think like an advertiser and marketing expert. You can be sure.... there's a LOT in it for these people and VERY LITTLE if anything in it for you! .... except perhaps for less money in your bank account. 

The only REAL way to build up your business and gain trust from Brides and Grooms is to actually offer the best service possible and have the recommend you to friends. Give value for money, go out of your way to LISTEN to your clients..... Your business will prove your success in your field, not some award which was gained by how many clicks you managed to get! :-)

What are your feelings on this?

Brides: What do you think of these so called AWARD BADGES?


Businesses: Have you been fooled in this way?  

Has this made you think about these awards in a different way? 

Award Company Givers: I am open to discussion for you to agree or deny these observations. So pleas FEEL FREE to leave a comment or contact me direct

(c) Sue Simpson

Wednesday 23 October 2013

When to send out Wedding Invites

Question from Bride:
"When do I send out Wedding Invitations?"



Well, not so very long ago, the standard answer would have been 6-8 weeks before the Wedding, but times have changed. 

Other factors to take into account these days are: 

Work and Lifestyle: People have busy lives and are usually planning what little time they have off, months in advance.

Hotels: Many weddings take place in locations now rather than in Churches  and many of these locations offer a package deal. Hotels in particular are keen to know final numbers, well before the Wedding date.

Distant Families: Many family's no longer live close by and are spread right across the country. If the Wedding is to be held at location not close to family and especially during holiday times, there may be a problem with accommodation. 

Stationery: For those Brides who want something that extra special, rather than 'Off the Peg' Stationery, you need to know that many of us are booked up well in advance, not only with Wedding Invitations but 'On the Day' items as well. I myself, took 13 Wedding Orders in January and as you can imagine there are only so many hours in a day and so many weeks in a Month. So getting your order in as early as possible is imperative if you find stationery you particularly like. 

So.... my answer to this would be:
As soon as possible! Especially if your 
Wedding is during busy, holiday periods.

I suggest 6 months is a good idea.

Also.... the sooner you get them out,
the sooner you have one less thing to think about 
and can get on with the rest of your planning. 

In my experience, the sooner you get them out,
the more time you will have for chasing up 
the people who lag at replying to your invite. 


What do you think?

How soon before the Wedding 
did YOU send out your cards?

If you are not already married, 
when are you planning 
to send out your cards?

It will be interesting to know what others think 
Add a comment below or email me 

(c) Sue Simpson
http://inspiredbyscript.co.uk
Email: inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk

Monday 21 October 2013

BRIDES ON A BUDGET - CHEAP or GOOD

I should have titled my this post 'How saving money can cost you more!'. If you haven't already read it, I suggest you pop over there and do so now. It really is a case of Buyer BEWARE!.

I've got a bee in my bonnet and I'm out to save the world, although that's how it seems right now! I joined the Bridal Forum to find out, what Brides of today are looking for in their suppliers as well as getting an insight into my own industry.
As I stated in my last post, nearly ALL the Brides start their question off with
"I'm on a very tight budget, can anyone tell me where is the cheapest I can get (insert Brides particular need here)"

I've seen them ask for everything, 
Can anyone recommend a cheap photographer?...

Does anyone know anyone 
who can supply cheap wedding stationery?

Where can I get cheap Wedding Cakes made?

What more than worries me slightly here is the fact that they are not asking for 'good' or 'Quality'. Does this mean that any photographer will do? If so.... you could ask your uncle George.... he's just bought a new camera and he's took some lovely pictures of his holiday in Cornwall...Now I'm not saying Uncle Jack wouldn't take a few good snaps, but if he falls short of capturing your 'Special Day', there's no resitting and certainly no room for error. This is one area I wouldn't scrimp on. BTW - If you live in North Yorkshire I can highly recommend Mark Johnson Photography he's both affordable and good! 

Anyone know of anywhere I can get cheap Wedding Stationery?...... Well my stationery starts at 75p per invite. I use only quality products and I wouldn't say that that was out of this world. However if you wanted folded cards as opposed to postcard type we are looking at around £2 each. 
The advantage I can offer over others, apart from the quality of card stock and materials is that you get a personal one-to-one service and we can design something around you and your colour scheme... oh yes and all our stationery is personalised and foiled. Could I do them cheaper? Yes.... of course.... I could print them out on photocopying paper in plain black ink and using computer font not calligraphy.... I 'could' but I won't! I want to be happy to put my name on my work and I want you to be happy too.

And what about cakes (or any other product or service) Do you really want CHEAP.... or do you want GOOD. Good can still be affordable, you just have to compromise a little.

At the same time... paying a fortune doesn't always mean good either. Advertising in some of the larger branded products is designed to make you 'exclusive' club. The one where you believe that if you don't have it then you are not worth the air that you breathe and are just not up to speed.

There really has to be a happy medium here. You can buy good, quality, items and services, but go for CHEAP at your peril. There are bargains to be had out there, but go off recommendations.... better still SHOP LOCAL. This way you can be sure of meeting the person face to face, seeing if you actually 'like them', asking any questions and having time to think about your choice before making a decision and potentially loosing money. 

Can I just say..... that 99% of the email request I get start with...
"How much"
It's  sometimes a really hard question to answer as it depends on so many things. Mostly I have to email back with a list of questions, so that I can establish what my client actually NEEDS from me. It's all part of the job! And never forget... YOU are the one in charge.  It's your hard earned cash! Be careful when ordering ANYTHING off the internet or Facebook.
Meet the supplier a few times if you are unsure... better to be safe than sorry and a professional supplier would not mind how many times you have to meet and what questions they need to answer. YOU pay our wages :-) 

I'll write another blog soon about this with some helpful guidelines to help you along the way.

What would the first question be, 
when you approach as supplier 
about their gods or services? 

(c) Sue Simpson
http://inspiredbyscript.co.ukhttp://inspiredbyscript.co.uk
Email: inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk

Friday 18 October 2013

Save money by going to an amateur! GOLDEN Rules for Brides!

 PROFESSIONALS....
We may not be the cheapest.... 
but there's a reason we call ourselves this!


Paula (not her real name) came into the shop and chatted to me at great length about her Wedding Plans. They were full and detailed and planned to within an inch of their lives. 

We talked about my Wedding Stationery, as well as flowers, photographers, videographers, the gorgeous dress she had ordered from China (she showed me a picture on her phone... and I had to agree, it looked stunning!), she also told me about the real crystal bouquet she had ordered, the cake she was having made  and was overjoyed to tell me she was on a very tight budget and was proud of what she had achieved.

"I mean... these so called 'professionals' I don't know where they get their prices from!"

WEDDING STATIONERY: She was going to make her own, I mean, it's not that hard is it and people only throw them away.

FLOWERS: Her sister was going to make her Bridesmaids flowers and button holes as she had been on a 1 day flower arranging course just a year before.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Ahhhh no worries there, her other sister had just bought a super-dooper camera and wanted to take up photography as a hobby! It cost her a fortune so it was bound to be good.

VIDEOGRAPHY: Her Uncle John bought a small video camera to go on his holidays about 5 years ago. Ok so the video he took of Egypt wasn't that good, but she was sure he would have time to practice before her big day!

THE DRESS: The one from China..... only cost £120 and was a perfect copy of some top designer (I can't remember which one as dresses aren't really my thing).

THE CAKE: Her Gran was going to make the cake... she'd been baking for years, she had 13 kids you know and they never went hungry!

ICING THE CAKE: Oh that was no problem either... there was this ready to roll icing in the supermarket. I mean, no-one will know the difference. By the time it comes to cutting the cake everyone's sloshed anyway. 

She had splashed out though... on her venue. It blew almost all of her budget, but she knew her friends would be impressed! 

I wished her well and said I was full of encouragement for people who wanted to make their own Stationery. I mean.... if you are creative and will enjoy the experience... why not! 
It can be fun and very rewarding when someone says "I love your Wedding Stationery! Who made them", with a satisfied glow you can tell them "I did!".... perhaps you can set up your own little business one day :-)

I didn't hear any more from Paula for quite some time, then out of the blue, she phoned me in desperation:

THE FLOWERS: He sister had priced them up and it was going to cost more to buy them than the florist would have charged to make them up.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Her sister was trying her best to get used to the super dooper SLR Digi camera and was constantly watching Youtube to try and get hints and tips. Paula had rang all the local photographers as it was still 4 months till the wedding.... but sadly they were all booked solid.

THE VIDEOGRAPHER: Her uncle said there must be something wrong with the lens as the videos he had tried hadn't quite worked out.... they looked pretty fuzzy compared to some of the latest videos he'd seen and he wasn't in a position to buy a new one. 

THE DRESS: Well.... it came and was pretty poorly made to be fair. The seams were not sewn correctly and despite the company offering 'made-to-measure' it certainly wasn't HER measurements they had used. Also it came without any under skirts, so basically just a throw over top dress, made from what can only be described as lining fabric. The local dressmaker said that it was so tight in some areas that there was no spare fabric to let any seams out. 

THE CAKE: Her gran had, had a stroke and was unable to feed herself, so making a cake would be impossible!

THE CRYSTAL BOUQUET: Turned out to be plastic and the seller on facebook had closed the page down and I have no way of finding her as she never sent me an invoice and I paid by BACS transfer. 


Ahhh.... but at least you made your own Wedding Stationery! 
At least something went right!

No... not really.......

I bought in the card and some paper, lovely square ones like you make.
I designed the inside and printed it out on the paper... only the paper was too large to fit into the card.... so I went out and bought a paper trimmer which cost me £35 and something I'll probably never use again. Then I realised that I had to mess about with the printer settings for it to come out on the right page. I eventually gave up but managed to find some pre-printed ones where you fill in the blanks of who is getting married, where, when and at what time.... they took forever to write out, but at least I got there eventually.

Then I designed the cover on the printer, the design to be printed on card and found my printer will only take paper and it's not even like the card is thick or anything! It just jams!

Then there's the ribbon. I  only needed to make 30 invites, but that would have cost me £60 quid from you right? but then I realised I needed far more ribbon as each one took almost 2'... yes 24"! How can you use that amount on such a small card? 

Then I bought a butterfly punch, like the one you have, as the cards looked far too plain with just wording on the front. £18 for a butterfly punch! And then there was the putting together of all the parts... I mean the first half a dozen were fine... but 30 of them and tying all that ribbon! I had no fingers left!


I stopped her in mid flow.....
Wait a minute.... how much did it all cost?

The paper trimmer cost £35
The cards I had to buy a pack of 50 cost £10
Pre-printed inserts £3 (reduced to half price)
I had to buy 2 reels of ribbon costing £18 
The Martha Stewart Butterfly cutter was £18 
Oh and I had to get the local printer to print on the front of the cards and he charged me  £7.50

So.... all in all...... £91.50
And the hours and stress of 
making them up and getting 
everything to work

And more than I would have 
charge for making completely 
personalised ones for you!

Paula had to pay more for her flowers than it would have cost her to go to a florist who know what flowers were in season and therefore cheaper.... along with the fact the florist buys flowers trade price.

The dress had to be a hired dress as all the Wedding Dress shops needed more time to get her size in and have her measured and made to fit.... but she'd already paid for the dress from China too!

All the photographers were fully booked and she had to settle for disposable cameras and pictures that friends took to remember her special day.

She bought a 'Ready made wedding cake' from Marks & Spencers... which apparently was very nice!

She ditched the videography idea too as they were all booked up. 

The crystal bouquet had to be replaced by the florist with a real flower one.

All in all, it cost Paula twice as much trying to save money and Do It Herself than if she had gone to the professionals themselves in the first place and she had already blown most of her budget on the venue.

There's a reason we do what we do: WE LOVE IT!
It's our passion and our living.

There's a reason we charge what we do: 
We have to pay rent, rates, insurance, telephone, heating  and lighting as well as buying top quality materials... Oh and if we are VERY lucky, we sometimes managed to give ourselves a small wage... like I say.... sometimes!

There's a reason we call ourselves 'Professional': Because many of us have worked long and hard at our trade. Our training has cost us money. Our experience is gained over a number of years and we are experts in out field.

This is the most special and wonderful day of your lives,
memories cannot be bought.
I'm not telling you to go out and spend a fortune.....work out a budget and shop around.

If something sounds too good to be true it usually is!

Ask yourself... If you owned a Merc, would you take it to the guy round the corner that tinkers with cars in his spare time... or go to a Merc Garage? 

One last little thing... Paula is not a real character, however she is made up of many characters. All the stories your read above are true. They are made up from the stories I have heard brides recall to me over just the last two years, while specialising in the Wedding Industry.

You only have to go into Wedding Forums to see these and many other horror stories relating to things that have gone badly wrong.... to the people who can afford it least.

Stay safe! Get recommendations.

Ask your friends who have been 
married before you, who they used.  

Make sure that the companies you use have a registered TRADE address and are a real company.

DO NOT trust a website unless you have checked out their address (use Google maps) and also a landline number. Mobiles can be ditched at the drop of a hat!

If you have any problem with a particular supplier and goods are not what they seem, contact the vendor and give them the chance to put it right. If this doesn't work.....report them to your local Trading Standards Department and ask their advice
Whether you buy from a shop or on-line, you are covered by LAW and everyone has to sell items that are 'Fit for the purpose they were intended'. 

Good luck with your wedding plans and I hope this has helped, even in a small way. Sue x

(c) Sue Simpson
http://inspiredbyscript.co.ukhttp://inspiredbyscript.co.uk

Wednesday 16 October 2013

FREE - Easy Peasy way to plan your WEDDING BUDGET

I deal with a regular flow of Brides and Grooms to the studio, to make and create their wedding stationery. I try to offer a service to fit ALL budgets. One thing that always amazes me is the answer to my question 

"OK.... so what's your budget?"  

At this point I usually get one of 2 answers.

1) "We haven't got one"
or 2) "We don't really know"

When probing further I realise that most couples 
have no idea where to start. 

I've promised to write this article for some time and today I feel I really MUST get round to it.... I hope it helps in some small way.

Couples would do best to see what they can afford and work from there, instead of working on what they want, costing it all out and then having to postpone their wedding when the harsh reality of EVERYTHING COSTS kicks in.

Remember: £35 a meal can sound like a bargain, but it can be a real eye opener when you times it by the number of guests you have coming!  And that's just the 'food side' of things. 

Far better to work out a final budget and work it like this, then at least you will know where to cut back if you need to and f you save money on one thing you have more to spend on another.... SIMPLES :-) 


So.... to make it easy for me to work it out for you.... lets say you have £10,000 to spend.


Reception 45% (£4.500)

Your food and beverages will eat up the largest percentage of your budget. This category includes:

  • Site fee, if applicable
  • Catering costs 
  • Bar and non-alcoholic drinks, punch, shots, etc.
  • Drinks for toasts
  • Wedding cake and sweets
*Don't forget to haggle on price here. If you don't ask, you don't get! You have nothing to loose. If you find that the cost is far more than your budget and you are determined the venue is the absolute place you want to get married and there's no way you are going to shop around for somewhere cheaper.... consider 1 of 2 things.

1) Cut down on your daytime Guest list
2) Have a late Wedding and 1 buffet evening reception 


Transportation 5% (£500)

If you are on a strict budget, this is one place you can save. Transportation should be one of the smallest percentages of your budget. This category includes the following:
  • Limousines
  • Speciality cars, etc.
If your Wedding is at a venue and you are staying there over night, there's no reason why you shouldn't get ready at the venue itself. If the venue is 50 yards down the road, it's quite a saving if you get a friend with a posh car, to add ribbons and get you to the Church on time. Do you really NEED this?

Entertainment 10% (£1000)

This category includes the following:
  • Ceremony music 
  • Evening reception buffet
  • Reception Music (DJ or band)

Flowers 10% (£1000)

Be very careful. It is easy to get "carried away" ordering the most "visual" aspect of your wedding. This category includes:
  • Ceremony - site flowers
  • Bridal bouquet
  • Wedding party flowers
  • Parent's flowers
  • Reception centrepieces and floral displays

Attire 10%  (£1000)

This is another category that is really easy to go wild on. While selecting your "gown" keep your "bottom line" in mind. This category includes:
  • Dress
  • Headpiece/veil
  • Lingerie
  • Jewelry
  • Shoes/wrap/gloves
  • Hair and makeup
  • Grooms tux or suit

Photography 10% (£1000)

Your memories will eat up another 10% of your budget. This category includes:
  • Photography
  • Videography
  • Engagement portrait
  • Wedding - album package

Stationery 4% (£400)

This is another category in which you can save by choosing a simple invitation. This category includes:
  • Daytime and Evening Invitations
  • R.S.V.P and other enclosures)
  • Announcements
  • Menus
  • Order of Service
  • Guest Book or Wishing Tree Tags
  • Seating Plan
  • Wedding Post Box
  • Place Cards 
  • Thank You Cards
You can cut down a little on this budget, like having only 1 Order of Service per couple for instance. Talk to the person who is designing and making all your Invitations and On the Day stuff and negotiate a discount.
We at Inspired by Script give our customers a whopping 15% discount on our couples ' On the Day' items IF they have come to us for their Invitations. It's our way of saying a big THANK YOU for choosing us in the first place :-) 


Talk to whoever is making your Wedding Stationery
and see how they can help!


Extras 6% (£600)

This is where you put all the miscellaneous items that can really add up to BIG MONEY!! If you choose all of the little extra touches, you will go way over your allotted 6%. You need to make a choice on how important each category is to you and "borrow" percentage points from other categories which may be less important to you. Items usually needed:
  • Attendants gifts
  • Wedding gifts for each other
  • Favours
  • Wedding rings
  • Rehearsal Dinner (not usually included in budget)
  • Marriage license
  • Church/ceremony site fees
  • Officiant fees
  • Speciality linens
  • Chair covers
  • Other reception or ceremony decorations

I hope you have found this budget planner useful.
If you have, please share with your friends...
if you haven't or need to know more,
contact us... we can only improve with your help :-)


Don't forget.....
You can FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK!

If you need any help or advice 
regarding your Wedding Stationery
or phone the studio on 01609 776 866
We're always happy to give advice :-)

(c) Sue Simpson x 

Quick Update

Hiya folks.....

Happy-ish with the website so far. Could do with a few more suppliers, so that Brides have a choice. Suppliers on the site must be recommended by either a Bride & Groom or in person. This is a FREE listing and hopefully suppliers in return will write some content for the blog. 



So, if you know someone you want to recommend please get in touch



Friday 11 October 2013

I'm just a one-man-band!

 I really have enough to do already... but to hell with it! I set this website and blog up for a reason.
and I'm giving it another shot! To promote local businesses and connect them with Brides and Grooms.... a sort of one-stop-shop!

WHY?

Well... I've had a long hard think about this... and have decided that I *WILL* continue with this blog and website. I have to admit, running my own business and website as well as wanting somewhere to showcase some of North Yorkshire's finest and most dedicated Wedding Suppliers got a little overwhelming... especially as I do this single handedly, pay for it myself and ask for no advertising fees.

Building a website takes effort and a pretty good degree of understanding of how to get traffic to the website, how to keep people there and how to encourage the clients to spend money local.

This website and blog gets too many hits to give it up!

All this is done with no financial reward for me. I did it because I have faith in the people I recommend and like to see people who start their businesses with passion and dedication succeed and I like to see couples get exactly what they want, from people who will generally go out of their way to make the day perfect!

I am not an advertising site who takes large sums of money from people and really couldn't care less what quality their good are or how the perform as providers... Nope... in short.. I CARE! I care about the Brides and the reputation of the industry.  Brides and Grooms are my number 1 concern and I am committed to still going ahead with this site, for them as much as anyone else.

I expect that the people you will find on this site to offer the very BEST available and if I hear otherwise there will be hell to pay.

So... while I get my act together and strip this blog and website right back to it's bare bones... please bear with us, and join us on our Facebook page!



North Yorkshire Weddings and Weddings North Yorkshire 
and now both merged into one, are owned by me Sue Simpson
and can be found under the one website 

thanks for your patience during this time.
 Sue Simpson