…tied up with string. But I’ll come to that in a moment.
Four years ago, I did something that perhaps isn’t advisable for a 30-year old single woman living alone, I advertised for a housemate online.
Best thing I ever did.
After sifting through the psychopaths and the letchy men, I took a chance on a Welsh guy called Thom, five minutes after meeting I knew he’d fit into my little house perfectly and soon enough we were like brother and sister or maybe more accurately, The Beales of Grey Gardens.
Thom is one of the best people you’ll ever meet, over the two years we lived together the house was filled with his collection of quirky illustrations and weird paper-mache animal sculptures. He moved away to London just before I met Lee, and when we got engaged there was only one person I wanted to talk stationery with. We asked Thom if he would design our wedding invites and we were over the moon when he agreed.
One thing’s for sure, Thom Morgan is not your typical designer of wedding stationery. But the fact that he is so talented, such a beloved friend, and has a slight obsession with serial killers, meant he was bound to come up with something perfect for us.
All About The Hair
Thom took my very clear brief of “look at this vintage lampshade, can they look like that?” and created something really special and unique to us. I’ve mentioned before that a huge inspiration for our big day is our parent’s weddings, taking elements from the past to give our day a really nostalgic, retro feel and Thom reflected that in the invites.
For those of you who know me, I’m often recognised by my blonde mega-fringe. I’m not the only one, Lee also has quite a distinctive head of hair, so Thom came up with a simple hair-based wedding logo and worked it into the design, putting together a series of postcards to make up the invites.
We also wanted to add a bit of fun and give our guests a little keepsake. It was only when I was drying the dishes with my HRH William & Kate wedding tea towel (Cath Kidston, natch) that I realised what was missing. We needed our own commemorative memorabilia!
We wanted to get the best out of Thom’s designs, so to give our tea towels an even more individual and unique feel, we took them to a friend of a friend at a local company ‘In The Room’ who specialise in hand-pulled screen printing. Again, we kept it local for the postcards, taking them to another very kind friend at callprint.co.uk/ and everything turned out just perfectly.
The final job was putting them all together. Firstly, I made some cute little pegs with heart shaped buttons, then parcelled the whole lot up with one of my favourite things – brown paper and string. I won’t lie, it took AGES, but it was so worth it.
Inky Touches
I’ve openly admitted before that I’m not the world’s most gifted crafter. Gluing buttons onto pegs is pretty much my limit, but quite early on in this whole process I thought it’d be a great idea to turn the ‘hair’ into a stamp to add that all important finishing touch to the parcels.
Now, this isn’t a DIY post, far from it. But here’s how it went down:
- cut the hair shapes out of paper and trace them onto a piece of foam
- hack at the foam with a pair of scissors until it vaguely resembles the picture
- rummage in the kitchen until you find something flat and chunky (in this instance, a jar of vitamins)
- glue the foam to the lid
- grab and ink pad and stamp to your hearts content
I have to say, I’m pretty chuffed with how it turned out. Maybe I’m not so cack-handed after all!
We’ve been delighted with the response of our friends and family to the invites. Everyone seems to love them and we’ve loved bringing a smile to their faces with our little parcels of happy.
Pop Up Pals
Have any of you ever used Internet dating? You know how these things happen, you meet online, you get talking, you find you have loads in common and then finally, you arrange to meet in real
life.
In a couple of days I have a date! Well, not a real date, but a girly play-date at the Rock My Wedding Pop Up Shop, which is just as exciting.
I’ve mentioned before how much I love our little RMW community, and it really does go beyond these pages. Sometimes as a Bride, you think if you talk to normal people they’ll just think you’re insane in the mind, and they’d be right. So when you find a group of girls who understand exactly why you’re so excited about getting home from work to find three RSVP’s on the doorstep, you know you’ve found something special.
Apart from the other Real Brides of course, there are a couple of girls that I met on these very pages who know every last detail of my wedding, and in time have come to become real friends. We started off talking about weddings, but girls will be girls and we were soon sharing everything about our lives, loves, shopping, hopes, fears and deepest darkest secrets (including one about a late 90’s television personality!)
And so this Sunday, I’ll be road-tripping with our very own ‘One Jolly Girl’ down to Hampton Manor to meet our other ‘internet friends’ Philippa and Charlie at the RMW Pop Up Shop for the very first time! I can’t wait to meet my lovely girls and of course have a brilliant afternoon playing dress up with Team RMW.
Who’s joining us?
Sartorial Secrets
Finally, am I the only Bride who has NO IDEA what her Groom is wearing on the big day?
Lee is really taking this outfit thing seriously. He has given me two words and that’s it ‘Savile Row’. Very nice, but it really isn’t doing my colour-scheme based anxiety levels any good at all… Is anyone else in the same boat?
That’s me done anyway, fun times ahead as I head off to Brighton in a few weeks with my girls and gays for my Hen Weekend. I’ll be sure to tell you all about it!
Peace & Love
Karen xxx
OMG Kazza fab post as always, thank you for the mention
“meeting” you guys has been one of the highlights of my wedding and I can’t wait for Sunday!
Absolutely LOVE the stamp, especially the vitamin pot!
<3
Bit of Wichita Lineman? Ledge!
Fabulous post Swaley!
Can’t wait for the RMW Pop Up Shop – it’s gonna be aces!
And what’s this about you not being very crafty?!!!! I think you’ve just shown us all that you, missy, are in-fact pretty darn talented!
‘Oh this little stamp…..it’s just something I knocked up last night’!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE your invites, they are perfect, and I absolutely ADORE the tea towels
Kate & Wills will be gutted theirs didn’t look anywhere near as cool as yours!
See you on Sunday lovely!
xxx
Ps. looking forward to meeting all the internet ladies too – tis gonna be EPIC!
@LynseyB – hell yeah! good spot!!
@Chaz @Becca – thankfully i was going for the ‘rough’ look with the stamp, that’s about my limit. Everyone else goes to Hobbycraft, I go to Holland & Barrett :/
Sunday is gona be a riot. We’re all dressing up like those models right? I’ll bring me cello. xx
The invites are UH-MAZING. I think you guessed though from my over enthusiastic reaction on receiving it!! I have yet to wipe my plates with your lovely faces but one day I will, proudly. Also? I don’t think you need to worry about Lee’s suit… I think he’ll do you proud. Have fun with the girls on Sunday. Take many Instagrams please.
xxxxxx
Hello Internet friends
Fabulousa posta! Loving your work as always. I love your invites and the stamp branding, my stamp is on order I should have gone simple with a bit of foam.
Can honestly say I would be driving that husband to be nuts if it wasn’t for you girls and our 24/7 wedding/life chat. I love how we can celebrate and commiserate together at things when other people would think we were insania!! See you Sunday! Xxx
That stamp is pure genius!! Loves it!! I’m no thinking what kind of shaped stamp we could have lol! Also – perfectly formed string bows – go u! Enjoy Sunday girlies, I’m well jel! xo
I want a tea towel with your lovely face on!!!!
No but seriously these are completely epic invitations and a brilliant way to introduce your guests to your big day!
I have a vague idea of Chris’ suit, as in, I know what colour it will be, but I’m not allowed to go with him when he goes for his fittings and makes the final decision. So I suppose technically he could get whatever he likes…hmm this had not occurred to me before *tries to suppress Tabitha the control freak*.
I’m super jealous of your road trip this Sunday, have a fab time ladies
Xxx
Boss post as always missus. Loving the stamp… I’m tempted to give a SCC one a go.
@Claire Penn, I still haven’t got around to using my tea towel yet, it’s so pretty I don’t want to ruin it. At the moment it’s hangly nicely in our studio.
Really looking forward to Sunday! I’ve got two violins, I’ll bring that for you to use as a prop Karen
I agree with Claire.
As I can’t be there in person I demand constant updates.
I also demand a mask be made of my face so it at least looks/feels like I was there…..
Super duper post as always Karen! I am sad to be missing out on the Pop Up fun times, saying hello to you and Rebecca again and meeting the other girlies! (Waves to Jolly Sarah, Pip & Charlie!)
Do you know the full on itinerary for your hen-tastic trip to Brighton, or are you in the dark about some of it? I’ve got my very own hen secret for the rest of my girlies, but my sister has hinted that her and my other bridesmaid some some bits planned on the sly!
Also – just had an idea for you along the lines of commemorative memorabilia: Special Edition Hen Weekend Brighton Rock! Not sure on the logistics of that one but it sure would be cool…
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Great post as everyone has said. I love your invites! They definitely make my wish “Wish-my-invites-were-like-that” list along with my “may-turn-to-a-life-of-crime-to-get-my-hands-on-one” list.
Also I am totally going to the kilt maker man with Ciaran. He has no choice. Though I may let him go to fittings by himself and do a few last detail choices himself….well he is going to wear this kilt for the rest of his life
(oh and you will find me alone, crying in a dark corner whilst this meet up at the Pop Up shop is happening..)
@Karen – my favourite big fringed lady…I love your posts! And while they’re probably not big enough to take all my washing…I would very much like some yellow pegs for when the sunshine comes and I need to hang my smalls out on the balcony of Deansgate…I think a yellow peg would instantly make hanging your knickers out over Manchester’s busiest street acceptable….yes? Seriously, delish stationary, love. It matches your yellow blouse in your photo. Like. Alot.
And, if your friend Thom is into Edgar Allan Poe I hope he has been watching ‘The Following’ on Sky…yes, Kevin Bacon is super dooper annoying but if you like serial killers and blood it’s a good watch with a five pack of Chewits and your best joggers on.
Finally, I am well jel of you all getting to go to the Pop Up Shop…SAD FACE…I still blooming well love that picture of the bridesmaid wearing hi-tops with her dress. I am still obsessed with hi-tops…I’ve even got my mum in a pair. She wore them for all of five minutes and then declared them ‘undignified’. She said this in Hogan in Knightsbridge…I think if you’re in Knightsbridge nothing is undignified.
Have LOADS of fun this weekend.
xoxoxoxoxoxox
@pamela I’m wearing hightops as we speak. I have a bit of an obsession. May rock my purple spiked ones on Sunday
O and @Karen – Obvs great post. Bring an invite on Sunday so we can see them for realio
@Becky – hi-tops are where it is at. It’s official. Although I do have a black pair that I have been told make my feet look like the hooves of some creature out of Narnia…kind of take the point…but I love all my other ones…I really want someone for summer to make an opaque, pastel purple shade of them…they would look cool with black leggings, a cropped vest and some ghetto fabulous jewels…so far, none have been sourced that fit the bill….The Isabel Marant purple ones with the red star are divine but they aren’t pastel purple….so I’m holding out….
xoxoxo
@Becky @Pamela – last time I had hi-tops were my black & white British Knights. I miss them, damn my teenage growth spurt. I need hi-tops!!! Also, ta for the tea towel / peg love. Buttons were from some crazy haberdasher man in Altrincham market, i fully recommend him for all your button needs.
@Tabitha @Claire – I know he’ll be looking hot to trot but there’s always the chance that Lee has completely failed to notice that we actually have an existing colour scheme! @Tab – Chris is quite a sharp dresser so i’m sure you’ll be fine! fingers crossed!!
@One Jolly Girl – sorry for the ‘ ‘. You know how I over use them, it’s just bunny rabbit ears! I could bring my leftover foam and UHU and we can make stamps on the road trip with @SophieStrangeCase! Also, yes Sophie bring your violin, we already have a gong. How are the secret Chanels coming on??? AMAZING.
@Michelle – I would LOVE a mask of your face.
@Helen McG – Who knows where you’ll end up if you start on the foam stamps? I was one step away from a potato until I realised it wasnt really feasible!
@ Kitty – Oh imagine, Swaley Seaside Rock. Dont put ideas in my head you know I’ll end up doing it. We will defo miss you and @Stef & @Pamela on Sunday. Wish you were all coming!!
@Stef – we want kilt pics!!! xx
@Karen – why were you on Altrincham market, love?!
xoxo
Karen – you are an actual wedding invitation hero for putting in so much work – I was well impressed with myself for including a pre-stamped and addressed envelope for the RSVP card*, I am literally put to shame!
*and for reference, no it didn’t seem to cut down on any RSVP chasing action, so ladies I’d save your money and spend it on pretty stuff instead!x
@Lou – you even pre-stamped the RSVP envelopes?!
I was chuffed with myself for just including addressed RSVP envelopes – everyone thought I was mad!!!
xx
Amazing post with some great ideas – I would be so chuffed to receive a tea towel like that! And the stamp of your hair is a great idea!!!
Huge love for these amazing invites – you see more is always more and girl you did you and your man proud! Ummm can you bring one with you to show us on Sunday. And personally I think you’ve been hiding your crafty streak haven’t you; really if you go on like this you’ll put us all to shame.
@Stef I also want to see some pics of your man in a kilt!
@Pamela – I get around! Was having lunch with some pals up the road and spied an opportunity. You know if you’re free on Sunday you can jump in with us… come! come!
@Rebecca @Lou – we just went with the postcards, which may have been a mistake as at least one hasnt made it back through Royal Mail! I’m scared to chase my other late responders in case they say the same!
Some people are even refusing to give them back AT ALL. “but we want to keep them” …NO! xx
Karen you already know that I am in love with you and now I know how crafty (as in making things, not bit dodge) I love you more. Love the stamp, Love the invites, Love the pegs lol…
Gutted don’t get to come and play with you and the other ladies this week but it will happen and it will be epic lol.
I chose Sam’s suit but made him think that he had lol, although if he didn’t like it he’d be quick to say, bigger tart than me that one.
Look forward to the next installment from my fave blonde fringed lady. xxxx
Thanks @Laura!
@Lolly – you could never call me minimal, ha! Nothing exceeds like excess. Very much looking forward to making an appearance on Sunday and seeing your pretty face!
@Zara – so much love today, I love you more! No doubt about that. I love that you tricked Sam with your feminine wiles… Crafty and crafty in all the best ways. xx
I’m trying to think if I made a silhouette of my hairdo what it would look like…..I reckon I would look like a legohead.
Ok so if you don’t hear from any of us by this time next week, send a search party down the wormhole as its likely our real life rendez-vous has caused a malfunction in the space-time continuum and were all stuck on the 13 1/2 floor like John Malkovitch.. We’ll all be trapped inside the internets together, tapping on the glass and frantically tweeting for help…
If we do come a cropper though and have to set up a commune on the Other Side, at least we’ll have DIY queen and all-round expert in craft K-Sway to fashion us a shelter and primitive tools if her invitations are anything to go by. I know it’s genuine modesty too, she’s not pretending she’s no Kirsty Allsopp while socking it to us with these supreme creations, she genuinely doesn’t realise her knack! I agree with you @Lolly, Karen’s handywork is bummin brill! The vitamin pot is verging on genius. LOVE it all.
Oh and I’m gutted Zara’s going to be missing from the frey. Although its possibly for the best. I wouldn’t be held responsible for my actions were I to meet her down the wormhole
Love the tea towels! Such an amazing idea! I love reading all your wedding posts as you sound just as excited as me! My fiancé and I are getting married in 7 weeks or 49 days, which one sounds more exciting?! We cannot wait! Good luck to you Hun. I look forward to reading the rest of your posts before your wedding.
@Pip – howling over my All-Bran! And hush, there’s no way I can ever be a proper crafter, I don’t have one of those green mat things with all the white squares and lines on. I think it’s best that you don’t meet @Zara in real life, we can’t afford the legal fees.
@Teresa only if it was hot señorita lego of course.
Open mouthed or the one that makes me look like Beaker?
I think there should be masks of all the ladies who can’t make it. But the wearer of zara, keep a safe distance from pip
@Vicky that’s so kind, thank you! 7 weeks will fly!! It’s incredibly exciting isn’t it, good luck for your big day too. It’ll be beautiful. Please make sure you report back so we can hear all about it!
@Michelle – definitely Beaker!
xx
eeek your posts always both excite and scare me as i’m getting married that day too….(its the countdown that does it…) seriously impressed with your invites…better get cracking on mine!
Oh Sophie a date twin. I’ve got the fear on your behalf – you havent done invites yet?? I’m stressing cos I havent started the evening ones. Get a wriggle on!
xx
Oh I’m late to the party again…sorry I’m so rubbish..its really gone a bit crazy in my wedding land at the mo! with four weeks to go! eek! Karen j’adore your invites, they’re so vibrant, I love a yellow wedding…does nothing for my skin tone though but you look like a little ray of sunshine in yellow so will be beautiful surrounded by it! Looking forward to hearing the tales of Brighton and maybe see you Sunday for some RMW fun! xx