engagement

So, the love of your life has bent down on one knee and you've got the new bling on your hot little hand, but what happens next?

While a lot of saving, plotting and planning goes into the perfect proposal, not many of us give much thought to the steps that come afterwards. In fact, most people just fly by the seat of their (tuxedo) pants , which can cause unnecessary stress for everyone. Before you start blowing up balloons for the engagement party, we've put together a step-by-step list of pre-wedding protocols to help guide you through this busy time.

1. Family comes first

It's vital that the first people who find out about your impending nuptials are those nearest and dearest to you. Usually, this is your

Every year around the world on February 14, people recognise their lovers, friends, spouses, teachers, offspring and secret sweethearts with romantic gestures, gifts, and declarations of love and affection. The Feast of Saint Valentine has become so popular, there is even an established anti-Valentine movement (cos' you haven't really made it until you've got some haters). With sources claiming Valentine's Day generates around $15 billion in sales in the US, and with more than one billion Valentine's cards sent across the globe, have you ever wondered how this global love affair began?

Source: Thinkstock

From pagan roots love does bloom

It all started with Lupercalia, a pagan fertility festival

When you're still bubbling over with excitement like a freshly popped champagne bottle at your newly engaged status, friends and well-wishers may begin to enquire if you're planning an engagement celebration. This is no cause for alarm. Before you launch into full swing Bridezilla panic mode (save this for the wedding), we have a few tips and tricks that will help you host a successful engagement soireé.

The ideal time

The ideal time to host an engagement party is shortly after you've said yes - when the excitement is still fresh and you are just bursting to show off that diamond dazzler strapped to your digits. As a general rule of thumb, engagement parties shouldn't be any closer to the wedding than six months out.

We recently ran a competition and asked the question: what do you love most about your fiancée? We had such an overwhelming response with over 1000 fabulous answers; we couldn't possibly keep them to ourselves.  We had a number of entries from females, AND MEN telling us what they loved most about their other half.

Here are some of the best ( and funniest ) answers we received from our lovely customers and facebook followers:

What do you love most about your fiancée?

He gave me the most precious thing in my life - my daughter !! Better than diamonds or f

RSVPs can sometimes be a hard thing to get back from your guests. Everybody is very busy in their lives and trying to get your guests to send back cards can sometimes be a bit of a tricky task. Here are 5 tips that can help you get your guests to respond to your invite!

1. Have a deadline!

Let your guest know exactly how to RSVP for your wedding and have a deadline! If you require your guests to post back their response, include a stamp already on the card, allowing your guests to tick YES or NO and then send it back.
A little tip - make sure you get your guest to send back the RSVPs TWO weeks BEFORE you actually need the responses to arrive.

2. Give options on how to reply.

Allow guests to RSVP in a way that is easy for them. Via text, email, or snail mail. Make it

After meeting the PR guru herself, Roxy Jacenko, this month at the Ministry of Talent seminar, we have been inspired busy little bees. So this week, we're taking you behind the scenes to show you what we have been doing while y'all were sleeping.

Our week starts off with some wild bareback riding along the beach - kidding! We do however hit the ground running each week; and this week was no exception.

Here are our top 4 moments from the week that was:

1. SHOWROOM

Our show room is up and running! Did I hear an -OH YEAHH- All our products for display for you to touch and

Personalise your wedding from start to finish to create a more intimate and special experience. Have your family and friends feel important to you throughout your wedding with these simple and handy tips:

1. Create a unique wedding sign welcoming your guests to your wedding.

2. Include guest names on your invitations.

3. Sand ceremony - Personal moment between bride and groom. It symbolizes bringing together two families or two lives into a single stream.

It is said a wedding band has no beginning or end, which represents the boundless love and devotion that a marriage provides. With such massive responsibility tasked to a tiny ring, it’s no wonder shopping for the perfect ring can be stressful for bride and groom. Below you will find six tips from WeddingBands.com that will help your search for the perfect wedding ring.

1) Know your size!

This will not only save a lot of back and forth sizing and resizing but it can help cut those costs. Knowing your correct size is the first piece of information needed when buying your wedding bands. A proper fit for a ring is for the ring to go on with ease, and come off with some resistance. The ring should be comfortable on your finger, but if you've never worn a wedding band before, it may take a couple of days to get used to the ring.

2) Comfort fit vs. Non-Comfort Fit.

The differences between comfort fit and non-comfort fit rings are minuscule in features but

You are newly engaged! (Congratulations by the way!) But now what?

You have so many things to start thinking about, not to mention the money you have to spend in the coming months and years. We're here to help!

Our designers at Personalised Favours are not only passionate about creating something unique for each customer, but sharing their insights and secrets for choosing the perfect wedding invitation.

We had a chat to Emma, our graphic designer, about some tips & trends to create the perfect invitation that guests will remember for years to come.
Emma believes it is important to start thinking about a theme for your wedding or even a colour scheme early on. "Think of a theme you like, for example a cocktail style Soiree. Do some research into this style. Blacks and creams spring to mind, so use those colours and plan an elegant/ bold style for your invites."

Who:  Emma & Robert
Guests: 50+
Where: At Home
Style: Rustic elegance, Alfresco

We had the pleasure of sharing some of Robert & Emma's photos from the night! Emma shares some great D.I.Y ideas and tips for holding an Engagement Celebration at home on a budget!

"Rob & I initially were looking at holding the party at a venue but felt restricted with what we wanted to do. I am a very creative and resourceful person and wanted to source and make much of the décor and decorations myself. "

Welcome to Personalised Favours!

We have created a blog dedicated to inspiring you to design and create a beautiful wedding day which is uniquely yours and reflects your personality.

Our team at Personalised Favours understand that your wedding day is your special day and you want to make it perfect for your friends and family. Our aim is to make this process a little easier for you by keeping you updated on our new product arrivals and posting some interesting wedding ideas and products found in our travels.

You may ask, what makes our products so unique?
Well most of our products can be personalised with you unique design or message. Our team of graphic designers are always creating funny, cute, romantic cartoon characters to give you and your guests a unique remembrance gift of your special day.