personalised favours

This month, we’re celebrating ten years since Personalised Favours came to be. To commemorate, we look back on the PF journey over the past decade and look forward to all the exciting things yet to come.

Transformation story

It was ten years ago that PF company founder and online entrepreneur, Melissa Wilkinson, began an e-Bay business in her garage. Through a whole lot of blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice, the business has been transformed from a backyard operation into a multimillion-dollar international enterprise, operating throughout the United States and Australasia. This is her story.

In the beginning

Mel always knew she had to be successful b

Gone are the days when wedding season began in September and was finished by May. Winter weddings are all the rage – picture cosy, candlelit nuptials filled with mulled wine, rich winter décor and bold colour palettes – and you can see why winter weddings are so on-point.

 For anyone hitting this oh so cool wedding trend – either this year or next – we share with you insider industry secrets on how to plan your perfect winter wonderland wedding, and put you on the path to wedded winter bliss.

 5 secrets to create a wedded winter wonderland

Winter weddings stand out because of their elegance, their uniqueness and their ability to use the stark contrast of the chilly conditions and bare landscape to emphasise the warmth and beauty of the celebrations within.

 We’ve gleaned the best advice from numerous wedding experts and now bring you the five best industry secrets on how to create your own perfect wedded winter wonderland.

You’re married! You’ve tied the knot, celebrated your special day and been hungover on your honeymoon. Now it’s time to return home to married life. But the secret to a happy marriage doesn’t end with your wedding day. Here we share with you insider tips for newlyweds on how to create the perfect love nest and keep that ‘just married’ spark alive for all eternity.

Keep the spark alive: 7 insider tips for newlyweds

 1.    Keep up the effort

The secret to maintaining a happy and healthy marriage is keeping up the effort. This doesn’t mean you won’t disagree, or at times take your partner for granted, but putting in the effort to make them feel special and celebrate the good times goes a long way.

Surprise your spouse by setting the dinner table for a romantic meal for a special occasion or ‘just because’ and include intimate touches such as Engraved Gift Boxed Crystal Cham

Personalised Favours Founder and Joint Managing Director, Melissa Wilkinson, has two babies – one is the personalised wedding and special occasions online store she began from her second bedroom almost ten years ago as the cornerstone of her global online empire, and the other is her four-month-old daughter, Jaz. On the eve of International Women’s Day 2019, Mel shares an honest account of the challenges and triumphs in her journey so far and helps women everywhere understand how they can achieve #balanceforbetter across all aspects of their lives.

Finding Better Balance

Although Melissa is only relatively new to the juggle of motherhood and running your own business, she already sees the renewed perspective being both a mum and a business owner has bought to her life. Here she encourages women to see the benefits –as well as acknowledging the struggles-- of having both a baby and a business, and shares what she believes to be the seven secrets to balan

So, your big day is fast approaching and you've been planning for months, talking about it for even longer and it seems like you've got everything covered. The venue is booked, a wet weather contingency plan is in place, the photographer is good to go, the guest list (after numerous headaches) is set, and invitations have been sent - need we say it, the list goes on, But as the excitement of your wedding begins to take hold, your thoughts turn to the people that you'll share the majority of this special day with -- your bridal party! A sometimes-eclectic collection of you and your partner's nearest and dearest, this group will see you at your best (and maybe your worst), as you ride the roller-coaster also known as a wedding.

Often underestimated, the bridal party have an important role to play, both in the lead up to, and on your big day. From fittings to rehearsals to decorating, your bridal party is in it for the long haul: acting as advisors, problem solvers and pillars of strength

Wedding favours are a way to say thank you to your loved ones for the part they have played in not only your nuptial celebrations, but your life to date. Rather than impractical, impersonal favours that will be left on the table when the festivities have faded; we show you five ways to create unforgettable wedding favours that sincerely express your gratitude and are guaranteed to go home with your guests.

1. Use it

Wedding favours that can be used in the world beyond the wedding are always a big hit with guests. If you're getting married in the middle of summer, items such as Hangover Kits, wooden wedding fans, customised beach thongs or stubby holders to keep your beer cold go a long way. Similarly, winter weddings may see you providing wraps, gloves or even slippers for tired, post-dancefloor feet. Personalise these presents with your own special message, artwork or design to provide a practical gift with a personal touch.

There are several essential elements that make a wonderful wedding: love, laughter, and a suitable life partner usually top the list. Once these big-ticket items are taken care of, it is the delicate details and personal touches that truly make a wedding memorable for the bride, groom, and their guests. Here we take a look at seven simple and inexpensive wedding details that take your nuptials from standard to stunning help create wedding-day memories to last a lifetime.

1. Personalised wedding invitations

Start off on the right foot with customised wedding invites that reflect your unique identity as a couple and your personal sense of style. Choose from monogrammed wooden pieces to royal style acrylic cards. Personalise your invites with guest names and special messages to set the scene for what's to come.

You've been invited to the wedding of the couple that has it all. Successful in both love and life: they are financially astute, have already taken a sizeable chunk out of the mortgage for their tastefully furnished abode, are escalating upward on their respective career ladders, not to mention being irritatingly gorgeous and crazy about each other. Sigh. So the question is; what do you get the bride and groom who already have everything?

Make it personal

This couple is clearly not going to settle for your standard run-of-the-mill wedding gift. Chances are they probably already have it anyway. So before you thoughtlessly toss some cash in a card (they don't need your money), or hand over the standard DJ's voucher, why not purchase something truly

Father's Day is sneaking up on us again. This is one day of the year we can truly appreciate our Dad and everything he does for us. So instead of rushing out to buy yet another fluorescent tie that will linger in the back of the cupboard, six pack of sports socks or a 'World's Best Dad' oversize coffee mug, why not get him something he might actually use (or even appreciate)? To help you avoid the useless (and give you some good ideas), we take a look at the three best and worst Father's Day gifts of 2016.

Best and Worst Father's Day Gifts of 2016

Ok let's start with the bad stuff. There is no doubt most of us are guilty of purchasing one of the following offending items at some point in our Father's Day present-buying history:

1. Beer
   All Dads like beer. Well, all the ones we

The role of Dads on their daughters' wedding day was immortalised by Steve Martin in the 1991 movie, Father of the Bride, when he portrayed overprotective father George Banks, and the conflicting emotions he experienced in 'giving his little girl away'. Perhaps this movie highlighted to fathers everywhere, what not to do in regard to the happiest day of their daughter's life.

Image Sourced from Pinterest

Your wedding reception is a unique room that you can style to reflect the love and personality of you and your new husband or wife. Whether it be extravagant, simple, modern or rustic, the theme of the room will be you. Styling your wedding tables can often be tricky. You don't want to 'over-style' and clutter the space your guests have, but your don't want them to look bare either. What you really should be doing is opting for a simple, but unique look. Think innovative, engraved and and fresh - your guests will appreciate the artistic side to your wedding decor. Wood Vs Mirror - Check out our top tips for styling your wedding tables:

Table Numbers

Table numbers can play a big part in elevating the overall style of your wedding. It is important to stick to a theme and not mix and match too much. Freestanding Mirror table numbers will make your guests say 'WOW'.

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 flow

In celebration of the long weekend ( YAY!), the team at PF have decided to give away another $500 voucher to shop on our online store. To enter visit ?

 

While summer months remain the most popular time for couples to get hitched, don't overlook getting married in winter. In Australia, we have mild wintery days. Temperatures average around 12-15 degrees in the middle of the day (depending on location).

Winter weddings ooze glamour and style (and gorgeous long sleeve wedding dresses!). They are timeless and opulent showing off gorgeous lodges, country estates vineyards, ballrooms and/or intimate restaurants.

There are fewer tools used more in the kitchen than your chopping board. Engraved with your personalised message, our Wooden Chopping Boards are generously sized and would be proudly displayed in any home. They make a very decorative and practical gift for any occasion. Here are some of our favourite gift ideas for our engraved chopping board:

Birthday

Celebrate the next milestone birthday with one of our personalised engraved wooden paddle boards. Made from rubber wood, each chopping board is engraved with a personalised message and a design that celebrates the recipients birthday.

Mums are often called upon to offer advice and with Mother's Day just around the corner, we decided to celebrate this special occasion with an online facebook competition. To WIN an engraved Mothers Day Hamper, we asked, "What was the best or worst advice your Mother gave you?"

We had a fabulous response and thought we share with you the top 5 Best and Worst advice your Mother as given you:

According to the number one wedding planning gurus in Australia, Wedded Wonderland, the next big thing in invitations is acrylic. They all agree ( as do we ) - acrylic is everything. Unlike the usual card or paper invitations, acrylic is hard-wearing, luxurious and versatile, coming in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours.

So, why is acrylic so unique and what is it?

Acrylic is a piece of plastic also known as Perspex. The 3mm sheet of acrylic is laser cut and engraved by our production team to create a custom and unique invitation design. Acrylic is lightweight and available in a range of terrific colours such as Black, Mirror Gold, Mirror Silver, Clear and Frosted.

A Parisian style monochrome wedding is a beautiful theme to coordinate with and one that can be easily carried out throughout your entire wedding. Not only is black and white a classic theme, it is also timeless and will be forever popular.

The Key

The key to pulling a monochrome wedding off it to be mindful of the black to white ratio. You want the white to be the dominating colour, with pops of black thrown in to compliment. After all you don't want a dark and gloomy wedding!

Invitations and Stationary

Start by setting the tone of your wedding and think ab

So you're planning to have your wedding in a beautiful garden! We have found some gorgeous inspiration to help you visualise how your garden wedding could look along with some must have unique ideas!

Use your surroundings, fill an archway with all the flowers and plants that will be in your garden location. You can also use florals to decorate your guests table, placing the table number within the bouquet.

In case the weather starts to warm up, provide your guests the option of a

This week we have been focusing on Rustic Wedding Favours. If you dream of getting married in the countryside, on a farm or in a beautiful garden - this post is for you! We have put our thinking caps on and compiled a list of our top favourite ideas you should consider when planning a Rustic Wedding.

Floral Ceremony Structure

If you are having an outdoor wedding, you will be spoilt for choice when choosing the best location. Florals structures, combined with natural timber, lace and lanterns are the perfect décor to have at your wedding ceremony.

A favour is a take home gift that should be Personalised to leave a long lasting impression on your guests. It is a tradition for many western cultures for guests to receive favours at weddings, baby showers, engagement parties, retirement parties, anniversary parties and birthdays. A favour is a thank you gift for your guests and a keepsake of your special day.

Your bridal party and parents play an important role in creating a wedding day that is truly special. Even before the wedding preparations begin, your bridesmaids, groomsmen and parents have been with you throughout the ups and downs of life. Say Thank You with some of our unique and personalised bridal party gifts. Not only are they unique - they are also affordable!

For the Girls:

Your girls will love a little gift they can use while getting ready and a glass of bubbly is a MUST when getting dressed for your big day. We have a selection of great gifts for your bridesmaids, and no, you wont have break your bank. All our gifts can be uniquely personalised to suit your wedding theme. Here are our top 5:

1. Bold Series Champagne Glass

Personalised Favours was once again so very humbled to accept the award for the No 1. Bomboniere for NSW at the ABIA's on Tuesday night the 8^th December.

For the second year we have been lucky to be a part of the beautiful event hosted at Dockside in Darling Harbour. A big thank you to all our lovely customers who voted for us. We can't thank you enough! We were up against some

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 as

While our lovely brides have been busily preparing for their upcoming nuptials, our PF team have been hard at work preparing their personalised wedding orders! It is about time we shared a little behind the scenes action and share our wonderful workplace with you all.

We have come a long way over the last couple of years and it is all thanks to the continuous support and love from you guys. Sherridan has been busily organising our showroom, arranging products and clearing out.
If you would like to pop in and say hello and explore our showroom, we are open from 8.30am - 5.00pm Monday - Friday.

We have some pretty exciting projects and events coming up like the ABIA awards and releasing our new Christmas range. Stay tuned for the launch!

Social media updated from Emma - We have hit 30k likes on Facebook and will be announcing an exciting competition soon which you will want to be a part of. 

Clubbing is so overrated, right! Gone are the days of smelly club fuelled Hens and Bucks celebrations. Oh don't get me wrong the still exist but many Brides and Groom are opting for something less cliché or less smelly.. There are so many brilliant alternatives out there to choose from to personalise the celebrations. If you have a wide variety of people at different ages, it is also important to consider what they will enjoy too. I mean c'mon, no point going on Studs Afloat with your Grandma ( unless she's into that of course ) but you get my point. Most hens and bucks celebration are enjoyed over the weekend and involve some sort of alcohol enjoyment and maybe a mankini for the lucky Groom?

Here are Miss PF's top ideas to inspire a memorable time with your friends and family.

Hens / Chicks / Ladies:  Daytime Activities

1. Spa Treatments - Pedi, Mani, Massage, Facial
2. Mobile Nail Artist - Have a mobile artist come t

With only 8 or so weeks to go until its Father's Day, there's no better time to share with you some of our favourite gift ideas for your dad. Look no further, we have all the gift ideas covered, from useful gifts to awful gifts.

So, if your looking for a little inspiration to tell dad just how much he means to you ( or maybe to show how little you care ) then read on:

PF's TOP 5 WORST Father's Day GIFT IDEAS

1. The Daddle

Seriously?! HELL NO

2. A Back scrubber.

Who wants to get Wife of the year??

3.

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.

So what is Rustic? Is it a trend or a style? There is something lovely about a rustic style wedding that remains ever so popular with our brides today.

Rustic weddings are not a trend but in fact a style and one that is diverse, heart-warming and so very creative. Not to be confused with a vintage style wedding, but Rustic can branch off into many style niches such as Rustic Chic, a small amount of rustic but with that elegance we love at weddings.
There is Rustic Country, Rustic Vintage and so many other variations. Rustic is all about the textures, fibers, natural beauty, handmade and raw aspects of our world.

So what are the fun and characteristics that define a Rustic wedding? If you have been living on Pinterest then you will know that burlap hessian and mason jars rule them all. You may have also seen handmade recycled timber signs, native flower bouquets, garlands, bunting

We are often asking Brides where they get their inspiration from or what inspires their wedding style. With an abundance of sources out there to tickle anyone's fancy, it's no wonder Brides have such a difficult time deciding whether they like a,b or c!

Sources such as Pinterest have come a long way with providing endless streams of wedding amazingness for women to gush over and sometimes only dream of (damn budget!) The more traditional sources of inspiration are the humble (and heavy!) wedding magazines. Still as popular as ever and always a nice companion when sipping a cup of tea in your pj's.

Where ever you live and whatever your style, the wedding industry will cater for you and it is with our pleasure that we do so. So when it comes to looking for that beautiful Bonbonniere or that perfectly personalised invite, we are there for you waiting with open arms and ready to help you on your journey to wedding bliss.

A fantastic source of wedding suppliers, real

If you are currently planning your wedding, you will know that sometimes it can become a nightmare. With all of the organising, quotes and sourcing there is barley time to enjoy the process.
Planning your wedding can't be done alone so make sure you enlist your bridesmaids and put them to work. I know that the little things make all the difference and that is why I have compiled some of the best wedding tips to make the process that little bit easier.

1. Number your RSVP cards so that they correspond to a guest. If guests fill these out and they are difficult to read, you can at least work out who is attending and who is not.

2. Seal your envelopes with a foam brush and some water

3. Plan your seating chart with colour-coordinated sticky notes

4. A little baby powder on your inner thighs helps eliminate sweating and chafing

Personalised Favours humble beginnings started in 2009 moon lighting and selling on eBay. We found a niche that we were really interested in, i.e. the wedding industry and concentrated on creating quality and unique personalised products.

Since then we have opened an online store while continuing to sell on eBay and now employ 6 full time staff members and continue to grow.

We were contacted by Kochie's Business Builders to inform us we had been nominated for the Rescue My Site Competition in the Local Legends category. As you can guess we were thrilled and began

1. On the RSVP Card - include a line where guests can write a song request

2. In your invite package - include a card with accommodation suggestions and include handy information such as the local taxi number and cafés

3. If you have loved ones who have passed - put a photo charm around your bouquet and carry them with you down the isle.

4. If you are having an outdoor ceremony - have a basket of paper fans

Congratulations to our friends on their fantastic news!

Alex had us make a wooden puzzle and each piece represented a special occasion or event in their lives together.

Kate was met at each location with a piece of the puzzle and Alex was at the end to meet Kate down on one knee. Here are some photos form their magical engagement..

As a bride-to-be, show your appreciation for all your parents help financially, emotionally and planning with a heartfelt thank you gift. Finding the perfect gift for your rents, can often be the last thing on your to-do-list and one of the most stressful.

At Personalised Favours we make this process easy and affordable. After all the love and support they have given you over the years guiding you to where you are today, a thoughtful gift shows them just how much they mean to you. Our design team will work with you to create the ideal gift for your loved ones.

Here are our top wedding favours for your parents and in-laws..

Mum

She's cried with you, laughed with you and been your best enemy at times. Your mum has been there for the highs and the lows,

Share my favourite groomsmen gifts? Challenge accepted...

Your groomsmen are some of the most important and legen - wait for it - dary men in your life. They are your bro's and are there for the good times and the even better times, planning the most important of all bro holidays (your bachelor party) and there to suit up and stand by your side on the big day.

The bro code dictates that you must show them your appreciation by presenting them with a small token from you to remind them of your special day, true story.
I'm not talking about cheesy lovey-dovey cliché gifts, but something that will evoke high-fives and feelings of awesomeness.

Below I will share my favourite gifts - think of me like Yoda, but instead of being little and green, I wear suits and I'm awesome, I'm Broda!

According to the play book there are 4 categories that groomsmen will fit

Working in the wedding industry I am constantly asked by couples which type of invitation I would recommend for them. Below I help to cut through the misinformation and provide you with all my knowledge and experience.

Invitations can broadly fit into six categories:

1. DIY Invitations

2. Electronic Invitations

3. Professionally made Paper Invitations

4. Magnet Invitations

5. Engraved Wooden Invitations

6. Engraved Acrylic Invitations

With our new range of glassware currently being released, including water glasses, mason jars and soft drink glasses, we decided to feature some pretty cool drink ideas for your little ones. If your wedding theme is modern and sleek then our Water glasses or Soft Drink glasses are a great idea to have for the kiddies.

Our modern and stylish water glasses are a new addition to our glassware family. They can all be engraved with your personal message and we can add individual guest names to each glass at no extra cost.

Recipe: Homemade Strawberry lemonade

We take great pride offering friendly customer service and hand crafting the highest quality wooden favours and stationary for your big day! If you're after that unique and handmade feel, our wooden range is perfect for you!

1. Save the Dates, Bridal Party Acceptances Your save the dates are often what sets the theme of your wedding and by showcasing something different and creative, you'll have your guests more than excited for your special day!

It’s coming up to your big day and all your hard work is about to be shared with friends and family. It’s important to thank the people who have supported you and helped organise to make your day so special and uniquely yours.

A special gift not only warms the heart but also shows your appreciation for all their love and support. At Personalised Favours we have now launched our new range of personalised glassware.

We wanted to offer you one-off pieces which can be personalised with your loved ones name and special thank you message. Our range includes shot glasses, wine gla