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Featured Supplier Cards By Sophie tells Brides Up North all about her gorgeous stationery.
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Vintage
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How and why did Cards By Sophie begin?
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Not many people know that I used to work in the construction industry, which now feels like a completely different life! I was under the threat of redundancy in early 2009 so decided to leave the hard hat and steel toe cap boots behind before I was pushed. I have always wanted to be more creative and resented the fact that my job wouldn’t allow it. I’ve made cards since I was very young, and thought back to my own wedding in 2007 where I found it so difficult to find something that was just as I wanted. I decided to create a collection that is simple, stylish, contemporary and affordable for everyone.
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Allure
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Did you make the invitations for your own wedding?
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I didn’t actually! I got married abroad in New Zealand so it was completely different, then we had a big party when we got back home again. This is where the gem of Cards by Sophie came from as I couldn’t find any stationers that would let you write something other than ‘wedding invitation’ on the outside of the card. I ended up spending a small fortune on some lovely invites but if I’d had the time I would have done them myself!
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Sophie’s Real Wedding
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What designs are available to order?
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We have 18 designs, in two ranges. In our first we have unique, handmade and completely personal designs. Each design can be customised to your requirements, for example the colours of ribbons, handmade paper or Swarovski crystals can be changed to match your wedding theme and colours. There are no set rules, the stationery is available in a range of sizes, and you can create your own wording on the inside and outside of each card.
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Our second range features four fabulous printed designs. You can add your own wording on the inside and outside of the card and add an additional personal touch of Swarovski crystals to match your wedding theme.
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Dandelion
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Do you have any new designs for 2011?
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The printed designs mentioned above (Rosa, Botanica, Dandelion and Inspire) are all new for 2011. In addition we have Carnival and Amour that are new as well! We’ve been busy recently!
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Can you do custom designs?
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Yes this is also possible. I should say that all of our existing stationery can be altered to a particular wedding theme or colours, once you change the colour or font it can really change the design completely. If you’re looking for bespoke that is also possible, we charge a one off fee of £50 to design something completely new for you.
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What is currently your favourite design and why?
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My favourite changes almost weekly I think! At the moment I’m loving Botanica, one of the new printed designs. It’s so intricate and looks stunning even from a distance.
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Botanica
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What is your most popular design and why?
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The most popular design is Pearl, I think it’s due to its simplicity; it’s not over complicated and very wedding-y! The ribbon colour can change on this so again it can look quite modern or more traditional depending on this and your font as well.
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Pearl
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Where do you get your inspiration from?
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It might sound silly but my clients inspire me, I want people out there getting married to find their ideal stationery without the big trawl through the internet and lack of choice that I found when planning my wedding! I love it when I can help a client out, it keeps me going and I have to remember that when I’m having a bad day. I had a conversation with a bride earlier in the week who was so thankful that I could do her invitations for her in time, something like that is just so worthwhile. I’ve also had a couple of people come round to view my work recently saying ‘I wish I’d found you sooner’. What could be better than that?!
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Allure
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What products are available in each design? – i.e. save the date, evening invitation etc
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Stationery available for each and every design is as follows:
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· Save the Dates
· Invitations – Day / Evening
· Pocketfolds (includes a ribbon wrapped RSVP and information card)
· Cheque Books (includes a perforated RSVP sheet and information sheet)
· Menus
· Order of Service / Day
· Table Cards (names and numbers)
· Place Cards
· Table Plans
· Guest Books
· Favour Boxes
· Thank you cards
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Pearl
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Who would be your dream client, and what sort of design would you envisage for them?
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This is a difficult one! I would love to do a celeb wedding, just because it would be so over the top! Although this may not be such a dream as they would need a huge amount of stationery. I would love to get into Indian weddings more because the colours are so beautiful and bright, I did some order of service with our Petal design in hot pink and orange which looked fab.
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Petal
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What design would you suggest for the Royal Wedding?
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I would probably go for Pearl which is very classic with a pale pink ribbon, or if they want to go a bit more British – Carnival with a bit of bunting!
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Carnival
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Pearl
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What would be your top tips for Brides Up North when choosing their wedding stationery?
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Your stationery can set the scene for your wedding. It is an exciting way of giving your guests an idea of what your day will be like and it’s often the first glimpse they will get into the wedding!
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Invitations are the first key step to setting the tone and choosing them may help you decide on your flowers and other accessories, or vice-versa! Think about the sort of clothes you love, your ideal décor, and the place where you are getting married. This will help you decide whether you’re going for something traditional, vintage or modern.
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Which colours are you going for? Many of my clients choose ribbon colours on the stationery to match the bridesmaids’ dresses and send me a swatch of fabric so I can create the design in the right colours. We encourage our couples to choose their preferred wording or create their own for that special touch.
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Dandelion favour box
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How far in advance should save the dates and then wedding invitations be sent out?
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The first items to consider are save the date cards. These are usually sent as soon as you know your wedding date, at least 9 – 12+ months in advance of your wedding. It’s a good idea to send these out particularly if the wedding is at a busy holiday time or mid-week. Some couples skip save the dates altogether and move straight onto the next step… invitations.
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We recommend sending out invitations at least 2 months prior to the wedding. You’ll also need to allow enough time for your stationer to make the items (we ask for around 2-3 weeks after approval of a proof), so you need to be thinking about these around 3-4 months before the wedding date.
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Monogram – pocketfold
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Consider having pocketfolds or cheque books; they contain not only the invitation but an RSVP and information card for details of hotels, directions etc. inside – we love making life simple! If you provide your guests with RSVP’s it often means they will reply a lot quicker and not forget to reply altogether. It’s always difficult chasing up those last few replies. Information cards are a flat piece of printed card, they can include anything you like, directions, hotel details or a map, or possibly a little poem for your guests.
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Rosa – cheque book
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Does all the stationery have to match?
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Not at all! Most couples do prefer to match it all up, but others want something different each time. This particularly applies if you’re ordering save the dates up front, I’d recommend to just pick something you like the look of and worry about your colour scheme later on with the invitations.
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I completed an order recently for the Allure design where the clients changed the colours of the ribbons, feathers and crystals for all of the on the day items, so this meant it was still the same design but had alternative colours for the menus, order of service and table plan!
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Where are you based and where can you supply?
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I’m based in Cheshire, however I supply throughout the UK (and worldwide!). I’m very proud that my stationery has gone to the USA, Canada, France, Switzerland and Germany so far…!
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Inspire
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What are your prices, are you doing any special offers?
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Special offer at the moment is a 10% discount on orders over £300.
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Our prices for invitations start at £1.95, menus from £1.95, order of service from £2.25, place cards are 95p, table plans £70 including postage, table cards £1.55, thank you cards from £1.75 – a full price list is available on our website.
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Amour
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How long do you take to turn around an order?
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This varies of course on the amount of items ordered. When we receive an order we make a proof with all of the font, wording and colour options and send it to our client for approval. Once we’ve got this signed off we start on the stationery, this usually takes around 2-3 weeks for a standard order. We do get very busy over the summer so it may be slightly longer but we’ll always keep our clients updated on where we’re up to!
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If we receive an order that has say invitations and also what we term ‘on the day’ (anything to be used on the day itself e.g. menus, place cards etc) we will make and send out the order in two batches. Invitations up front, and then nearer the wedding day we’ll get in touch for all of the information for the on the day items.
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How can I get in touch to discuss my requirements or place an order?
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The website is www.cardsbysophie.com, where you can order a sample for just £1, or you can find us on Twitter www.twitter.com/cardsbysophie or our Facebook page www.facebook.com/cardsbysophie
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Either that or just email me sophie@cardsbysophie.com with your thoughts – I’d love to hear from you!
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Love favour box
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We hear you have a new website? Tell us about it.
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Yes we’re very excited about our new website! It was launched a few weeks ago. It features an e-commerce facility so clients can order directly through the website, making it much more convenient to order. The website www.cardsbysophie.com and our new designs are all aimed at making wedding stationery quicker, easier and cheaper to order.
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Inspire place card
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Finally, a bit of PR for me, why do you read the Brides Up North blog and why do you like it?
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I love the variety of posts on Brides Up North from guilty celeb wedding reading to selections of dresses and a wonderful interview recently with Sarah Beeny! It’s a great idea to target those northern brides out there, so many things (and suppliers) are southern based, so it’s often difficult to find something local, or to see something in the flesh without an expensive trip to London! An excellent resource for couples Up North!
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Remember to comment on the Brides Up North Chez Bec Giveaway for a chance to win a Crystal Elegance bracelet. Competition closes at midnight tomorrow!
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Cards By Sophie is a Brides Up North Featured supplier
Contact Brides Up North to submit your business as a Featured Supplier
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