Everyone has a different idea of what their wedding will be like. Small or large, extravagant, traditional, modern, fun the list goes on. One major element which helps to establish your wedding style is the location. Once location is determined then all the details will be decided accordingly such as the wedding invitations, decorations, colour scheme, attire etc.


The independent recently published an article listing the 50 best wedding locations. This long list of locations really emphasizes the different wedding styles people choose - although it seems that for the most part people tend to go with a more traditional approach. For more wedding location ideas, refer back to my previous post about extreme weddings.


You can win £500 or a new iPod Touch for describing your dream wedding!

Wedding Invitation Competition

First Place Wins Cash, Second Place Wins an iPOD^® Touch!

Hello Readers,

Many of you know that we at Optimalprint appreciate creativity. This summer we are hosting a wedding competition (in addition to our annual design contest which will begin later in the year).

How do you enter the wedding invitation competition?

1. Write your dream wedding scenario in 250 words or less.
2. Find a wedding invitation from Optimalprint.co.uk to represent your dream wedding
3. Send us an email with the following information by Tuesday August 25th, 2009:
• Address the subject of the email to: Wedding competition: Design #xxxx
• Include your dream wedding scenario, name and country of residence
• Send the email to: wedding@optimalprint.com
4. Check your email on Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 to see if you are a winner

What you can win!

Grand prize winners will be announced on the site as well as notified by e-mail.



Best of luck to all participants!


More details about the wedding competition.

Entertaining kids can be a tough job. Most parents know that when inviting your kid’s friends to a party, you better be prepared, or else you may end up with a big mess. Themed parties are a good start but you need these kids occupied, focused and having fun!

Here are some fun party games that are low cost and easy to implement:

What Am I?

Once all the kids have arrived, line them up with their backs to you. Tape pictures of animal/objects/people, to their backs. Give them a time frame in which they may ask each other yes and no questions about what they are. Give an example of questions they may want to ask such as, "Am I an animal or an object?" At the end of the given time frame, each child takes a turn saying what they think they are.

This works really well with a theme. For example, if your theme is a jungle safari, use related animals or objects: Tiger, bear, monkey, elephant, tree, etc.

Buddy Buddy

Similar to What Am I? you whisper the name of an animal/objects/people in each child’s ear. Tell them that there is at least one other person that is the same animal as they are. Within a given time frame they may ask each other yes and no questions to try to figure out who their "Buddy Buddy" is. When time is up tell everyone to go sit by who they think their buddy is. Go over the clues with the kids until they figure it out and everyone is sitting next to the correct buddy.

Birthday Wishes

Ask the children to sit in a circle. The first player starts by saying, "At my birthday party I want balloons". The next player must repeat "At my birthday party I want balloons…." and add another item. This continues all the way around the circle with each player reciting the wishes in the exact order they have been given and then adding a new one. If a player makes a mistake they are out. The person left who can perfectly recite the birthday wishes wins.

Who’s got it?

All the kids gather in a room. 1 child is chosen to be "detective" and is briefly sent out of the room. One of the kids in the room is given an object such as a button or a scarf. The detective then returns to the room and has to guess who has the object. The detective can only ask 3 yes and no questions as clues. All the children act suspicious as though they have it.
For themed parties, select an object that goes with the theme.

Scavenger Hunt/ Treasure Hunt

This is a great way to occupy kids while letting them run around and burn off some energy. You may hide items/gift bags/candy/coins in the yard and/or in designated rooms. Encourage kids to work as 1 big team or break them up into a few smaller groups.

Can You Guess How Many?

Fill a jar with candy, marbles, etc. Have children write their name on a small piece of paper and the number of candies (or other objects) they think are in the jar. The child who guesses the right number, or comes closest, gets a prize. The jar of candy can also be the prize, or you can divide the candy in the jar among the children.

Mind Play
Blow up balloons and write questions on them with a marker. Place the balloons in Bag "A".
Write fun actions like "Pat your head and rub your tummy at the same time", “Hop around the room 3 while hoping on 1 foot” on a strip of paper, roll it up, place in balloons, blow up the balloons and place in Bag “B”.

Each child reaches in and pulls out a balloon from Bag "A" on their turn. If they answer the question correctly, they stay in for another round. If they answer incorrectly they pull a balloon out of Bag "B", pop it and have to do what it says... If they complete the task they can return to the game. If not they are out and can cheer on the remaining players. The game ends when all the questions have been answered.

More Tips:

• Make sure to carefully clean up the balloon remains, as they are a choking hazard for young children.


• The 1£ store is a great place to get prizes. Candy also make for good prizes.


• Variations of these game may be fun at adult parties as well.

Shopping online can be a tricky business. Companies often say one thing to bring you into their site, and then don’t live up to your expectations. I have experienced this on several occasions.

More often than not, companies advertise low printing prices and then you get online to buy your business cards, brochures, postcards or any other product and you realize that the low price is for a product that is low quality.

Next thing you know the company is adding costs under the cover of:

• colour add-ons


• paper upgrades


• uploading fees for your own logo, photo or design


• proof or sample of your print product, which you should be entitled to as a customer who is paying for a service

You end up paying much more than the advertised price.

In addition to all of this, when you finally get your product you see an advertisement for the printing company that was not visible in your online preview, or purchased sample!
So now you are in a dilemma as to whether you can use this product, or if it will make you seem unprofessional. You have just spent too much time and money on a product that you are now stuck with.

Having experienced this on a first hand basis encouraged me to start my own online printing company where everything would be transparent.

NO hidden costs, NO unforeseen add-ons and definitely NO shameless advertisements on our customers’ printed products.

In today’s unstable economy, it is important for small businesses to reduce costs. One way to do this is by finding an online printing company that offers high quality printing at a low cost. Online printing companies offer your company more than just an effective way to save money. You can push this revenue and spend more money on off line marketing efforts such as direct mailings, print advertising and more.

Why would an online printer be more cost effective?

• Since the service is provided online, printers are often located in low rent areas.


• Many online printers are very big often reducing costs due to economies of scale.


• Free design templates make it possible to work without a graphic designer.


• Businesses can order low cost materials in just a few minutes, saving your company time and money on graphic designers and employee time.


• Reduces the time-to-market, since there is no wait time with respect to design approval and revisions.


• The ability to upload photos and logos for free.


• The ability to upload existing designs for free. This is convenient for companies that have, or had an in-house graphic designer.


• Free online storage for designs enables you to re-order and re-print, quickly, saving time and in turn money.

Print materials such as business cards, folders, brochures and letterhead represent your company to potential clients. It is important that you present a high quality and clean product, while creating a uniform brand image for your company’s marketing plan.

For more tips on saving money on printing read: The Cheap Business Printing Article.