My Guestbook Blog

The Bride & Groom Show

Sunday, May 6th

9:00am - 4:30pm

Ellerslie Show Grounds

The Countdown begins……

We’re not quite sure what happened to April which seemed to go by in a blur! But we have to say as we raced towards the end we experienced a ripple of excitement.  We  can now say:

It’s The Bride and Groom Show this week!

A Regular at the show

My Guestbook has attended this show for several years now and we’re still as excited about being part of this fantastic event as we were at the beginning.

What you need to know about the Bride and Groom Show

If you’ve never visited this iconic event before, here’s the lowdown….

If you’re planning to get married anytime soon (and even if it’s not for a wee while), the Bride and Groom show is your one-stop shop to speak to professionals who specialise in all things weddings.  There are several good reasons why this show has been running for over TWENTY years now! The standard of exhibitors is as high today as it was over 20 years ago. The information is relevant, on-trend and there are packages to suit all styles. No matter what your budget is there is something for everyone.

Live Shows!

Stuck for ideas for a dress? The ever-popular live shows, (three throughout the day) are a must see. Top bridal designers showcase the latest in bridal fashion. And before the groom feels left out, a range of suits are on show too. Everything from tradition, romantic to edgy and modern will be modelled up and down the catwalk. Many a decision has been made for bridesmaid dresses at the show too, so be sure to bring your team with you.

Four Fabulous Floors to Visit

There are four floors buzzing with excitement as the crowds get to discover ideas for table settings, taste wedding cake, smell beautiful flowers, touch gorgeous fabrics, chat to those in the know and listen to potential wedding entertainers.

Be Inspired. Be informed.

It’s also your chance to be inspired, gain a tonne of ideas, not to mention entering hundreds of special one-day-only offers and discounts from wedding specialists. There will be giveaways, instant door prizes and major competitions to enter!

Be into win….

If you love social media, the Bride and Groom show invite you to follow them on instagram.com/nzbrideandgroom Simply use the hashtag #nzbrideandgroom when you post on instagram as you attend the show be in to win some amazing prizes.

For a peek at what to expect go here to see a snapshot of lasts years show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhg3ayaz4Qk

Our Three Top Tips for Visitors:

1. If you want a goodie bag, go early.
2. Take at least one other person with you who will give you honest feedback. There’s so much information and having someone to talk to about the options helps you to think things through before signing up for something that may not be the best option for you (or in danger of blowing your budget)!.
3. If you get the chance to look up who’s exhibiting beforehand it’s a good idea to have a plan of who you’d like to visit. If you want to have an in-depth chat with any particular exhibitor they’ll be slowing down towards the end of the day and more likely able to give you more attention

Yes, it may well come down to the choice between:

Early = goodie bag

or

Later = quality time with an exhibitor!!

Finally, Liz and I will be on our stand (stand 149) ready to greet all our lovely visitors as soon as the doors burst open. We have our own fabulous prizes up for grabs and a show special, plus we’ll be there to answer any questions you might have about what type of guestbook you’d like to have at your wedding.

See you soon!

Tracey

• Current Orders - All current fingerprint tree orders will be shipped out by Monday 5th March
• New Orders - As above all Instax books and artisan books can be ordered as normal as our bindery is still open. 
• Deadline for new fingerprint guestbook orders - Saturday 3rd March 
• Barnwood Guestbooks - I have three of these made up ready to go if anyone wanted one
• If you get really stuck for a fingerprint guestbook before the end of April I may be able to work something out for you but please email me in the first instance. 

• Current Orders - All current fingerprint tree orders will be shipped out by Monday 5th March
• New Orders - As above all Instax books and artisan books can be ordered as normal as our bindery is still open. 
• Deadline for new fingerprint guestbook orders - Saturday 3rd March 
• Barnwood Guestbooks - I have three of these made up ready to go if anyone wanted one
• If you get really stuck for a fingerprint guestbook before the end of April I may be able to work something out for you but please email me in the first instance. 

So some news for anyone getting married in March or April. Due to an unexpected bereavement in the UK, I need to head over to support my partner through this difficult time. He had to hop on a plane last week when his Mum became ill but, sadly things turned out much worse than we had hoped. I will be heading over there next week but I'm putting a call out to anyone who needs a guestbook for March or April weddings to order by Friday evening and I will make your guestbook before I leave. Our binder, Lou, will still be working in the bindery so Instax books and artisan book orders can continue without me.

So what does this mean for you:

• Current Orders - All current fingerprint tree orders will be shipped out by Monday 5th March
• New Orders - As above all Instax books and artisan books can be ordered as normal as our bindery is still open. 
• Deadline for new fingerprint guestbook orders - Saturday 3rd March 
• Barnwood Guestbooks - I have three of these made up ready to go if anyone wanted one
• If you get really stuck for a fingerprint guestbook before the end of April I may be able to work something out for you but please email me in the first instance. 

Are you a nearly-wed?

Firstly, let us congratulate you on this exciting news. 

Secondly, you’ll want to read this….

Breaking News

We’re booked into the largest wedding show of its kind in Rotorua…yes, we will be at Hitched Wedding Show on Sunday 9th April.

We love meeting our clients face to face so what better chance than this exciting and unique event to say hello! This is a fantastic opportunity for us at My Guestbook to showcase our ever- expanding range of guestbooks. And for you to turn your wedding planning into an adventure. Here’s what they're saying on the Hitched website:

Come for the show, or make a weekend of it and experience the plethora of activities Rotorua has to offer. Whether it’s adrenaline-pumping adventures, cultural excursions, or soothing day spa facilities – Rotorua has it all!

We do hope you’ll come and see us and say hi to the driving force behind My Guestbook - namely me, Tracey! 

We like to keep our finger on the pulse, love feedback and are always on the look-out for new and innovative ideas. This is how we find out what you want for your wedding. Don’t be afraid to tell us your ideas for themes. We love a challenge, so it doesn’t matter how ‘out-there’ your idea is! We want to hear it as we have a team of artisans at our fingertips, waiting to create one off guestbooks as well as our existing gorgeous designs. One such design we think you’ll love is the Redwoods Guestbook.

Why this guestbook in particular? Well, if you’re thinking of getting married in and around the area this gorgeous tree has been designed with Rotorua in mind. Go here to find out why this is such a unique and memorable addition to any Bay of Plenty inspired wedding. Oh, and if you are thinking of having a vintage theme too….then this will also be of interest to you.

Back to the fabulous Hitched Wedding Show, why do we think it’s fabulous? To begin with, it’s in its 7th year, yes - 7th year - now that’s a sign of a great wedding show! We think the team at Hitched are pretty fabulous too; innovative, forward thinking and focussed on making sure the nearly-weds get all the information they need in a fun and informative way.

Let's talk about the venue

The show takes place at the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre (trying saying that with a mouthful of sample wedding cake!). All joking aside, the centre ticks all the boxes for a show. This is what the team at Hitched say about this charming venue: 

This fabulous venue embodies in a single facility the charm and history of Rotorua, while also being conveniently located in the heart of the city.

We couldn’t sum it up better. So whether you’re a local coming to the show for the day, or an out of towner planning to spend the weekend in Rotorua (go on, you know you want to….) we can’t wait to showcase our fantabulous range of guestbooks. 

What else we think you’ll like

There will be a runway show - come and see a stunning showcase of wedding dresses by a range of excellent bridal houses.

Keep an eye out on our facebook page for news and updates but if you want to book your tickets and save some money you can book them online here  so you can fully experience all the delights of the show and meet the experts such as myself (couldn’t resist that but it is true ha ha!).

Live music

LOTS of great prizes and more

We are super excited and can’t wait to meet you in Rotorua, Let us help you have fun making the transition from a nearly wed to a newly wed.

Lock in the date now!

HOT TIP: Take a photo of the details so you won’t forget them…..

Hitched Wedding Show

Sir Howard Morrison Centre

1170Fenton Street

Rotorua 3010

Sunday 9^th April

10 am – 3 pm

My Guestbook

Stand 13

SO looking forward to meeting you all x

A Retirement Guestbook for Eliot Sinclair ......

If you look at a duck swimming on a lake, doesn’t it just look so relaxed and yet we all know it’s little legs are going 10 to the dozen underneath the water. This is how I felt recently when a rush order came in one Monday morning.

In fact, the order came in as an inquiry first and went something like this:

We need a custom-made guestbook for an event to farewell one of our directors.

By Thursday. For Friday's ceremony.

We are in Christchurch.

Just one of those requirements is usually enough to get us rushing around at the My Guestbook HQ, never mind custom made/rush order and time challenged!

In case you didn’t know, or you’re reading about My Guestbook for the first time please bear with us as we ask you to do something:

Look at your hands.

YES.

We’re serious.

Look at your hands.

When something says handmade it means the item has been made with a pair of hands.

In our case either ours or a pair of hands belonging to our team of artisans who supply us with a range of delightful guestbooks.

Custom made is another step in the handmade process

• You tell us your requirements
• We follow your instructions
• We design and handmake your guestbook

Remember, this order came in on a Monday and needed to be in Christchurch by Thursday, so when we had yet another little challenge given to us, because clearly, we didn’t have enough, our legs started paddling like they’d never paddled before!

The next hurdle?

We were informed it needed to be signed off by a senior manager before we could start creating. We just crossed our fingers and hoped the team at Eliot Sinclair didn’t fit the stereotype associated with upper management (you know what we’re talking about: notorious for taking their time with decisions!).

THANKFULLY, they were brilliant and just as keen as we were to have the guestbook delivered on time.

And delivered on time it was. It was teamwork all the way. By crikey. my nails suffered badly waiting for news of its safe arrival. BUT, WE DID IT! PHEW! Well, we’re guessing you know this, as who writes a blog about a failed order!!

We were already excited about meeting this challenge so it was utterly gorgeous to get this email in our inbox shortly after the guestbooks arrival in Christchurch:

TRACEY!!!!!!!!
I have received it!!!!!! It looks beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you again for your prompt and AWESOME service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are so, so, so proud of this stunning guestbook whose cover matches the brand colours of our client, Eliot Sinclair. The event was in honour of one of their directors, Marton Sinclair. He was clearly very well thought of as 120 people attended the farewell gathering.

The guestbook was made extra special, and personal, by the team at Eliot Sinclair designing a custom insert for the window on the cover. Once this had been emailed to us we printed it onto fine art paper (we don’t have to tell you just how much we love prints on fine art paper) it looked simply divine.

They also sent through a photograph of Marton and the following words:

‘’We are celebrating the successful career of our founding director Marton Sinclair,

who retired after 46 years with Eliot Sinclair & Partners Ltd”

Both of which were used to design the custom front page. The see-through page we added at the front to protect the photograph gave it an extra classy look.

Finished off with gold Chicago screws it really showcased the gorgeous red book-cloth and the result is a beautiful, personal keepsake.

We wish Marton all the very best on his next adventures

So, you could say, in the end, it all went swimmingly well!

If you would like to order one of our custom retirement guestbooks you can see more information in our shop

Waipuna Estate in Christchurch is set in luxurious surroundings with spectacular views of the Southern Alps. It is the perfect venue to host your wedding or private functions such as birthdays, anniversaries or family get-togethers.

What’s that got to do with us?

As we create guestbooks and the Waipuna Estate provides an exquisite boutique wedding venue -  we were thrilled to be asked to make a unique visitors guestbook for this charming Estate.

As you will see from the photographs of the guestbook, the cover has the Estates logo on the front. This is how we roll at My Guestbook, creating one off books to suit any occasion and working in with your brand. Want to know how we did it? We’ll let you into a secret, by using a heat transfer method. Because we can! As our products are made by hand we are always up for a challenge. In this case, Waipuna Estate required an A4 landscape book with custom cover.

As we have been providing guestbooks for some time now, we have learnt that guests regardless of the occasion, i.e weddings, funerals, leaving parties, prefer to be presented with a blank page when it comes to leaving a message. It allows the guests to be creative and leave personal messages rather than work around the restrictions of lined paper. We have found those who love to draw or stick photographs in books, enjoy the creative freedom this brings with it. 

And now, there is another use - promotional! If you opt for a book with this style of page design, you could use photos of the messages as feedback in your promotional material (with guests permission of course). The unique style of testimonial can not only be used online but the old fashioned way too (remember this!) - in print. This makes it a fantastic and unique promotional tool as well as a great visitors book for guests to peruse and write in.

For those of you who love attention to detail, allow us to share the specifications of this guestbook:

It has been made with the hands of an award winning artisan bookbinder.

Want to know how?

Go here for a peek at this amazing process. 

The pages inside are beautiful to the touch and white in colour.

The pages are 135 GSM paper providing the book with a luxurious feeling

Covered with white book cloth this classy guestbook is right at home in its new spectacular home.

And finally it has been perfect bound which means the pages have been hand glued to the spine of the book. Bound is this way your book will last for many years to come.

How perfectly perfect is that!

You can purchase your own visitors book here