Wedding stationery nightmares solved by Gourdon business Cuireadh

For many brides-to-be finding the right wedding stationery to complement their special day can be a difficult task. Searching for the right style and colour that fits with the wedding theme and suits the formality of the day can mean endless nights trawling through wedding design brochures or websites. For Carey McIntosh of Gourdon, near Inverbervie, searching for the ideal wedding stationery for her big day lead to her starting up her own wedding stationery business – Cuireadh (pronounced ‘keeroch’ meaning ‘invite’ in Gaelic), specialising in bespoke and individually created wedding invitations, orders of service, menus, place names, favours, guest books and photo albums. Carey set up her business, with the support of Enterprise North East, via Business Gateway, just four months ago and has already created wedding stationery for nine weddings.

Carey previously worked as a teacher and as part of her training did a two year course in art and design. Five years on Carey decided that she wanted to put her creative flair and enjoyment of art and design into practice by setting up her own card making business.

Carey, says, "As a teacher I did a two year art course which I took great satisfaction from and continued to use these skills in my spare time, taking up card making as a hobby. Designing the wedding stationery for my own wedding gave me the inspiration to set up my own business, I have always been very creative, and enjoyed making things at home for my friends and family. But the response that I got from the guests at my wedding to the handmade cards was very positive and many people suggested that I should start up on my own. Once I had decided that I was going to go for it, I wasn’t really sure where to go from there – I had the idea but wasn’t sure how to put it into practice. To help me get off things off the ground I contacted Enterprise North East to discuss my business ideas – I was designated my own personal business advisor – John McKenna. John gave me step by step advice on how to write a business plan and generally kept me heading in the right direction, he also gave me advice on accessing finance and business promotion. The guidance and support given to me by Enterprise has been invaluable in turning my business idea into reality."

John McKenna says, "We meet many businessmen and women who have a good idea of the sort of company they would like to start, but require help and guidance to turn their dreams into a reality. Through continuous discussions with new businesses we help them to devise a business plan – this is fundamental to any business regardless of size. In the long run a good business plan will help to keep a business on track, and help with future planning – as well as being invaluable if you are looking for outside investment. We stay with new businesses to guide them through every stage of the implementation phase, to ensure that they continue to develop from year one and beyond. So if they need to contact us for any reason, they can be assured that the advice and support they need is just at the end of the phone."

Carey regularly exhibits her work at wedding exhibitions, this give couples the opportunity to view Carey’s work and see the quality and types of materials she uses. Carey enjoys talking to prospective clients at the exhibitions to get an idea of how to meet their needs, by working closely with brides-to-be she can ensure that their wedding stationery fulfils their dreams. The exhibitions also provide the chance for Carey to get an idea of the current trends in bridemaids colours and bouquet styles, to allow her to broaden her product portfolio and complement other products and services a couple may choose.

Carey continues, "Wedding invitations and stationery can be an integral part of this special occasion, as it will give your guests the first impression of your wedding and should therefore reflect the style and formality of the day. To capture this, I work closely with the bride and groom to help them choose a design that will complement every aspect of their big day. To meet the couple’s expectations I often source high quality materials from around the world and incorporate them into modern designs with traditional influences, tailoring the design to tie in with the wedding theme such as the bridesmaid’s colours, the ceremony location, Scottish tartan or from a blend of the couples personal preferences and an existing creation. The outcome is something that is exclusively designed and unique; made extra special because of the personal input from the bride and groom."