How to plan a Spring wedding

Here at Irish Gift Solutions, we hear wedding bells all year round! Spring weddings can be exceptionally beautiful, but they also come with a few challenges.

These are our top tips for a magical Spring wedding.

1. Plan for indoor photos

Of course it's possible you'll get a cool, crisp and dry Spring day for your wedding - and we hope you do - but if you're getting married in Ireland it's best to have a backup plan. Scout beautiful indoor locations where you're having your ceremony, at the reception venue, and even in the homes of the bride and groom. If you do get a crisp, clear day, remember to get your photos done early in the day, as the sun starts to set quite early in the evening for most of Spring.

Good photographers will be able to get you beautiful, memorable shots of your day regardless.

2. Choose flowers that are in season

It's always best to go for flowers that are in season and luckily you're spoilt for choice in Spring, when so many flowers are in bloom. Roses are widely available, as we know from Valentine's Day, but the demand created by Valentine's Day can actually drive prices up in Spring. Orchids are available as an exotic option, but if you're on a budget Carnations and Chrysanthemums make excellent, budget-friendly fillers. 

3. Embrace all things floral and colourful!

If you're getting married in Spring, the floral theme needn't end with your bouquets - consider floral dresses for the bride and bridesmaids, or a floral crown instead of a veil. Choose vibrant colours that match a season when everything comes to life after a long winter.

4. Wrap up warm!

There is absolutely no point in spending the whole day freezing, or having the entire female contingent of the bridal party catching pneumonia. Make sure to come prepared with lovely wraps or shawls, or even trendy leather jackets, that will keep you warm while you move from one venue to the next. There are plenty of options to complement your beautiful outfits while staying practical. 

5. Go for a natural look

Wedding makeup is often bold and striking, but for Spring weddings a more subtle look can do the job just as well. Natural makeup that enhances rather than overpowers the bride's natural beauty is the Spring season's trend.

6. The menu

Just as with the flowers, it's best to create your menu bearing in mind what's in season. That's when you get food at its tastiest and most natural. n Ireland, a wide variety of vegetables are in season in Spring. Sit down with your chef and work together to create a menu that bursts with flavour.

Is someone you love getting married soon? If you're looking for a thoughtful and unique gift, check out our framed wedding plaques and wedding clocks. We have lots of choices and we're always happy to work with you to select the perfect blessing. 

As a small business, we pride ourselves on our customer care. If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can call us on +353 65 6845082, WhatsApp +353 87 2555391 or send us a message on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more gifting tips, inspiration, offers and giveaways.

6 beautiful Irish proverbs and phrases

If your New Year's Resolution involves learning a new language or speaking some more Irish, we've got you covered. Irish phrases are often a mixture of truth, wisdom and humour learned through the ages.

Many of our customers at Irish Gift Solutions choose an Irish word or phrase to decorate their personalised gifts. If you let us know who you're choosing a gift for, we can recommend some ideal words to have engraved on them. 


1. Is maith an scéalaí an aimsir - Time is a good storyteller

 

2. Is fearr an sláinte ná na táinte - Health is better than wealth

 

3. Ní thagann ciall riomh aois - Sense doesn't come before age

 

4. An rud is annamh is iontach - What is rare is wonderful

 

5. Giorraíonn beirt bóthar - Two shorten a road

 

6. Níl aon leigheas ar an ngrá ach pósadh - There's no cure for love but marriage




What's your favourite Irish saying or phrase? Leave a comment and let us know - and feel free to tag us if you're sharing these ones on social media.
As a small business, we pride ourselves on our customer care. If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can call us on +353 65 6845082, WhatsApp +353 87 2555391 or send us a message on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more gifting tips, inspiration, offers and giveaways.

Corporate gifting: Creating great relationships with key clients and colleagues

Are you looking for corporate gifts with a unique Irish twist? Many businesses show their appreciation to important clients, vendors and partners by sending them gifts. It doesn’t take a huge budget to build goodwill. These can be used to mark special occasions including anniversaries, new partnerships, significant appointments or the launch of major new projects.

At Irish Gift Solutions, our goal is to create personalised gifts that go beyond mere tokens to demonstrate your thoughtfulness and attention to detail in the corporate world. Irish culture is at the heart of all our pieces, so they make ideal gifts for proudly Irish organisations.

They can also be used to mark a colleague’s retirement. It marks the end of an era, and the beginning of a new adventure for someone entering their golden years.

As regular readers will know, at Irish Gift Solutions we believe in gifts that last a lifetime, on display proudly in the recipients home or offce. We work with you to create something one-of-a-kind.

Here are three of our top choices for corporate gifts in Ireland. 

An ogham slate

Before we started writing using the Roman alphabet, Ancient Celtic communities marked stones with Ogham to indicate important places, boundaries and texts. Although the marks look nothing like the Roman alphabet we use in English today, there are roughly 20 symbols representing consonants and five vowels that correspond to roughly the same sounds, so it's possible to translate. You can read more about the history of ogham here.  

Ogham slates can be designed to show a person’s name, a placename or a special message. Our team will work with you to show you exactly what our Ogham slate will look like before it’s engraved and sent to you.

Find out more

An engraved hurl

Sports-themed gifts are popular in the business world. Sports, and especially Gaelic football and hurling, generate great excitement each year. An engraved hurl can be used to mark an occasion or even as an award. Nice and compact, they can sit easily on your desk or at home on a mantelpiece.

Find out more

A historical plaque

For Irish history lovers, there are few more important events than the proclamation of the Irish Republic on 24 April 1916. Read by Padraig Pearse at the GPO in Dublin, the Proclamation set out a bold vision for a new Republic free of Britain. The other signatories were Thomas J. Clarke, Sean Mac Diarmada, Thomas MacDonagh, Eamonn Ceannt, James Connolly and Joseph Plunkett.

As one of the most well-known documents in Irish history, a framed plaque of the Proclamation demonstrates a business’s keen awareness of Irish culture and heritage.

Find out more

As a small business, we pride ourselves on our customer care. If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can call us on +353 65 6845082, WhatsApp +353 87 2555391 or send us a message on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more gifting tips, inspiration, offers and giveaways.

Last-minute gifting tips for 2019

Are you a last-minute kind of Christmas shopper, or have your gifts been bought since October? 

Exchanging gifts is a favourite Christmas tradition for many - and we're not just talking about the kids! A gift is an expression of your relationship, so whether you're giving or receiving, it's about so much more than what's underneath the wrapping - it's a symbol of your friendship.

Tom O'Leary states in an article on Lifehack: "change of physical objects. A useful alternative is to think of a gift as communication. When you give a gift to someone, what you are actually doing is speaking to them. You buy, make or discover a gift that says something to the receiver. They receive the gift, and if they are perceptive, they understand your message. Of course this is obvious, but somehow we forget it when we go to choose gifts. We focus first on the object or the need, then check what message it conveys."

So how do you choose the perfect gifts for your friends and family, especially when they seem to have everything they need already? How do you convery the right message?  How much should you spend? And most importantly, how do you wrap it right?

Never fear, we've done the research for you and here are our top tips!

1. Have a budget and try to stick to it

The Credit Union offers some pre-Christmas spending tips to avoid going overbudget and facing a financial hangover in January. They advise paying in cash, taking advantage of bargains in any pre-Christmas sales, and factoring in the cost of shipping when you shop online. 

2. Get personal

A personalised gift is ideal for the person who already has everything! A unique, one-of-a-kind gift feels really special, and can be tailored to each individual's interests, whether it's sports, history, Irish culture or family. 

At Irish Gift Solutions, we can work closely with you to help you decide what words and images best represent your friendship with the recipient, and engrave it on wood or slate to last a lifetime. 

3. Stay sustainable

This year, sustainability is the name of the game. 2019 will be remembered as the year a huge cultural change took place; plastic cups gave way to keepcups, Greta Thunberg was named TIME Person of the Year, and we all started looking more closely at how our purchases impact the planet. Give gifts that will last; not those that will be forgotten or broken before the clock strikes 12 on New Year's Eve. Check out our recent article for more on meaningful and sustainable giving.

4. Wrap it up

Once you've got your gift, you still have to get it wrapped and under the tree. Remember, presentation is everything, a lovely wrapping paper can set the tone perfectly for unwrapping and make your gift feel even more special! For the ultimate guide to wrapping your presents beautifully, check out these videos from Hallmark. You can add a personal touch again here, by using cute bows with your initials and the recipients.

5. Give and receive with joy and gratitude

Like you, your family and friends have put time and thought - as well as money - into choosing your presents. Remember to acknowledge each one and send a note or letter of thanks. The Guardian reminds us that this is is especially important to grandparents and older aunts and uncles who see it as good manners - among younger people a text may be fine!

From all of us at Irish Gift Solutions, we would like to offer you a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful, prosperous New Year.

As a small business, we pride ourselves on our customer care. If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can call us on +353 65 6845082, WhatsApp +353 87 2555391 or send us a message on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram for gifting tips, inspiration, offers and giveaways.

Chrismas blessings from Irish Gift Solutions

‘Tis the season to start writing your Christmas cards! If you want to give your cards and gifts an Irish feel, we’ve compiled some favourite prayers, proverbs and blessings.

Of course, if you’d like to get a gift engraved - be it for Christmas, a wedding, or any other special occasion - visit our site for Irish-themed gifts. Each piece is one-of-a-kind, and made using Irish materials.

We can even help you choose a beautiful Celtic font!

Irish Christmas Blessings

1. With ivy, shamrock and bright holly berry, be Christmas to you both blessed and merry!

2.May the Blessings of Christmas be with you

May the Christ Child light your way,

May God’s holy angels guide you,

And keep you safe each day.

3. May peace and plenty be the first

 To lift the latch at your door

And happiness be guided to your home

By the candle of Christmas.

God’s blessings and peace be yours throughout

This New Year.

4. May the good saints protect you and bless you today. And may trouble ignore you each step of the way. Christmas joy to you!

5. The light of the Christmas star to you,

The warmth of home and hearth to you,

The cheer and good will of friends to you,

The hope of a childlike heart to you,

The joy of a thousand angels to you,

The love of the Son,

And God’s peace to you.”

6. May you be blessed

With the spirit of the season, which is peace,

The gladness of the season, which is hope,

And the heart of the season, which is love.

7. This Christmas may you have…

Walls for the win

And a roof for the rain,

And drinks bedside the fire,

Laughter to cheer you,

And those you love near youAnd all that your heart may desire.

8. The magic of Christmas lingers on,
Though childhood days have passed,
Upon the common round of life
A Holy Spell is cast.

9. May joy and peace surround you,
Contentment latch your door,
And happiness be with you,
And bless you evermore.

And one as gaeilge!

10. Nollaig faoi shéan is faoi shonas duit. (A prosperous and happy Christmas to you!)

From all of us at Irish Gift Solutions, we would like to offer you a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful, prosperous New Year.

As a small business, we pride ourselves on our customer care. If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can call us on +353 65 6845082, WhatsApp +353 87 2555391 or send us a message on Facebook.

You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram for gifting tips, inspiration, offers and giveaways.

Our favourite love quotes from Ireland and beyond

If you're attending a winter wedding in 2019, you might be on the lookout for a unique Irish wedding gift. To create something truly personal, choose a quote you think the couple will love, and have it engraved on a piece of ancient Irish bog wood or framed in slate.

Not sure what quote would work? Don't worry, we've selected some of our favourites for you. From Joyce and Wilde to Audrey Hepburn and Aristotle, love is eternal and so are these unforgettable words.

1. "They lived and laughed and loved and left." - James Joyce

2. "Women are made to be loved - not understood." - Oscar Wilde

3. "Love will heal what language fails to know" - Eavan Boland

 4. "The thing about love is that we come alive in bodies not our own." - Colum McCann

5. "Love is friendship that has caught fire" - Ann Landers"

6. “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” - Lao Tzu

7. “Love is a game that two can play and both win.” - Eva Gabor

8. “The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.” - Audrey Hepburn

9. “Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” - Aristotle

10. “To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.” - David Viscott

11. “Love’s greatest gift is its ability to make everything it touches sacred.” - Barbara de Angelis

12. “Love isn’t something you find. Love is something that finds you.” - Loretta Young

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can call us on +353 65 6845082, WhatsApp +353 87 2555391 or send us a message on Facebook. 

You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram for gifting tips, inspiration, offers and giveaways.

Meaningful giving | How to shop sustainably for Christmas 2019

As we enter the Christmas period every year, we witness hypercapitalism at its finest; we're pummelled with ads online, on billboards and on the television urging us to buy, buy, buy. But this year, we're also seeing a different message gain ground: give meaningfully and sustainably.

In 2019, we have seen a remarkable rise in people - especially younger people - engaging in activism around climate change, and sustainability issues. There's a backlash against throwaway culture, and a renewed focus on spending money on quality items that last. How many of the gifts you got last Christmas are you still using and enjoying today? 

Many of us want to move away from the commercialisation of the holiday that has taken over in recent times. For most, Christmas is about taking that time to reconnect with family and friends, away from the stress of work. It makes sense that our gift choices are becoming more about reinforcing these values.

If these issues are on your mind as you make your Christmas lists, here are some tips for giving meaningfully this Christmas.

Make it personal

These days, most of us have everything we need to get by - so gift giving is about creating joy - and the best way to to that is to make it personal. There are many ways to personalise a gift to make it truly unique. Our selection of gifts are often engraved with an important date, like that of a wedding or a birth; a favourite proverb, lyric or quote; or your family's crest and motto.

Buy Irish to reduce the airmiles!

When you buy from a local Irish company, you know that the carbon footprint is low. Cheaper gifts from China could take a massive toll on the environment by comparison. Our gifts are laser engraved and dispatched from Co. Clare. As well as that, you're supporting the Irish economy.

Support small businesses

Speaking of supporting the Irish economy, supporting small businesses like Irish Gift Solutions is also an easy way to give more meaningfully. Small businesses support their local economies, encourage entrepreneurship and local employment, and they offer great customer service. You're dealing with real people like you, not a big corporate entity, and that matters. Small businesses also offer items that are more distinctive and have more character than you'll find on the high street.   

Choose locally-sourced materials

We put lots of time into finding the right materials for your gifts. All of our products are made from sustainably-sourced materials, including aged Irish bog wood and slate. We're careful not to over-use our valuable local resources or disrupt the environment.

Make it last

As we hinted at above, most of us have probbaly already forgotten about, broken, or lost the presents we got last Christmas. If you're thinking about giving more sustainably this year, choose gifts that are designed to last for a lifetime like all our pieces are. A gift that sits on the mantelpiece or hangs in the hall can give a little bit of joy every day.

Connect with culture

Our final note on gift giving in 2019 is to connect with your culture and what you're passionate about. If you're buying for a sports lover, a miniature hurley might be ideal, or an Irish history buff might love a secret message in Ogham. Talk to us about how to personalise your 2019 Christmas gifts for someone you love.

As a small business, we pride ourselves on our customer care. If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can call us on +353 65 6845082, WhatsApp +353 87 2555391 or send us a message on Facebook. 

You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram for gifting tips, inspiration, offers and giveaways.