The soft aqua blue and unique iced gold reminds me of something out of mermaids and fairy tales adding just the right amount of sparkle and elegance to set the mood for your special day. Stand out this season and be the princess you’ve always wanted to be!

It’s tough to add a unique element to every occasion, but with our wide range of boxes in various shapes, designs and sizes it’s not hard to think “outside the box” for your next occasion. Step it up this season with a custom designed personalised box which incorporates your own unique colours and design choices, or simply choose from our beautiful range of Boxes on our online store.

Each of our boxes are gorgeously unique in their own way, ranging from: Self-folding Boxes ,lid and base boxes, invitation boxes, cake boxes, favour boxes, cupcake boxes, matchboxes and Hexagonal Geometric boxes. You can stand out this season by incorporating a personalised detailed touch to your wedding invitations or just as a different way of giving a special gift to that special someone in your life.

For some inspirational box choices, check out our online store at this link:  http://bit.ly/2dFAb6u

Filagree Lasercut Box

Notre Dame Macaroon Box

Pink Sands Message in a Bottle

Senzo Orchid Luxury Box Invitation

I Do Invitation

Perspex is a very versatile product, it is a solid plastic made of polymathy methacrylate and can be used on the laser cutter and so it’s wonders are endless. Phew that’s the sciencey bit out of the way! 

Our most luxury perspex is our metallic mirror range, which comes in silver, gold and bronze. This can be engraved and cut into an exceptionally unique invitation or cut into a beautiful cake topper. Have a look at some of our mirror perspex products on our online store to see some of the pretties that we have created previously.

http://shopsecretdiary.co.za/collections/perspex/gold

http://shopsecretdiary.co.za/collections/perspex/silver

One of my favourite perspex is the clear as it engraves white with stunning results. 

http://shopsecretdiary.co.za/collections/perspex/clear

Our perspex also come in black and white as well as a large range of colours which are available by special order only.

Whether it’s for yourself to just add something different to your home, liven up your work space or to create a lasting memorable invitation for your wedding day, we certainly have the style, cut and colour you will need to make any day or occasion special and unique.”

Lace Perspex Snow Flake

All you need is love Cake topper

We did this oriental suite for a shoot recently and loved how it turned out! The patterns are what make this a really inspiring suite. I love how the invitation folder is beautifully wrapped with twine and a pretty printed belly band. The folder flaps are cut asymmetric and folds in a non-traditional manner, which adds interest and takes to it’s “Origami” naming.

The place cards are laser cut fans that are printed on both sides with different patterns, which can be placed on each guests’ glass.

We get so many inquiries about our parasols, that I had to shine a bit of light on them! They are very popular and so practical for summer weddings or events. These paper parasols are the perfect accessory to an event – whether it’s themed or not!

Click on the link or pics below to shop this invite. Browse our South African E-store here and our International E-store (currency in US dollars) here.

Shop | Origami Invitation

Shop | Origami Tag

Shop | Origami Place Card

Shop | Origami Table Number

Shop | Orient White Paper Parasol

When it comes to choosing a wedding monogram, the options are endless and they can be very overwhelming. It becomes confusing when you’re not sure if you’re completely sold on the traditional crest, but you also like the rustic appeal of the wreath, and in all this wedding hype you become naturally drawn to keeping things simple and opt to have an uncomplicated modern monogram.

To ease your decision-making process, we have compiled a fun and easy monogram quiz that you can take to solve all your monogram mysteries. You’re bound to find the perfect monogram that best suits you before you can say Bob’s your uncle (come on, we all have one).

And there you have it! Now that you’ve pinned down your monogram style, you are ready to create the perfect wedding stationery! We can help with that – contact info@secretdiary.co.za to chat to us about the invites and stationery for your wedding.

You can get your hands on this collection with the link below or shop individual items by clicking on them.

Shop | National Treasure Collection

Secret Diary offers two different options to our clients and with each of these options the requirements and input from client and designer varies.

The online store order:

This option is for clients who know exactly what they are looking for and who want to purchase a template from our online store. With this option the creative input from the client is limited as the designer is only allowed to place the wording into the design without making any aesthetic changes. The client will have a choice in regards to the colour of the printing and small finishes like the colour of the ribbon. The paper, typography, layout, and style have already been chosen when the product was purchased. Also important to note is that our online store invitations do not include customisation with guest names laid out and printed on the front of the envelopes unless otherwise stated.

The online store is a smart and savvy option for the planner or bride on a tight budget or deadline.

The couture order:

Couture clients want to be involved in the design process from start to finish or want to create something unique and never before seen. This option is also for clients who cannot find anything on the online store that they like or want to make additional changes to a specific product on the online store. These changes can include changing the typography style, spacing, adding on elements, changing the paper, customizing each invite with guest names or opting for double-sided printing.

The couture order is a more involved and creative option for trendsetting bride or planner.

Here follow a few helpful reminders from our design team. These tips include useful information in regards to providing content and feedback to ensure a smooth and successful design experience for both client and designer.

Providing content:

• Place your invitation order once you have finalized your wording and wedding details. In order for designers to work efficiently and within tight deadlines it helps when clients are 100% prepared and certain of all information that they would like to appear on the invitation.

• Provide your wording in an MS word document in exactly the order you would like it to appear. MS Word helps us to notice spelling mistakes, as our design programmes do not have built in spell checkers.

• As a designer, we take inspiration from content like pictures, photographs and mood boards provided by the client, otherwise we would not know where to begin! When providing visual content, provide it in the highest quality or resolution possible. If the image appears blurry or pixelated then it will definitely be of very poor printing quality. Ask your wedding venue or photographer for a high-resolution image and they will happily provide.

• If our services are required for printing only we will require your chosen artwork in an open or vector format. ‘Vector’ is a widely known and common industry term for artworks which are editable and in an open format. We will be able to open your artwork in our editing programmes if the file extension is .pdf or .eps or .ai.

Communication:

• Clear and frequent communication between you and your designer is also essential. For the most part email correspondence will be sufficient, but sometimes having a brief conversation over the phone will provide your designer with just a little more clarity in regards to exactly what you are looking for.

• With couture orders, be prepared for a back and forth process in regards to finalizing the perfect design. It very rarely happens that the first design is exactly what the client is looking for. A collaborative process of frequent and clear communication is what makes a design unique and successful, because designers rely on the feedback from clients. So don’t be afraid to speak up in regards to any aspect of your design as this is what the creative process is all about!

• When providing feedback list your corrections with bullet points as this will help the designer keep track of what needs to be corrected. Also be as specific as possible with your feedback and state why you think something is not working from your point of view.

• When amending information in your MS Word document, highlight these changes in a different colour to make it easier for your designer to spot the changes.

• When your designer provides the first digital mock-up make sure to immediately check for any spelling or punctuation errors, as this will eliminate making last minute changes in regards to wording.

We hope this guide is helpful when placing your order – whether it’s online or couture – with Secret Diary. These tips should ensure a quick and effective turn-around time and are even more valuable when you need your order in a rush!

If you are looking to order through us, you can visit www.shopsecretdiary.co.za (currency in ZAR) or www.shopsecretdiary.com (currency in USD) for our online store, or contact us and tell us about your couture (custom) order and we will send you a quote!

Main Card

 
Here at Secret Diary, we love helping people express their love!
We do it every day, as you can imagine, we love paper, all kinds of them, and we create designs on extravagant types of paper every day.
But, the best kind of paper out there will always be the paper that has your thoughts and feelings written down in your handwriting.

 
There’s something pretty nostalgic about words on paper. It’s a written declaration of one’s feelings, forever etched with ink. Maybe it’s seeing your partner’s handwriting, the familiar scribble of their dearest thoughts, which makes you smile. It could even be the memories they’ve penned down that let’s you relive amazing moments.
Letters and notes are the type of things to run back into burning buildings for. Just like old photo’s, they cannot be replaced or remade. These days, it takes less than a minute to type up a message and decorate it with emoticons, thereafter sending it to a whole bunch of people.

 
The truth is, a WhatsApp message will never provide you with the authentic experience of receiving something from someone. There’s nothing like being able to hold in your hand, the sum total of someone’s effort, thought and feelings, on a page.

 
A love letter never goes out of fashion. We express romance and love the same way we always have – with words on paper.
No matter in which way you choose to express your love this Valentine’s day, remember that old-fashioned love is the kind of love that needs to be celebrated. At the end of the day, there is nothing like love. That, through centuries, has never changed.

 

Lovely Lace Invitation

Going for a fitted semi-vintage dress and want to steer a short way from bright white? Pair it with an invitation beautifully printed in cream with fine lace detail. Include matching envelope liners to step it up a notch!

 

 

Bijoux Jewel Invitation

Going for a detailed vintage lace dress? Pair it with a stunningly intricate laser cut invitation with lace detail digitally printed. Finish it off with a silver band and a diamante buckle to represent the embellishments and smaller details that accentuate the overall look of your gown.

 

 

Abbey Rose Invitation

We LOVE the colour pink and we try to use it every opportunity we get! So we just KNOW there’s a beautiful bride out there who is dying to add it to her dress to deter from the classic plain white look that is so often done. When you finish off your dress with a belted ribbon and bow, be sure to incorporate just a touch of a matching colour in your invitations too. Using backing cards gives dimension to an otherwise flat border and represents the added feature of your gown perfectly!

 

 

Azure Swirl Invitation

Prefer the classic bright white gown? The type of dress we all dream about for years as kids when we imagine our wedding day. some of the most beautiful invitations have used little to no colour and have blown people away with their delicately balanced designs. Using a simple square diamante buckle and smooth satin ribbon, you can create a clean and classic invitation that will be remembered for years to come.

 

So give that shirt another sprits of perfume (nobody will notice, we promise) and use the time you should be using to do washing to plan a perfectly fitting wedding day instead!

*Wedding dress images provided by Shanique Unique Clothing Lines

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