Brexit - VAT and import taxes

26 Jul, 2021, No comments

Hello, my bridal bouquet charm venture is a very small and specialist operation - just me in fact! As such, I am well below the VAT threshold - so am not VAT registered. Since Brexit and more recently since the beginning of this month (July 2021) European buyers will be responsible for payment of any local taxes or VAT on their purchases. Unfortunately I don't have the facility to charge this at checkout as I am not VAT registered. The postal operator in the relevant country will send a request for payment before delivery can be made. This may include a small handling fee. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. Thank you for your understanding, Rachel x

Coronavirus posting dates

23 Mar, 2020, No comments

Hello, firstly let me say how sorry I am for all the brides who have had to cancel or change their wedding plans - I'm sure it's stress you can do without. To reduce the amount of contact I'm having with the outside world, I have removed the Special Delivery option from the checkout and will limit my posting to once a week (Fridays). Hopefully you will all keep safe and well. Take care, Rachel xx

New Year holiday notice

1 Jan, 2020, No comments

Happy New Year to all my new and returning customers. Your continued support over the last year is very much appreciated! Wishing everyone the very best for 2020.

I am now taking a short break, and new orders will be posted out on January 14th 2020. Thanks for your patience and sorry for any inconvenience.

Bespoke Wedding words

17 Oct, 2019, No comments

There are many bespoke and personalised wedding bouquet charms in my shop. I am always happy to experiment with new designs! The latest addition is the Bespoke Wedding Words charm. This is a twin frame photo charm with an additional centre frame to which I will add your own few chosen words. Bridal Bouquet Charms Shop

Why not have a browse - and if you are looking for something different then please drop me a note and let me design a bespoke charm for you. Thank you

August Bank Holiday - no Special Delivery

22 Aug, 2019, No comments

Looking forward to a sunny August Bank Holiday! As there is no guaranteed Special Delivery on Saturday - so the next guaranteed delivery day will be Tuesday. To save any confusion - I've removed the Special Delivery option from the site until Tuesday. Thank you

Happy Bank Holiday!

3 May, 2019, No comments

Hope you all have a fab Bank Holiday weekend and may the sun shine! Special delivery service will resume on Tuesday 7th May. Thank you

Easter Holidays

17 Apr, 2019, No comments

Hope you all have a fantastic Easter break - and may the sun shine if its your wedding day or if you are just enjoying a few days staycation with the family. Royal Mail takes a rest too - with services resuming to normal on Tuesday 23rd April. Thank you xx

Holiday Notice

28 Feb, 2019, No comments

I am taking a short break - new orders can still be placed on the website but will not be posted out until Tuesday March 12th 2019. Sorry for the short notice and any inconvenience. Existing orders placed before 2pm today have all been posted out First Class and should be arriving shortly. Thank you xx

Special next day delivery for UK orders

5 Feb, 2019, No comments

The snow disruption has subsided and I am happy to reinstate the Special delivery option at the checkout. This service is available for UK orders only and costs £5.99. Week day orders placed before 1pm will be delivered the next working day. Other UK orders will be sent First Class which is usually pretty quick - often the next day. If your order is especially urgent but you can't be in to sign for special delivery then please add a note and I will do my best to dispatch it the same day using the free First Class option. Thank you xx

Snow

31 Jan, 2019, No comments

Sorry but I've temporarily halted the Special Delivery option due to the snow. I will still be posting orders out First Class. Thanks for your understanding.

Shop Open - back from holiday

16 Jan, 2019, No comments

Thanks for your patience whilst I took a short break. All orders placed over the holiday period have now been dispatched and should be arriving shortly! Now that I'm back I have been able to reinstate Special Next Day Delivery option for UK orders. Please select at checkout if you require this service. First Class post is used for all other UK orders - these usually arrive the next day but not guaranteed. Thank you xx

Shop Holiday

4 Jan, 2019, No comments

Hello, I'm taking a short break. Any new orders will be posted out on January 15th 2019. Sorry for any inconvenience. Thank you xx

Easy Vegan Dish

5 Nov, 2018, No comments

I don't often rant....but, there has been so much unnecessary and unkind fuss made about catering for vegan wedding or dinner guests that I feel some clarity is needed. It's not rocket science (excuse the pun!) A vegan meal cannot contain meat or any product derived from animals such as dairy. Some people go to great lengths to find meat and dairy substitutes to make the dish vegan proof. That approach is fine, but even easier is just to use a recipe that doesn't require substitutions and is not trying to imitate a meat dish. There are lots of suitable recipes such as this simple chick pea and mushroom Tagine. Serve it with Basmati rice, couscous, salad, baked potato or a mixture of all. Very easy to make and will keep nicely in the fridge for several days (reheat in microwave as needed). These quantities make enough for 6 generous portions.

6 medium onions

1 can of chick peas

1 can of chopped tomatoes

Vegetable stock cube dissolved in 300ml of water

300 g of mushrooms

100g dried & chopped apricots

Olive oil for browning the onions & mushrooms

2 cloves of garlic

2-3 teaspoons of paprika - the more the hotter!

1 teaspoon each of turmeric, coriander, cumin and cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Peel your onions and cut them in half - top to bottom. Slice into semi rings. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in the bottom of a frying pan and add all the onions along with all the spices and crushed garlic cloves. Keep stir frying for about 5 minutes, turning the onions over until they are soft, browned and mixed with the spices. Tip the chick peas including the canned water into a large casserole type pan (to be used on the stove top not in oven). Add the chopped tomatoes and vegetable stock. Transfer the onions into the larger pan and bring to a slow simmer. Chop up your mushrooms and fry in the frying pan. Whilst these are browning chop up the apricots and add to the casserole pan. Once the mushrooms have browned then add them to the main pan. Add salt and pepper to taste.

It really is that simple! Serve as you please with rice or side dishes, also delicious with broccoli and baked potato. Easy peasy!

Lucky sixpence and Chimney Sweep for Wedding

25 Oct, 2018, No comments

Many wedding traditions can be traced back through Folklore - with stories and tales being passed down through the generations. There may be a blurring of detail at times - but the heart felt traditions march forward with gusto. One such tradition is for the Bride to walk down the aisle with a sixpence in her left shoe - thought to bring good luck and prosperity!
It is also considered lucky to see a chimney sweep on your wedding day. The origin of that belief evolves from 3 different tales - involving kings, horses, carriages & a stray dog! A curious incident indeed! In 1066 King William of England was enjoying a peaceful walk along a road when an out of control carriage hurtled towards him. Luckily, a quick thinking chimney sweep was able to push the king out of the way, thus overting tragedy. The grateful king declared that chimney sweeps were lucky and commissioned one to attend his daughters wedding. The second tale involves a chimney sweep who fell off a roof and was rescued by an engaged lady who pulled him into her room. They subsequently fell in love an were married - though perhaps not so lucky for her first love! A more recent tale relates to a time in King George 111 reign around the 1800's. He too was saved by a chimney sweep who managed to calm the kings horse after it had been spooked by a stray dog. Whatever the origin - it all makes for a good story!

I have combined these wedding day good luck charms into a gift set for the bride and groom. Available to order here Lucky Sixpence

Australia - GST exemption threshold

9 Oct, 2018, No comments

Customers in Australia will be use to prices being inflated by the 10% goods and services tax. On July 1st 2018 this tax was extended to cover low value imports. I am happy to inform my Australian customers that I am not required to add this tax to your purchases. As a small UK business I am comfortably below the A$75,000 threshold. If you make your purchase directly from my website then I will not need to charge you the GST. This is not the case if you make your purchase via a selling platform such as Etsy or Amazon. These platforms do not benefit from the threshold exemption and will have to add GST to your purchase price. So, if ever there was a reason to support a small business this has to be a good one! There are of course lots of other good reasons such as unique personalised designs and a genuine welcoming of bespoke order requests!

Special Next Day Delivery - now available

22 Sep, 2018, No comments

I've had a hectic few weeks and had to temporarily suspend the next day service. I'm happy to say this is now available again. If you have an urgent order which needs delivering the next day then please place your order before 1pm and select Special Delivery at the checkout. I will post it out the same day and it will arrive before 1pm the next working day - and will need signing for (excludes Saturday and Sunday). Please note that orders placed after 1pm on Thursday may not be delivered until Monday as Special delivery isn't guaranteed for Saturday. I will however make up your charm and send you the tracking number so you can monitor it's journey! I use First Class post for all other UK orders - this is a good fast service with many items arriving the next day - though not guaranteed for next day delivery. The price for First Class is included with your purchase. Please remember to select free First Class delivery if you have a UK delivery address. If you need your charm urgently and First Class is easier, then please add a note to your order and I will try to post it out the same day.....every little bit helps! All my items are hand made to order - so please try and put your request in before 1pm. Thank you

Special Delivery Option

13 Sep, 2018, No comments

Sorry for the short notice, but I'm away for a few days so the Special Delivery service is not available at the moment. You will still be able to place an order on the website and these will be sent out First Class on Monday. Thanks for your patience! xx

Keepsake gift for your daughter on her wedding day

6 Sep, 2018, No comments

Are you struggling to find a keepsake memento to mark your daughters wedding day? Perhaps you would like to present her with a special verse personalised with her wedding date? The Brides key ring gift set might be just the answer. A message bouquet charm for the Bride complete with pretty "Love" charm that can be transferred to a keyring after the wedding. Weddings are emotional times for everyone - including Mums and Dads! The old saying about not losing a daughter but gaining a son in law is a positive way of embracing family change. There is enough love to share - here is a little verse for such times.

A Wedding

Day wish for a

Daughter True

Sharing your love

as you Say I do

***Date***

This is just an idea, the gift set is also available with a blank frame for you to choose all your own words If you have something special in mind - please drop me a note and I will check if your own words will fit the frame. Please click on the link below to see this pretty addition. Thank you xx

Wedding Date Bouquet Charm

Personalised Wedding Day Poem

1 Sep, 2018, No comments

I always welcome bespoke charm requests - this includes changing the standard name personalisations to perhaps something closer to your heart. Grandad may always have been known as "Pops" or "Gramps" or even "Grampy" here in Wales! You will have your own fond memories and perhaps a family or pet/cherished name that you wish to be incorporated into your bouquet charm . Please let me know - as I can usually add the name into one of the message or poem charms. I will send out the version of the Poem that is ordered....but will happily customise on request. It is also possible to mix and match the colour scheme of the poem charms. Some of them are printed with a small amount of coloured floral detail underneath the verse. Others are in a black and white format with just a little heart underneath. I am more than happy to mix and match the frame or locket with whichever version of the poem you prefer. There is no one right answer - as they say "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". I enjoy creating beautiful charms that I hope bring some small comfort and fill a little gap to make your Wedding Day feel more complete. Please do get in touch if you have a special name in mind. Thank you, Rachel xx

[email protected]

Traditional in loving memory bouquet charm

9 Aug, 2018, No comments

This traditional verse charm is now available in the pale ivory pearl and crystal colour scheme. Add your photo to the heart shaped picture frame and keep the memory of a loved one with you on your wedding day. A template with instructions to help you shrink your photo to fit the bouquet charm frame will be sent with your order. All photo frame charms include glue dots to help you secure your photo, you are of course free to use your own glue if you prefer, but the dots are sent for convenience! The locket style charms don't require glue or dots as the photos sit very securely in the locket recess. All of the frames have a generous recess so your photo sits back in the frame and not proud. This gives a very pretty portrait painting effect to the charm. The bouquet charms are just one small part of your wedding plans - I wish everyone best wishes and luck for the big day. I have a very fast turn around time for the charms with orders often being sent out the same day. This can be very helpful if you forgot to order your bouquet charm and still want to include one on your big day. Special Delivery upgrade is also available at the checkout for £5.99. This gives guaranteed next working day delivery but will need signing for. First Class post is also very fast and if you place your order before 1pm and let me know that it is urgent then I will try my best to post it out the same day for you. First Class isn't guaranteed but the charms do often arrive the next day....and I always keep my fingers crossed for a fast delivery. Thank you xx

Pearl and Crystal in loving memory charm

Bridal Bouquet Charms