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The Citizen, 2006-02-09, Page 40n . TO P{RWTION Lucknow - 528-3752 V a Remember... ;Pre plan your perms, highlights, tanning sessions, and make-up early! Music to Make your Day Specializing in: Weddings Stag and Does Anniversaries School Dances Most Special Occasions Throw a wedding reception to remember with a selection of music everyone will love. Affordable, Professional, Experienced Book pow. Spaces are limited! STAINFORTH DJ SERVICES PROVIDING QUALITY ENTERTAINMENT ROCK, COUNTRY, RETRO, DANCE, TOP 40 Wayne Stainforth 519-485-7062 g.i; „Wt. 1 e Weichn 3-isomers delivers on iSe wings of a pigeon By Heather Crawford Citizen staff Paul Finch of Walton spends his time breeding white pigeons, dyeing them colours_and training them for memorable wedding ceremonies. Finch has been in the pigeon busi- ness since 1998 and his business Fly Rite Wedding Homers, is the only one in Huron and Perth Counties to offer releasing pigeons at weddings and funerals. "A lot of people think it's doves that are released at weddings," he said. "But doves don't come back like pigeons do." He holds a white pigeon in his hand, spreading the bird's wing, stroking its feathers and it's obvious to see where the confu- sion comes. "They look just like doves, don't they?" Finch said not many people have white pigeons. They are very rare. He offers to dye the birds to match the colour of the wedding party. "It takes about a year for them to moult If you are throwing a party, part of the planning will involve letting the guests know about the event. Invitations sent through the mail are one of the easiest and most traditional ways of sharing the news. Yet, your invitations don't just have to be the preprinted ones bought at your local card shop. You can use cre- ativity and some items at. hand to design invitations geared to the theme of your party. Here are some ideas for creating winning invitations: • Cut and paste: Here's a way to let your creativity shine. Cut out pictures from magazines, printed from the internet or any other media, that fol- low the theme of your party and paste them on card stock of your choice. Purchase the stock at a stationery store or a craft centre. For example, if you're hosting a bridal shower, select pictures of wedding dresses, bouquets and cakes. Include the information about the party in the same way - cut out the date, address and party loca- tion from similar sources. One advan- tage is that each guest will have a unique invite to remember the event. • Use creative materials: For smaller parties (where you won't want to incur large postage costs), consider using decorative bottles, tubes and other interesting packaging materials to hold a rolled-up invitation. It will lend an old-fashioned, romantic feel, and be an invitation your guests will cer- tainly remember. • Let food lead the way: How about using food items 8 invites? Bake a batch of sugar cookies in a shape that correlates with the theme of your party (like a balloon, gift box, etc.) Frost them, then use edible decorating pens to write the information on the Ziroli of Aradise Paul Finch of Walton rents out white pigeons for weddings as a unique touch to the ceremo- ny. (Heather Crawford photo) and for the white colour to grow back," he said, explaining why the price of a dyed bird is slightly more money. cookies. Just be sure to package care- fully so the cookies won't crumble en route! • Consult the inner graphic designer: A home computer is a perfect tool for creating invitations. If you choose to design and print your invitation from scratch use specialty papers with dec- orative borders and themes. Or use the many invitation kits available at sta- tionery and office-supply stores. The possibilities are endless. Embellish your invitations with rib- bon, vellum paper, or confetti tucked inside the envelope. • Get computer savvy: If you prefer not to use snail mail to send out your invitations, you can design e-mail cards as well. Many on-line sites offer guest list maintenance and reply The service comes with Finch in a full white tuxedo and hat if the mar- rying couple so desires, and he offers to travel anywhere in the two counties. "I'll go anywhere really," he said. Finch said he has heard of some ceremonies where the couple have requested two birds to be released to symbolize the newlyweds entering into their new life together as well as ceremonies with as many as two dozen birds released. After breeding and training the pigeons, Finch has not yet participat- ed in any wedding ceremonies and he is looking forward to it. "I have brought the birds to funerals, anniversaries and other ceremonies," he said. He is expecting this spring and summer to be busy seasons for wed- dings. The pigeons Finch keeps have demonstrated how well they are trained. Aside from the white- bifds, he also keeps pigeons that compete options to make it convenient. Just point and click to invite your friends and family. • A photo tells the story: A simple design strategy is just to place a favourite photo on the invitation (such as a portrait or candid of your child for a birthday party). You can print them up yourself, or use a service that will print photo cards, like one at a neigh- bourhood store or through the inter- net, for a cost slightly above normal photo developing charges. Whatever method of inviting your guests you choose, just remember to clearly spell out the details of the event and include a "respond by" (RSVP) date and phone number. In addition, include directions to the party location for out-of-town guests. in races. He has some of the fastest 24 for $250-300 and $500 for dyed birds in North America. birds. The price of a bird is $75 and he Currently he has over 100 birds offers deals with more birds. You can and expects that number tai double request two for $100, 12 for $200, after mating season in the spring. Offering full-service catering for your special day! _F NLAUSCINVvinag4zinkto„ Family Hairstyling 72 Albert St., Clinton 482-7711 Creakarf erknes ivilE.‘andmack rnorlahems The Citizen. Brides and Grooms. 2006. Page 15.