Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 take on Fitzgerald’s roaring 20′s great American novel is out in cinemas now and, as predicted in our March blog, everyone’s got Gatsby fever. So. we thought we’d quickly re-cap on our thoughts on this cinematic trend!

OUR GATSBY MUST-HAVES

If you’re having a Gatsby-themed wedding, go for bold period choices with a dramatic feel.

Ladies: It’s flapper head-bands and hair-pieces, sequins, feathers, lace and dropped waistlines. Hair is short or up and be sure to drape yourselves in loads of luxurious jewellery!

Lads: Get your Bryl Cream out and slick yourself a side parting. Top a classy look off with a pale-coloured suit, a large pocket handkerchief, and good old reliable brogues.

Colour-scheme-wise, you’re looking at a really monochrome vibe with Art Nouveau and Art Deco being huge influences of the time. Black and white is simple, elegant, timeless and most of all, truly GREAT for GATSBY.

The 1920s was a fierce reaction to the stiff upper lip approach to the early 1900s and the “set that’s smart” were all about living the life of a wild child in a new, vibrant Jazz age.

Why not re-read our March blog: A GATSBY WEDDING?

 (http://www.scissorpaperstone.com/a-gatsby-wedding/),

Set the tone for your wedding and hammer home ‘The Great ‘Gatsby’ inspiration by starting on the right foot and having GATSBY wedding invitations and Save The Dates; you can also then follow up with co-ordinating service and reception stationery, but start with this invites and you cannot go wrong!

1920′s GATSBY is part of our VINTAGE wedding stationery range and is printed at A6 size on white pearlescent card.

As seen in PERFECT WEDDING magazine

Save The Date Card & Envelope - £2.05 (inc. vat) per card

Invitation Card & Envelope – £2.45 (inc. vat) per card

Every year thousands of couples plough themselves into huge amounts of debt as they embark on their married lives’ however, it just doesn’t have to be that way. You can still have a beautiful, memorable, classy day for a fraction of a big budget price. By shopping carefully, ploughing the resources of your friends and family and with careful planning – you can have yourself a bargain wedding with a blow-out feel.

THE BRIDE WORE OXFAM

It’s one of the careful bride’s best-kept secrets, and few people are aware that Oxfam’s Online Shop (http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/bridal)  has a beautiful range of second-hand wedding dresses and one-off pieces for the groom, best man and bridesmaids. The fabulous charity also has eleven bridal departments across the UK offering specialist advice and a wedding list, favours, accessories and dresses at fantastic prices; many of the dresses are donated by prominent designers, enabling shoppers to buy their dream wedding dress  for much less than they’d pay at retail price AND to help to support Oxfam’s wonderful work.

Vintage dress with head-dress &veil

This stunning dress was designed and made in the 1960′s, with a train and a headdress with veil.  The ivory dress has inserts into the skirt with ruffles and a white rose. The skirt is extended into a train of approximately 19″. The dress measures 28″ bust, length overall with train 75″ and the sleeve with cuff is 19″. There is a back zip of 15″.

This gorgeous dress would be perfect for a bride going for a period drama feel or for the high-collar trend. This dress is on sale online for an amazing £100!

 

 

 

The Bridal Rooms Wedding dress

This a great find from the British high-street, this size 12, very pretty wedding dress arrived dry cleaned and beautifully packed in tissue, in a box from The Bridal Rooms.

It has cap sleeves and a wide neck with a high waisted bodice.  The bodice is decorated with ivory embroidery hand sewn pearl beading which extends front to back and across the sleeves.  The skirt is princess line with two panels of embroidered beads down the front and the back which make the fit very flatttering as the panels are tapered towards the bodice and wider at the bottom hem of the skirt. Bust 36” Under bust to hem length 47” This dress is a classic style in ivory polyester.

This dress would be perfect for curvalicious brides going for a classically elegant dress or for a 1940s/50s feel. This beautiful dress could be yours for £135.

 

 

 

 

 

Strapless Henry Roth wedding dress

This is a brand new wedding dress by Henry Roth. There is a bow detail on the left hand side with a Swarovski brooch on the top of the bodice. The dress is zip fastening with buttons. Bust – 34″ Waist – 30″ Hip – 38″ Length(Front) – 53″ Train length – 66″

This dress would be completely perfect for a bargain bride wanting a couture dress without the couture price tag! Incredibly, this dress is only £299!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OPT FOR OUT OF SEASON

Pick an ‘unpopular’ day. Choosing a Friday or a Sundays can cut the cost of  your reception venue by up to half, and Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays by even more. Winter weddings are less common than summer weddings so think outside the box. Discounts are often  available for photographers, florists and ceremonies booked out of prime time too – don’t be afraid to ask!

 

BE ADVENTUROUS WITH YOUR VENUE

It’s worth looking online at self-catering accommodation sites as much of the time it works out MUCH cheaper to rent somewhere out for an entire week than it will be to book a few hours at a hotel reception and you can house all your guests under one, very pretty, roof; all you have to do is agree a venue contract with the landlord and voila! Here are just a two or our favourite lets available for wedding receptions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This beautiful house in Marazion, Cornwall sleeps 10 people in 7 bedrooms. The reception rooms are large and airy and would provide a pretty back-drop to your wedding venue.

The house is let at £324 per night, £2266 per week.

www.holidaylettings.co.uk

 

 

 

Sweets Cottage is a a 15th century Devon longhouse, described as being one of the prettiest thatched houses in North Devon, the house is comprised of 5 bedrooms, sleeping 10. It is situated in the centre of Croyde just a couple of minutes walk to the shops, restaurants and pubs. The house is only a 15 minute walk to the beach or 5 minutes by car with car parks adjacent to the beach.

The rent is £221 per night and £1550 per week.

www.holidaylettings.co.uk

 

 

SAVE MONEY WITH ON MAKE-UP

While some brides opt to do their make-up themselves, it can save  a lot of time, stress and bother to have your make-up done by a professional beauty therapist or artist and it doesn’t have to be pricey…
Get your make-up done at a beauty counter in a department store like Debenhams or Selfridges on the morning of your wedding – this won’t cost you a thing  and you could even ask if they’ll give you a freebie sample to re-touch your make-up later in the day. Another option is to look out for local beauty training schools, you’ll find they will be willing to do your  hair and make-up free on the day (or at a considerably reduced price) as part of their training. Check Beautyfinder for a directory of training schools and colleges in your  area.

 

USE YOUR TESCO VOUCHERS

Buying your jewellery can often really eat into your wedding budget, but it really doesn’t have to. Did you know that you can trade in Tesco points for Goldsmiths vouchers? If you spend your Tesco Clubcard points in-store they are only worth 1p BUT, if you convert them into Rewards vouchers you can triple the value; one of the many rewards up for grabs are vouchers to spend at the highstreet Jeweller: Goldsmiths.  Every £10 Clubcard voucher gets you a £30  Goldsmiths voucher, so, a £600 ring will only cost savvy savers £200 in Tesco vouchers. Rings from Goldsmiths start at around £200, so doing this can seriously shave pounds from your budget. See the Boost Tesco Points guide for a full How-To.

 

DON’T HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER

Hiring a wedding planner can add a lot to your budget and it isn’t always necessary; you can plan your wedding yourself, EVEN if you’re ultra-disorganised because the thrifty internet community has come up with several penny-saving solutions for couples planning their day.

Join wedding sites like Google Weddings and Hitched and you can be your own wedding planner; all you need to do is create an online account and log-in ising it when you want to edit your plans.

The Google page lets you keep a tight grip on the wedding budget, spread-sheeting the cost of everything you need to buy, versus the actual cost. Additional tools help you organise the seating plan, your guest list, food menu and music playlist.

Hitched offers similar tools to Google, but also includes great ideas decoration, accessories, clothing and Dos and Don’ts. You can create your own site and use on-site tools to send updates to all your lovely relatives!

 

PHONE A FRIEND

A great way to save money, whilst enjoying the company of your nearest and dearest, is to ask your friends a favour or two; don’t be shy and ask away. Do you have a friend who takes great photos? A grandfather with a swanky car? An aunt whose needlepoint skills might make you a bespoke wedding dress? Would your granny do the flowers in the church? Does your friend have a holiday home abroad that’d be the perfect honeymoon vacation?

Asking your friends for help is nothing to be embarrassed about and can knock thousands of pounds off your wedding budget simply by: asking nicely, smiling and saying “It can be my wedding present from you!”. You’ve got nothing to lose – so be a bit cheeky!

 

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD

Food is where most couples blow their budgets and there are three simple steps to save your money when it comes to filling a tummy.

1. Ditch a sit-down banquet in favour of a barbeque, a hog-roast, a buffet or ask guests to bring a picnic for themselves and picnic at your venue!
2. Don’t invite the world and his wife: the more people you have to feed, the more money you’ll spend.
3. Serve your wedding cake as dessert. That way you don’t have to fork out for a pudding as well!

 

TOP TIPS

• Ask your local W.I to make up your flowers, using in-season flowers. Choosing buds in bloom will be cheaper due to the increased availability and the W.I may even use your flowers as a chance to teach a flower-arranging course,
• Ask a friend to check with the caterers or bar staff  how much has been drunk by the end of your Reception – it sounds tight-fisted but if you don’t, the wine-sellers can charge you whatever they think/like!
• Get your parents to take home all your wedding gifts and flowers once the reception is all wrapped-up: you don’t want to leave them there by mistake an incur a charge from the venue!
• Get yourself a shoebox with a lid; this will be your Emergency Box. Put in it things you will/could need for the day of the wedding: e.g. masking tape (for the bottom of slippery shoes); sewing kit (there’s always someone…) a pair of tights/stockings and clear nail polish (for ladders); extra make-up, Paracetamol, plasters; safety pins; shoe polish and a packet of mints. Take this with you to the church and hand it over to your mother in law or a trusty friend. Then, relax.

Iron Man 3 has just hit the cinemas and we decided that we’d have a crack at fashioning an on-trend wedding theme from this big blockbuster that is set to sweep the nation with sci-fi fever all over again. Here’s how WE would have an ‘Iron Man Wedding’ …

The Groom

 ’Toms’ have brought out these fantastic cotton slips on as their ‘Avengers’ range, pictured second from the bottom in the left-hand picture are their brilliant Iron Man ‘Toms’ – we think they would be the perfect addition to any groom’s outfit; a subtle nod to Mr Stark withoutt being too in-your-face!

These fantastic Iron Man cufflinks (shown right) are just formal enough for a wedding whilst still being fun!

Be a real Iron Man groom with this cute dickie-bow in red and gold; this one is by TheIDConnection but they are everywhere at the moment, so keep your eyes peeled for a Marvel-lous bargain!

The Bride

Being an Iron Man bride is all about rocking the red and gold. You could opt for a bi-tonal dress like this one (near right) by tidebuys.com or this haut-couture dress, with a gorgeous embroidered and fitted bodice, straight off the cat-walk (far right).

If you don’t fancy wearing such a bold palette you could go for a more traditional feel in white, cream or ivory and simply ‘Iron Man it’ with gorgeous bridal accessories…

Bridal Accessories

These mother of pearl earrings (left) are perfect for a subtle nod to this theme; the central pearl is surrounded by garnet pieces cased in gold.

Jimmy Choo is a world-famously successful shoe designer for a reason, and these red and gold wedding stillies remind you of exactly why. Interweaving red and metallic gold straps with a shimmering gold heel, these shoes would be the perfect, effortlessly elegant addition to an Iron Man bridal design.

Let the theme get under your clothes and onto your skin! Get yourself this quirky Iron Man garter for a sci-fi feel to your lingerie!

If you’re wearing a dress with a shorter hemline, why not go for glitzy shoes like these stunners we found on Pinterest; the gorgeous golden glittery heel provides a ‘Stark’ contrast to the rich red.

Hair and Make-Up

Incorporating the Iron Man theme doesn’t have to be limited to your clothes or you venue, with these great ideas you can just as easily trickle this film’s inspiration into your make-up bag too.

Opt for a deep red lipstick with a gold sheen or glitter for a true screen-goddess look; and use gold eye shimmer for your lids; steer clear of red eye shadows as you will only end up looking bleary eyed or you’ll be rocking a drag-queen vibe.

We love these brilliantly done Iron Man nails (shown right) by HoneyMunchkin but if you’re not a dab hand with your polishes, you can acheive the same feel with a simpler design like this one, shown right.

Bridesmaids

With bridesmaids dresses it’s traditional to go for a style that echoes the bride’s but does not over-power it; you want your maids to stand out in their own right but not to dominate the whole shebang. So, here are some beautiful bridesmaids’ dresses that fit the (play)bill perfectly.

This clever number (left) is pretty enough to work well for a day-time wedding ceremony whilst being sassy enough to carry a bridesmaid into an evening do. Similarly, this red and gold one-shoulder dress (right) ticks all the right boxes because it is smart enough to work for both day and night. Either dress would work brilliantly with an Iron Man themed wedding; their sequin details give a metallic feel without coming across as harsh and these versatile styles will suit bridesmaids of any age.

If you’re looking  for a more formal style, a longer length, or something to keep your bridesmaids a bit warmer in winter wedding months, you could go for something like these dresses, shown right:

Both dresses incorporate the red and gold motif in an elegant way, the morrocan style of the dress near left uses a gold pattern that lengthens the look of the bridesmaid, a style that would be ideal for shorter women. The dress on the right-hand side is cute and simple: a classic bridesmaid style.

Food and Drink

The food and drink you choose or make for your wedding is where you can have a little fun with this sci-fi theme! Why not ask your friends and family to all make something for an Iron Man buffet? It’s nowhere near as hard as it seems; we love this butter-cream cupcakes (right) made for a Hunger Games-themed party; they’d work just as well for our theme and they’d go down a treat with your guests.

 Make yourself some Iron Man jellies like these, shown left. For the easy-peasy route, get yourself some Rowntrees ‘ready to make-up’ jelly cubes in two different colours: red and orange, crumble the cubes and separate according to colour. Add boiling water to each colour and then pour the orange mix into pots, filling up to half way. Pour the red on top of the orange, filling the rest of the pot. Pop in the fridge for a day and then whisk them off to your wedding!

 A must-have for an Iron Man wedding is the Iron Man cocktail, shown right, pretty and, more importantly, yummy! Serve before your wedding breakfast, or in place of champagne during the Speeches. This cocktail is 1 part Scotch, 2 parts OJ, 1 part Grenadine, 1 part Drambure; top it all off with a slice of zesty orange and you’re good to go!

Cake

As with the food on the rest of your menu, you need to be creative when it comes to deciding on your cake. Here are a few of our favourite ideas!

This metallic looking cake (left) is by PinkCakeBox.com and is a really stylish way to use the Iron Man red and gold motif. The hexagonal tiers give a mechanical look to the cake but the edible rose petal detail adds a softness appropriate to a wedding cake.

If you fancy a more delicate looking, or traditional, cake you could choose something like this one, shown right. The cake is made up of four circular cakes and is draped in iced red and gold rose details, cascading down the cake. This cake would be an altogether more subtle nod the Marvel theme.

Decoration

Keep your  red and gold venue decoration from looking overly Christmassy by keeping it simple. Use gold plates on deep red table-clothes but keep glasses, vases and chair details in a different colour, shown here (left) in white. Steer clear of Yule-tide ruby reds and veer towards darker burgundy shades for that Stark Industries chique.

Use gold and red bells (sold commonly as Christmas decorations) in clear jars on your tables are centre-piece focal-points.

Make Iron Man-esque paper-chains by cutting small circles from red paper and deep yellow paper, stick these circles to thin blue wrapping ribbon with double-sided sticky tape and hang, the night-before, in your reception!

For inexpensive table-numbers with a Hollywood feel, spray basic wooden photo frames with gold paint and frame your stationery company provided table number cards!

Flowers

Good use of flowers displays and arrangements can make a good wedding a brilliant one. Whatever flowers you choose, be sure to keep red a prominent colour. This ‘faux floral’ bouquet (near right) uses gold coloured silk squares folded into the shape of a lily as the ‘gold’ element of the Iron Man theme and silk petals to form a rose-buds; the pocket of pollen is made from a button; to incorporate the Iron Man costume, why not use a blue button as the stamen pollen! The floral table arrangement on the far right uses nude/orange flowers to tick the ‘gold’ box; using gold coloured vases also adds to the over-all feel.

Don’t forget to use flowers if you’re having an outdoor do – this picture (left), pinned on Pinterest, shows an outdoor wedding ceremony that used red, yellow and orange flower petals, sprinkled and gathered on the floor, to outline their aisle.

Favours

Sweetie favours will always go down well with guests old  or young so get yourselves some of these mints, lollies and goodies!

Bridesmaids’ Accessories

    We love these gorgeous accessories that seem just perfect to us for an Iron Man wedding; our favourites being these gorgeous handbags! The gorgeous chunky clutch seems like it could have been taken from the Iron Man suit itself and the bag (shown below) with the in-built Iron Man circular light couldn’t be more perfect! Team these gems with gold and red jewellery and you’re winning!

Ok, so – everyone has heard “Something old, something new…” or been aware that the groom seeing the bride’s dress is bad luck or that wedding guests shouldn’t wear white, but how much do you really know about wedding traditions?

Here are just a few of some of the many, varied customs and wedding traditions from around the globe…

Samoan

It is tradition in Samoa for the bride’s wedding dress to be made solely from the bark of a Mulberry tree!

Chinese

Chinese couples pick their wedding date on the advice of a stranger – an astrologer who choses a favourable date that is decided upon from their birth dates but there are further traditions to abide by…

In modern China brides pick not just one wedding dress for their special day, but three.

First of all there is the traditional qipao or cheongsam which is an embroidered, slim-fitting frock that’s usually made red for weddings, because red is a strong, lucky color in Chinese culture.

Next, the bride might change  into a white poufed ball gown that wouldn’t look out of place at your average wedding.

Finally, the bride nips out of the reception and changes into a third dress, this time a dress in any colour or style of her choosing!

After the wedding reception the friends and family follow the couple into their  bedroom, making as much noise as possible and taunting them; guests try to stay in the room for as long as they can before the  privacy-starved couple kick them out!

Scottish

In Scotland it is considered good luck for the bridegroom to wear a button-hole of white heather on his wedding day.

Portuguese

A Portuguese tradition (long abandoned) called for the bride to pretend to be a cow and see if the groom could recognize her in a herd!

Indian

With the release of “Oz the Great and Powerful”  this Spring, it seems only right, to dig deep into our musical box of tricks and pull out a wedding theme any witch or wizard would be proud of. We bring you your own ‘How To’ guide for a Wizard of Oz wedding theme.

The new film is based on L. Frank Baum’s Oz novels, and also pays homage to the 1939 MGM film: The Wizard of Oz. Set twenty years before the events of both sources, Oz the Great and Powerful focuses on Oscar Diggs, who arrives in the Land of Oz and encounters three witches: Theodora, Evanora and Glinda. Oscar is then enlisted to restore order in Oz, while struggling to resolve conflicts with the witches and himself.

WHAT TO WEAR – LADIES

When it comes to choosing your wedding clothes, The Oz stories could not possibly offer up more inspiration if they tried.

 For brides looking to channel the cute ‘Return To Oz’ vibe, why not go for an calf-length A-line dress like this one, shown left, accessorised with a baby blue waistening belt. This dress is from loveinspirecreate.com but you could acheive this look with any number of ‘Off-The-Peg’ dresses.

If you fancy really getting under the skin of theme, why not get yourself these fun gingham Dorothy garters by Castle Corsetry (right)- they’d be doubly lucky as they could be your ‘something blue!’ – we love the mini red shoes!

However, you needn’t feel obliged to go the for full Judy Garland  look in order to make use of this fabulous theme, you could take inspiration from this beautful, timeless cream dress created especially for Michelle William’s in Disney’s new  film “Oz the Great and Powerful”; this stunning costume oozes elegance and it’s classic design just seems like it would be perfectly at home in any bridal collection.

And now to the bridesmaids, again, you have so many options but why not be a bit fun and go for something quirky for the special ladies who make will make your Ozzy day go as smoothly as possible…

Why not deck your girls in an Emerald City-inspired emerald green? You can choose any style to suit any shape and maintain a cohesive colour palette totally relevant to your day! Give them yellow flowers in their bouquets and you’re away!

However…

No Oz wedding woman would be complete without the red shoes; whether they are for the bride only, or for each of her maids, they are an essential and what’s even better, is that there are so many options out there to choose from! You can wear heady high-heels, pretty pumps, satin slippers, cute kitten heels or even sassy sandals – you pick!

THE DETAILS: GETTING IT RIGHT

Having an Oz theme means that you can make your wedding day more than just a ceremony, it can be a really fun, memorable day of your life, shared with your loved ones.

 Embrace the fun-loving story and go for talking-point pieces like this fabulous cake posted on foodista.com. Each character in The Wizard of Oz story is represented by one of the seven tasty-looking tiers and it even has a yellow brick road winding it’s way up the the castle on the top! Perfect!

Use every opportunity you can to have fun with the theme; we love these totally cute cupcakes (right) and the card that goes with them: “Take one, my pretty” – why not go for some deadly delicious apples to accompany them on your dessert table!

Decorate your tables and your venue head-to-toe in green, white and red; feature poppies in your floral plan, use yellow table runners and be sure to provide endless supplies of sweets that look totally bad for you! Name drinks at your bar after characters from the stories; why not have a Flying Monkey Martini or a Gin and Tin Man Tonic!

Remember to decorate the outside of your venue as well as the inside; so many people forget to do it andiIf you have clement enough weather, have the reception outside. Use straw and tin in your decorating, draping straw on and around your table (or if you’re really, really hayfever-y you could use a blue gingham table-cloth!) and make your own tin lanterns.

How To Make Your Own Tin Man Lanterns:

Make tin lanterns by saving and reusing your old food tins – baked bean tins are perfect!

1. Wash the tins up and peel the entire label off, rinsing it in luke warm water.

2. Dry the tin, being careful not to cut your hands on any rough edges!

3. Find yourself a screw-driver and a small hammer and, placing the screw-driver onto the surface of the tin, use the hammer to lightly tap delicate holes into the tin. (You can tap away randomly or you could create a specific pattern).

4. When you have made enough holes, skim over the tin can with some wire wool to smooth down any wicked witchy bits sticking out.

5.Grab yourself a tea-light candles, some matches and you’re good to go!

Turn your guests green with envy  by decking the groomsmen out in gorgeous emerald accessories, like the brogues pictured inset left. Walk down the aisle, in your snazzy shoes, and follow the yellow brick road all the way home! Create your yellow pathway in any venue or reception by lining a narrow aisle with yellow flowers, opt for floral varities like peonies, carnations, roses and daffodils. You could lay soft saw dust or a yellow carpet or you could have the aisle lit in a sunshine light to colour your aisle with special effects, ask for a brick-effect gobo filter and you’re sorted!

If however you’re a creative couple and you don’t  really fancy feeling the heat of loads of lighting rigs on your face as you say your vows, you could even hand-paint yourselves a brick-effect roll-out road!

 We love this ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’ balloon arch (shown left) from thebridesguide.marthastewartsweddings.com – it makes a fantastically colourful photo opportunity for the bride and groom.

Why not use your balloon arch as you leave your ceremony? Persuade two trusted (tall) family members to hold it as you and your new spouse duck under, whilst inevitably being pelted with confetti!

And to top it all, when you’ve finished all your photos, you can then have a rainbow balloon release in the grounds of your venue, which will not fail to entertain every single one of your guests, no matter what age!

If all these ideas aren’t quite Oz enough for you then why not pinch some of these tips too!

• Dance the your first dance away to Eva Cassidy’s heart-breakingly beautiful rendition of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” and then get your groove on with a couple of Fa La La’s.
• Feeling cheeky? Get yourself some super stripey witch’s socks to go under your outfit!
• We could never forget Toto, but don’t drag your dog into being the ring-bearer just because he’s unbelievably cute – he won’t thank you!
• Make sure all the ladies have had a great and powerful Oz manicure: think blue gingham, yellow brick patterns, red and glittery, emerald green or metallic tin colours.
• Print out your favourite quotes and put them in frames for the reception. They’ll look great on the day and you can keep them for the rest of your lives as a memento!
• Hire a majorette band to perform as your evening entertainment – they’ll bring a munchkin feel to a ‘wicked’ party!
• Incorporate the Cowardly Lion motif in your jewellery with earrings for the girls and signet rings for the boys. If it’s winter time, get yourself a leonine faux fur coat to keep warm!
• Looking to travel Dorothy style? Arrive at your reception in a hot-air balloon – there really is no other way!

This was the decade dubbed ‘The Swinging Sixties” because it marked a tide change in social attitude; more relaxed views on sexual and racial issues created a ‘Free Love’ state that created the new, radical style that is now so synonymous with the era.

It is the era in which JFK took office, Martin Luther King made his famous ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, the Berlin Wall was constructed and Che Guevara becomes a symbol of revolution and rebellion; Malcolm X was killed, the contraceptive pill is released, the Cuyahoga River caught fire, Apollo 11 lands on the moon and The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones take the world by storm. The sixties is a time of huge change with developments in technology and, perhaps more importantly, human rights.

The counter-culture movement dominated the second half of the 1960s, its most famous moments being The Summer of Love and Woodstock.  Psychedelic drugs like LSD were widely used medicinally, spiritually and recreationally throughout the late 1960s, this drug-fuelled culture influenced the music, artwork and films of the decade, and a number of prominent musicians died of drug overdoses. There was a growing interest in Eastern religions and philosophy, and many attempts were made to found communes, which varied from supporting free love to religious puritanism.

The highest-grossing film of the decade was 20th Century Fox’s The Sound of Music and films including: Psycho, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Lawrence of Arabia, The Pink Panther, The Graduate, The Jungle Book, Cool Hand Luke and Planet of the Apes were box office hits.

So, here’s our sixties-inspired wedding!

The Bride

A 1960′s bridal look is about a relaxed but geometric style; shorter skirts are go and it’s time to flash your pins! Icons include Audrey Hepburn, Twiggy, Capucine, Brigitte Bardot and Grace Kelly.

Technological developments in the clothing industry meant that weddings clothes were suddenly mass produced and turned out  much quicker, this made fabric a lot cheaper and easier to get hold of. The traditional bridal veil sees a transformation as it suddenly becomes much shorter than it has been and is now a-top a 60′s ‘do – a stacked beehive, a Vidal Sassoon bob or a distressed perm.

To get the look you need a short hemline; long sleeves or sleeveless (no mid-length sleeves); a short netted veil and low-heeled court shoes.

During the 60′s wedding dresses are, on the whole, still white but colour is suddenly available to the whole market and oranges, pinks and lime greens are straight off the cat-walk.

The Groom 

The style icons of any groom wanting a 60′s feel are: David Niven, Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Gregory Peck and Cary Grant. Grooms wore relaxed fashions, most donning a monochrome turtle neck, chequered or pinstriped blazer and loose fitting trousers. The style is some form of Monte Carlo laissez-faire.

To add authentic vintage touches, you need a side-parted, short back and sides, a pocket handkerchief to replace a buttonhole, a chunky watch, brown brogues and brightly coloured socks!

The Stationery

Reflect your vintage theme in your wedding stationery by choosing something to catch the eye from our bespoke range.

This Orange and Yellow Gerberra design from our Floral Library is perfect for the psychedelic feel of the decade that heralded colour pops and flower power. Use it throughout as a continuous theme, perhaps echo it in the bridal bouquet.

This Petal design perfectly reflects the geometric trend of the sixties, use it on your Save The Date cards, wedding invitations, thank yous and all your stationery for the day itself (menus, table-plan, table numbers, place-cards, guest information)

The Reception

Having a 60′s-inspired reception means having fun with every single detail so, after leaving your ceremony, have a big, bold, brilliant, swinging, sassy sixties party!

Why not try the weddingchicks.com idea and get yourselves a  vintage typewriter loaded with paper for your guests to leave you special messages on.

Get everyone you know to bake macaroons, biscuits, cupcakes and pastries – hit the shops and buy a whole load of chocolates and sweeties for a fun-filled, sweet-toothed buffet table!

The 1960s was the time when the fast food industry really took off so why not ditch the traditional wedding breakfast and hire a vintage food van to serve American-style hamburgers and hotdogs, or maybe newspaper wrapped fish and chips; let people sit where they like and provide tables at different heights! Your guests will love you for making eating so easy and it will work out much cheaper than a three course meal for everyone.

Take inspiration from this flower-power hippy wedding cake, remember “Love is all you need” and think outside the box.

Avoid an overly formal affair and use fondant icing on three towered sponges to create a floral fancy fit for The King (thank-yer-vrry-muuuch…)

Or if you’re feeling truly sixties, why not try making a Batternberg wedding cake! Get hold of these yummy cupcakes from www.100layercake.com

Create some truly memorable munching by hiring an ice-cream vendor to tempt you and your guests into having double scoops of Italian ice cream to rival Audrey’s quick fix in “Roman Holiday”.

This parlour (pictured left) has old pastel coloured vesper motorbikes cut into the serving counter to act as gorgeously vintage seating – what a wedding photo that would make for the bride and her bridesmaids!

Decorate your tables with plenty of fun sixties memorabilia using old records, fabrics, magazine cut-outs, comic books, TV sitcom posters, celebrity photos, family photos, stamps, letters and timelines.

Hire a DJ to play a mix of the decade’s biggest hits; be sure to include: The Beatles, Johnny Cash, The Temptations, Isley Brothers, The Supremes, The BeeGees, Buddy Holly, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Petula Clark, Donovan, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Cliff Richard, Tom Jones, Pink Floyd, The Who, Dusty Springfield and Sandy Shaw to name but a few essential artists!

Transport

The sixties was a really good time for the automobile industry but there is one vehicle that is as popular today as it was when it was first brought onto the market fifty years ago: the Volkswagen ‘hippy’ caravan.

So…

Why not fully embrace the era and hire in  your very own camper-van? Perfect for travelling to and from your day, the van is spacious and stylish and also doubles as your transport and the end of your wedding day and potential honeymoon transport too! -what could be more practical!

The Volkswagen van was a favourite at Woodstock and The Summer of Love, and continues to be a trusty festival favourite, with huge gatherings of people needing easy transport and simultaneous accommodation.

Gone are the days when a wedding had to be a traditional affair, nowadays pretty much anything goes!

“Times have changed…

In olden days, a glimpse of stocking 
Was looked on as something shocking. 
But now, God knows, 
Anything goes…”

We decided to compile a list of our favourite weird, wacky, wonderful weddings and to celebrate them in true Scissor Paper Stone style for all their ingenuity and imagination. So, here you go…

WACKY WARDROBES

Everyone wants to feel comfortable on their day and the briefest of glimpses at programmes like “Don’t Tell The Bride” and “Four Weddings” will show you how important wedding day attire has become in modern-day weddings.

But not everyone has the same traditional tastebuds; here are a few of our favourite wedding wedding wardrobes…

This kooky couple (pictured right) tied the knot with the dashing groom in full Superman gear, the Maid of Honour dressed as Wonder-Woman and the Best Man as Batman’s trusty sidekick, Robin. We are wondering if their first dance was to ‘Heroes’?

And one for all you feline fans out there…

These cool cats (left), pictured on the WEDINATOR.COM website, made their vows to each other with their  loved-up little faces painted up as tigers – complete with whiskers and blacked-out noses. Different? Certainly!

Many modern-day couples want to reflect their ethnicity or cultural heritage in their weddings, particularly if they are making a bi-cultural alliance; however, this happy couple (who we presume are U.S citizens!) took patriotism to the extreme by incorporating the American ‘Stars and Stripes’ motif into their wedding clothes design. Both wacky and wonderful, these two (pictured right) look the picture of The American Dream.

Further to patriotic themes, many brides  (and grooms) dream of a Disney-style fairytale wedding and we often see a leaning towards a princessy theme: princess-cut rings, necklines and skirts for the bride and a general ‘Charming’ feel to the groom;

…however, not many people would opt for a Disney theme outside of the classic romances, however this forever-young couple have done exactly that!

Dressed as Peter Pan and his trusty fairy side-kick, Tinkerbell, these lovebirds (pictured left) refused to ever grow up to cut their cake. We can’t help wondering if their vows were “I do believe in fairies, I do, I do, I do!

From Disney, to Dreamworks, this couple from Wales (right) got married dressed as ogres Shrek and Fiona in head-to-toe green face and body paint!

“Our friends always used to say we looked like the characters when we went on nights out,” she said. “Even though Shrek and Fiona are both green ogres, we didn’t take it offensively because we like them so much.”

The couple actually saw a “Shrek” movie on their first date and have been loyal fans ever since. To get ready for the big day, the pair covered themselves in green body paint and affixed fake green ears to the tops of their heads. Tracey donned a bright red wig to complete the Princess Fiona look, and Vivian sported checked trousers.

The Williams’ wedding guests got in on the fun, with the best man dressing up as Monsieur Hood, the bride’s father going as Lord Farquaad, the bride’s mother playing the Fairy Godmother and the maid of honor playing Snow White.

Many people want a fun feel to their day, but this bride and groom (shown right) have opted out of formalities and chosen a fancy dress theme of “Zombie Wedding”: slit throats, contact lenses, bloodied clothes and full faces of make-up, these guys have really gone full throttle!

This bride (left) from Guangzhou, China, set the world’s longest bridal train record at 219 yards.

The Chinese bride accented her gown with a train that was over 600 ft long and weighed over 220 lbs; she had this photos taken in front of a hotel in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province on her special day.

According to The Guinness Book of Records, the longest wedding dress train measured 1362 m [4468 ft 5.94 in] and was created by Andreas Evstratiou in Paphos, Cyprus, in February 2007.

CRAZY CAKES

Think you want a cake that is going to really stand out from the crowd? Think again.

Check out this bride and her cake; this wacky bride commissioned a life-size cakey version of herself to hack into on her special day. You have got to admire the baker, and we’re all for individuality but we’re not entirely sure that we’d feel comfortable eating bits of the bride at her wedding!

Crazy for a different reason, this cake (pictured right) depicts a bride holding the severed head of her decapitated groom – again, a little stomach-churning but, each to their own!

LOOPY LOCATIONS

A church wedding isn’t for everyone and now you can get married in a huge variety of venues and locations – here are some of the more imaginative ideas!

Everyone wants a day to remember but this couple (who threw themselves thousands of feet with nothing to comfort them but gravity and the end of a bungee rope) took the idea to an extreme (picture inset left). We don’t fancy the idea of trying remember our vows upside-down and suspended in mid-air, let alone actually get them out – and heard – in gale-force wind!

You’d be forgiven for thinking that this couple (shown right) are doing some sort of charity fundraiser… but you’d be wrong; they’re having a traditional Jewish marriage… in a bath-tub full of melted chocolate, on Valentine’s Day.

This brave couple (pictured left) said their vows under-water with scuba gear and hold-up ‘I DO’ boards! We’d love to have seen how someone would voice any ‘impediment’ to these two being joined together in marriage!

Think that’s wacky, check out the wet wedding this couple (pictured right) had! April Pignataro and Michael Curry of New York City got married in June 2010. The bride wore a white wetsuit and the groom wore a traditional black wetsuit as they climbed inside a 120,000 gallon shark tank to take their vows at Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead. The couple are both experienced divers and were protected by a cage as sand sharks, nurse sharks, eels and a giant grouper circled round them. They wore scuba gear and radio mikes that broadcast their vows to each other, as well as to friends and family. They said their “I dos” over a radio transmitter with an officiant who did not get in the tank!

WACKY WEDDINGS

• Did you know that there’s a Guinness World Record for the most bridesmaids in a wedding? One bride from Proctorville, Ohio, broke the record with more than 100 bridesmaids at her June 11, 2010 wedding. Dance teacher, Jill Stapleton, asked her students — all 110 of them — to be her bridesmaids and walk down the aisle with her at her wedding. The bride asked each girl to choose her own dress for the wedding in either purple or teal, the dance school’s colors. In lieu of bridesmaid bouquets, each bridesmaid carried a single rose. The previous record for the most bridesmaids in a wedding was 90.

Grace Patricia Kelly was born on 12th November 1929 to a wealthy Philidelphia family and grew up to be one of Hollywood’s brightest stars.

At the age of 20, Grace Kelly appeared in New York City theatrical productions as well as in more than forty episodes of live drama productions broadcast during the early 1950s. In October 1953, with the release of “Mogambo”, she became a movie star. She went on to win Academy Awards, Golden Globes, a Gold Record and an Oscar for Best Actress. Grace quickly became the leading lady of the silver screen.

However, Grace retired from acting at the young age of twenty-six when she married Prince Rainier III, becoming princess consort of Monaco; her official title being Her Serene Highness, The Princess of Monaco; however, she was fondly known as Princess Grace.

We are going to take a look at what was one of the most stylish weddings the world has ever seen…

The Meet-Cute

In April 1955, Grace Kelly was sent to represent the United States at the Cannes Film Festival; while there, she was invited to participate in a photo session at the Palace of Monaco with Prince Rainier, the sovereign of the principality. However, after a series of delays and complications in Cannes, Kelly met the prince in Monaco.

Seeking A Wife

Upon returning to America, Kelly began work on her next film, “The Swan” (in which, coincidentally she plays a princess). Meanwhile, she was beginning a private correspondence with Rainier.

In December, Rainier came to America on a tour – although it was speculated that Rainier was actively seeking a wife.

A 1918 treaty with France stated that if Rainier did not produce an heir, Monaco would revert to France as a result of the Monaco Succession Crisis. At a press conference in the U.S, Rainier was asked “If you were pursuing a wife, what kind would you like?” Rainier smiled and answered, “I don’t know – the best.”

Rainier met Kelly and her family, and after three days, the prince proposed. Kelly accepted and the families began preparing for what the press called “The Wedding of the Century.”

Wedding Preparations

The Kelly family had to provide the prince with a marital dowry of two million dollars in order for the marriage to go ahead, but this they did and the religious wedding was set for April 19, 1956;  news of the engagement was received with elated excitement, even though it meant the possible end to Kelly’s film career. Alfred Hitchcock quipped that he was “very happy that Grace has found herself such a good part.”

Preparations for the wedding were elaborate: the palace of Monaco was painted and redecorated throughout.

On April 4, 1956, leaving from New York, Kelly, with her family, bridesmaids, poodle, and over eighty pieces of luggage boarded the ocean liner SS Constitution for The French Riveria. Four hundred reporters applied to cover the eight day voyage on-board; however, nearly all were turned away. Thousands of fans waved Grace off from America and on her arrival in Monaco, more than 20,000 people lined the streets to greet the future princess.

The Weddings

Grace and Rainier had both civil and religious weddings.

- Civil Ceremony

The forty-minute civil ceremony took place in the baroque Palace Throne Room of Monaco on April 18, 1956, and was broadcast across Europe. To cap the ceremony, the 142 official titles that Grace now acquired, were formally recited.

Grace wore a pale pink, taffeta dress covered by cream-colored Alençon lace, designed as a “fitted bodice with high rounded collar and a flared skirt”. She wore kid gloves and the Juliet cap. The dress was designed by Helen Rose.

- Church Ceremony

The following day the church ceremony took place at Monaco’s St Nicholas Cathedral. The high mass was conducted by the Bishop of Monaco.

The six-hundred guests included fellow Hollywood stars like David Niven, Gloria Swanson and Ava Gardner, as well as the crowned heads of Europe.  Frank Sinatra initially accepted an invitation but at the last minute decided otherwise, afraid of upstaging the bride on her wedding day.

The ceremony was watched by an estimated 30 million people on television.

The Bride

Because of the close friendship between the two women, Edith Head assumed that she would be asked to create Grace’s beautiful lace wedding dress but it was instead designed by MGM’s Academy Award–winning wardrobe designer,  Helen Rose and was worked on for six weeks by three dozen seamstresses.

The bridesmaid’s gowns were designed by Neiman Marcus. The dress is cited as one of the most elegant and best-remembered bridal gowns of all time, and one of the most famous since the mid 20th century.

The dress was a high-necked, long-sleeved gown with a fitted torso and billowing skirt: a bodice with an attached under-bodice and skirt support. There were two petticoats, one being an attached foundation.

The wedding attire included a headdress, veil, shoes and the lace- and pearl-encrusted prayer book which she carried down the aisle.

Over fifty years on, the dress is still influential; the wedding dress of Kate Middleton in 2011 was said to have been inspired by it.

The dress materials included “twenty-five yards of silk taffeta, one hundred yards of silk net, and 125-year-old Brussels rose point lace.” The Juliet cap that she wore was bejeweled with seed pearls and orange blossoms; the veil made of tulle, measured 90 yards. She carried a small bouquet of Lilies of the Valley.

The material cost and manufacturing cost of the dress was indicated as US$7266.68, excluding the fee of the designer.

The serenely regal dress was described by the media when the details were disclosed two days before the wedding.

Grace was assisted on her wedding day by Helen Rose as well as by Virginia Darcy, Kelly’s MGM hairstylist.

Grace and Rainier Wedding Trivia

• The entire adult population of Monaco—3,000—was invited to the garden-party celebration following the wedding.

• Aristotle Onassis gave Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace “Deo Juvante II”, a 147-foot yacht, as a wedding present. The couple traveled around the Mediterranean on the yacht for their honeymoon.

• The people of Monaco gave Grace and Rainier a cream and black Rolls Royce convertible as a wedding gift. After the religious wedding ceremony, the couple drove through the streets of Monaco in it.

• As a wedding present, Rainier gave Grace a Van Cleef & Arpels set of a necklace, bracelet, and earrings.

• A copper penny was built into Grace’s right shoe for good luck. A popular belief is that the tall Grace wore flat pumps so that she would not be much taller than Rainier; however, these shoes actually have 2 1/2″-inch heels.

• As a wedding present from MGM, Grace received her entire wardrobe from High Society, as well as her magnificent wedding dress.

With “50 Shades of Grey” being the literary smash-hit of last year, with sales reaching thousands upon thousands of pounds, the steamy E.L James novel is a great starting point for a wedding.

‘Grey? For a wedding?!’ we hear you say. Yes, grey; cast aside your thoughts of the colour grey being dreich, drab and dreary and embrace the latest trend –  50 Shades of Grey: The Wedding Edition.

Brides

After the boom of the novel, designers went absolutely crazy for shades of grey and suppliers everywhere were flooded with James-inspired dresses. As with any other wedding dress, grey dresses are available in many different styles, shades and shapes and will really make the bride stand out on her wedding day.

Picking a grey dress means that you can cohesively tie-in and colour co-ordinate your entire day; grey dresses work in any season and on any skin tone. Be brave! Go grey!

Grooms

 Although grey is not a convential colour for brides, it is a relatively traditional colour for grooms, with grey three-piece morning-suits and smart casual two pieces being a usual go-to for grooms. So, like the bride, it’s about choosing something that the groom feels comfortable in and that he likes!

Bridesmaids

Grey bridesmaids dresses have become increasingly popular as they are a brilliant way to co-ordinate your maids. Every woman is a different shape and size and has a different skin-tone to the next and it’s important to remember this when picking your bridesmaid’s dresses. It would be incredibly difficult to find a dress colour and style that really suits each maid – so don’t!

Ask each bridesmaid to pick a dress in a style that they like in a designated shade of grey. You’ll end up with each woman feeling happy and comfortable and your maids will all be in “…Shades Of Grey” (but we don’t recommend having fifty girls!)

Reception

 The key to having a grey-themed reception is to use as many shades of grey as possible; just using one shade will make your venue look really dull, so use as many different tones as you can.

This table setting (pictured left) is by The Merry Bride and for our money, they are spot on; the striped pattern of the table-cloth lifts the colour and the rustic chairs add a warmth to the setting. If you’re looking for an intimate feel use round tables, if you’re going for a minimalist vibe – square.

If you’re not keen on having a grey table-cloth, opt for a white cloth and grey accessories; a grey table-runner and centre piece can work well to incorporate your theme.

We love this woven wreath tea-light holder (pictured right) pinned on Pinterest by Johanna Hansen; practical and pretty, adding a vineyard/rustic feel to your reception tables.

 Get creative with your table decorations. Paint wine bottles in a milk bottle effect to create gorgeous flower vases like these one, pictured left: buy yourself some grey emulsion paint and pour into the wine bottle; roll the paint around the bottle, allowing it to coat every area; once done, leave to dry by a radiator and … once dry, tie a ribbon around the fattest part of the bottle and you’re done!

Once you book your venue, start collecting grey feathers, pebbles, pegs, ribbons, fabric swatches and brick-a-brack: you’ll save yourself a lot of money once you realise that those grey saucers you bought from that charity shop are going to be great candle-holders!

Every little helps and if you start early, you’ll have a really well themed do; pay attention to the details and go for things like this pretty grey peep-toe reception shoes (shown far right) - perfect for brides who fancy slipping out of their high heels after the ceremony!

A huge plus to having a colour theme is that you can choose great accessories – have a look at this mood board (near right) for inspiration: grey ties, wedding rings, necklaces, hair grips, cakes, bowties, flowers and stationery!

Stationery

All our stationery is available in a variety of colours and all ranges can be printed in our Silver/Grey format.; however, we think that our Crystal range (pictured right) looks particularly classy in this colour.

The Silver/Grey Crystal range is available full:

‘Save The Date’ cards, invitations, Orders of Service, reception table plans, table numbers, menus, named place cards, ’Thank You’ cards, guest information cards and any other bespoke  reception stationery you might need.

Other fabulous designs in Silver/Grey:

Shell Stationery

Waterlily Stationery

Cherry Stationery

Period drama is arguably a real staple of television programming, cinematic progress and media inspiration, so how do you have a Downton Abbey wedding day? A dress to channel Kate Winslet’s look in Titanic? A groom that looks every inch a  dreamy Mr Darcy or a brooding Mr Rochester? Here’s how…

The Bride

To achieve the perfect Downton Abbey/Titanic feel to the bride’s outfit, you need to decide what look you are really going for as you have several options. The Victorian era was about being as covered up as possible whilst still oozing sexuality and creating the sexual tension the age is known for; because of this, we saw the introduction of the bum-tastic bustle and more sheer fabrics like lace and muslin. The Edwardian age has a more relaxed feel than the decadent trend the Victorians followed; we see a more practical, frugal approach to female dress as the First World War looms into the picture.

If you are wanting a Victorian style dress, it’s all about the bustle. The bustle was created to act as a flowerly, flouncy signpost highlighting the female bottom. It’s all about layered fabric and supporting padding to enhance and frame the bridal rear end! Most dressmakers and designers nowadays will find you a detachable bustle so that you can still boogie the night away at your reception without being weighed down by a bulging bottom!

For a more later feel, you need to get yourself a high-collared dress; both Victorian and Edwardian fashion favoured collars but it really came into being in the years following c. 1890.

Lace is a huge trend for 2013 so bring a vintage feel bang up to date with a lace collar, buttoning at the back. Sleeves are also an important factor for your Downton dress so be sure to go full-length.

All Victorian/Edwardian dresses would have been ivory, cream or white and it would have been deemed HIGHLY inappropriate to have anything else. The social attitude of the time means that to follow this theme, you need to look decent, elegant, womanly and classic. This is the perfect dress style for  almost any body shape; curvy women will benefit from the tailored and skimming cut and more athletic figures can add shape with the bustle and waistline.

Shoes: with such long trains to dresses, the fashion was for a flatter heel or a pump so finish a vintage dress with these gorgeous ‘Selina’ romantic wedding shoes by The Victorian Garden. Comfy, stylish, practical and unique. However, a word to the wise, DO NOT buy genuine vintage Victorian shoes, the average Victorian woman had size three feet (UK) and much thinner feet than most people do today; ergo, they will not fit you, so don’t try, Cinderella!

This table setting by The Noteworthy Event is the perfect nod to something Victorian with matching crockery, a full silverware cutlery set, three glasses for wine, water and port, formally dressed napkins and a traditional floral centre-piece.  You need to pick a venue that allows you to have this style of reception or can facilitate it; look at period venues like seventeenth century Aynhoe Park (Oxfordshire), red-brick Wroxhall Abbey (Warwickshire), Trinity House (London) and Wedderburn Castle (Scots Borders).

This gorgeous cake from The International Culinary Centre hits all the right notes as the floral accessories nod to a Victoriana feel and the bird-cage design is a huge trend for 2013. The cake was a really important part of a period wedding, particularly in the Victorian age; it was a chance to show off how wealthy you were and how a la mode you could be; elaborate wedding cakes often had huge decorations on them; birds, exotic flowers, jewels and statuettes; it is the Victorians who introduce the tiered wedding cake that is often popular today.

You might like to include a lace effect or a paisley pattern on your cake as a further nod to the style of the era; you might even like to look into fabulous Cheese Wedding Cakes (see blog) from www.thecheeseshed.com

Hire a string quartet like the South East Quartet from Warble Entertainment Agency and waltz the night away to classical 3/4. Having a live music act will add an elegant feel to your day and you can have them play at the ceremony as well as at the reception. When looking for musicians, remember to look specifically within your local area; you are unlikely to convince someone to come, especially for you, from the other side of the world!

A reception must-have is a silohuette artist to sketch your guests’ profiles; here’s Karl Johnson of Cutarts.com – silhouette portraits were hugely fashionable during the seventeenth and eighteenth century and they make a really lovely addition to a wedding reception; you’re ticking two boxes at once as they also serve as personalised wedding favours for your guests and act as a great talking point!

Transport

The final touch to a period drama wedding is the right mode of transportation.

If you want an ‘Austen-tatious’ exit, you’ll need a horse and open-top carriage; for a Downton Abbey entrance or a Titanic feel, you need an early motor car like this beautiful 1925 Rolls Royce from www.firstchoiceweddingcars.co.uk

Think outside the box, could you fly to your reception? Sail? Catch a steam train?