Your London Wedding - Mar/Apr 2020 (Issue 70)

WHAT LIES BENEATH? My hubby-to-be’s family is Scottish and we’d love to honour their heritage on our big day. However, I’m afraid neither of us are overly familiar with the custom surrounding wearing a kilt – can we choose any colourway? Are there any other considerations to take into account? Paul says : Most specialist kilt stores should have a comprehensive range of hire tartans and accessories that cover the most up-to-date wedding colours. Even if you do opt for a specific tartan, you can always play around with the jacket style and colourway. Choose from the traditional Prince Charlie or Argyle or a more contemporary shape, both will be available in a range of shades from plain black, grey and navy to the new tweeds for a less formal look. You can personalise the look further with special accessories, such as your own style and colour of socks, shirt, tie and kilt pin. Most stores will be able to make a kilt in most clan tartans – even better, some offer a ‘hire before you buy’ option, so you, the client, will get to wear the clan tartan or the tartan choice and colour for the special day, with an option to buy after the event. I’d always advise visiting a couple of stores to browse their range, pick the brains of the friendly and knowledgeable staff and try a few things on. Meet the experts: Director of kilt hire service Eight Yards, what Paul Swadzba doesn’t know about kilts isn’t worth knowing. Eight Yards | 8yards.co.uk | @eightyards THE ART OF GIFTING We’ve lived together for years and have all the toasters and plates we could need. Ideally, we’d like our guests to contribute to a bespoke piece of art – but we’re not sure how to phrase this on the invites. Any advice? Georgina says: Couples are often hesitant to let their guests know what they’d really like as a wedding gift for fear of appearing too demanding or insensitive. This fear is more often than not totally unnecessary however – wedding invitees understand that the days of gifting household essentials are over and they would like nothing more than to give something to the happy couple that they truly want and will cherish for the rest of their lives.   A bespoke piece of art is a wonderful idea as a special gift and it’s best to be quite direct on the invitation to let guests know that this is what you’d like and exactly how they can go about contributing towards this. Setting up an online gifting site is a practical solution. It’s always a nice touch to follow up with a thank you card or e-card to let your guests know what you have bought with their contribution. In the case of commissioning a bespoke piece of art, using this as the cover illustration on a card is the perfect way to do this. Meet the experts: Georgina Khachadourian is the founder of Pullman Editions, a Pimlico-based company that designs, commissions and publishes striking original posters, which capture the enduring appeal of Art Deco. Pullman Editions | pullmaneditions.com | 020 7730 0547 116