Your North East Wedding - November/December 2020 (Issue 41)

MADE WITH LOVE I want to add beautiful touches to my wedding day, what would you suggest?  Samantha says:  A good place to start is by creating personal and luxury invitations and save-the-date cards. I offer a bespoke design service whereby I hand-illustrate wedding stationery which includes every aspect of your wedding. Just let me know the flowers and venue and I will do the rest.  Attention to detail is on every wedding planner’s mind. Help your guests feel truly cherished with handmade wedding favours which can double up as place names. My wedding favours come in the form of hexagonal coasters featuring individually hand-crafted guest names set-in clear resin, sprinkled with dried flower petals and finished with luxury gold-leaf flakes.   Samantha Lois Dunn | Samantha Lois Illustrations |  www.samanthalois.com DREAMY DÉCOR We’re having a retro-style wedding day, what ways can we incorporate this theme into our venue?  Jane says: Most couples have an idea of a certain theme for their wedding. For those picking a retro-style, finding a venue can become difficult if there’s not a local space available that fits the desired era. However, there are ways to incorporate the theme into any location. The invites will give guests a clue about the theme and stationery companies will be able to provide welcome signs and artwork which highlights this style again when everyone arrives.  There are many options available to transform a space; couples could go all out with an Austin Powers cutout to welcome your guests or more simply, table names linked to the chosen era. Most retro weddings have a colour scheme, which can be used in the table runners, napkins or flowers to tie everything together. You could also design an arrival drinks or food menu which matches the theme.  There are no rules as to how much your style’s present in your day – have fun with it! Jane Flatman | Birdcages and Dragonflies | www.birdcagesanddragonflies.com www.vict oriaspongephotography.co.uk FASHION FORWARD When should I start looking for a wedding dress and what should I bring to the appointment?  Cheryl says: Finding your wedding dress is such an exciting experience! A great place to start is by researching shapes and styles in advance of the appointments, but still have an open mind to all dresses. We recommend finding your gown nice and early, 12 to 18 months before the big day is perfect.  Bridal collections work a year in advance and take a good amount of time to arrive. You want to leave plenty of time for any alterations and tweaks that your gown needs to make it perfect for the big day. It’s extremely useful to wear nude underwear for your bridal appointment as well as a strapless bra. It’s great to bring a pair of shoes with the heel height desired, but we have shoes to try with your gown if not. Bring along images of the styles of gowns you like so far; this is extremely helpful for your bridal stylist to help guide you in the right direction.  Cheryl Ashford | The Blue Bow Bridal Company |  www.facebook.com/bluebowbridalcompany https://dan ieladimarino.com ASK THE EXPERTS 69