5 Design Elements to Consider When Planning Your Wedding Stationery

1.Your Wedding Colour Palette

Deciding on your ‘On The Day’ colour palette can be a tricky business but once you’ve settled on a wedding colour scheme, why not match your bespoke stationery into this? Table Names, Table Plans and Place Cards can be an excellent way to incorporate colour into your wedding look and help tie everything together.

2. To Foil or Not to Foil

Although not everyone agrees with me, I am a HUGE fan of incorporating, gold, silver or rose gold foiling into your wedding stationery. With a high shine finish, this can be an excellent way to give your wedding invitations and wedding signage an ultra luxe finish. Although digital foiling isn’t possible on large format products, I offer hand gold tinting at no extra charge, depending on the complexity of the design.

3. Showcase Your Personality and/or Relationship

Incorporating things which are important to you and your partner into your wedding stationery can be a really exciting way to give your guests an insight into your relationship. Are you both fantasy addicts? Why not name your dinner tables after locations in Lord of the Rings and include character illustrations on your table name cards? Shaped place names are also an excellent way to incorporate this, having a Harry Potter themed wedding? Why not have golden snitch place cards or owl shaped menus? I offer this as part of my hand illustration service and I would love to hear your ideas!

4. Fonts and Calligraphy

Do you have a lot of information you need your guests to know, but are worried that this could detract from the overall design of your wedding invitation suite? Decorative typography and text shaping can be a bold way around this. Why not use colour, foiling and alternative fonts to inform your guests?

5.Function AND Form

Your stationery should be beautiful and purposeful. Do you have minimal bartop space at your wedding venue? Why not have bar menus which stand upright? Worried about whether or not to include individual orders of service for your guests, and whether they’ll just be left on seats? Why not have one large order of service on a display stand where everyone can see it? Talk to me about any practical issues you’re facing and I’m sure we can work out a functional solution together.

6 Place Name Ideas For a Spooktacular Halloween Table

Looking for ways to be inventive with your halloween dinner setting? I’ve been working on some hand illustrated place names with a spooky theme to bring your halloween dinner party to life!

1. Fun Guy Funghis: Toadstool Place Cards

   Looking for a way to nod at the Halloween festivities without going all-out-spooky? These little toadstool inspired place cards are a fun way to incorporate the holiday without being too scary for children. Why not dare to be different and make your halloween a colourful one?

2. Black Cats and Witch’s Hats: Black and Gold Witchy Place Cards

Why not go full Hocus Pocus with these witch inspired place names? Black witchy cats with moon markings and traditional witch hats make for fun halloween table decor. Hand illustrated in gold on a black background with celestial decorations, this gothic stationery is a great finishing touch to any cosmic tables.

3. Pastel Ghosts for the Host with the Most

Why not stray away from tradition and go for a pastel themed Halloween? These pastel ombre ghost place cards are a super cute way to celebrate the day. Perfect for your halloween dinner party with a pastel decor. I’m thinking pink pumpkins, skeletons adorned with flower crowns and fondant fancies.

4. Neon Bats

Have you ever seen a picture of a baby bat? They are actually adorable! Bats don’t need to be frightening and these little guys are a great antidote to that fear! Die cut black place cards with hand illustrated details in neon ink, what’s not to love!

5. Black Cats: Good Luck or Bad?

I was told that a black cat crossing the road was good luck, plus I love cats so i’m very much inclined to think that they are good! These die cut black cat place cards are a great way to dispel any superstition your guests might have but they can also work as a good conversation starter!

6. Good Gourd! Pumpkin Place Cards

In a beautiful autumnal palette of true pumpkin, pumpkin spice, deep sage and forest green, with gold calligraphy detailing, these place names could be a beautiful addition to your halloween dinner setting. Pair with rich velvet table cloths, spice scented tapered candles and gold table ware for an extravagantly sumptuous setting.

7 Hen Party Gifts for The Boho Bride

If you’re looking to pair your bespoke Bertie Valentine hand-painted, hen party leather jacket or blooming botanical crown with some equally sensational boho hen party gifts and accessories, the digital shelves of Team Hen are where you need to start.

Celebrated far and wide for their show-stopping range of hen party gifts and accessories, games and decorations (trust us, you won’t find any willy straws here), Team Hen is the ultimate hen party mecca for all things suitably stylish and Instagram-worthy. Get ready to Add to Cart a whole host of bohemian hen party details, with everything from flower-adorned veils and elegant hen party photo booth props available to knock the bride’s socks off.

#1 Floral Bride To Be Advice Cards

Our rose gold foiled advice cards are not only fancy and floral, but they’re a great idea for the hen! Blushing with blooms and some thoughtful advice for married life, your bride-to-be will treasure these forever!

#2 Boho Bride Veil

Perfect for the bohemian, free-spirited bride, no boho-inspired hen party should be without our Instagram-worthy stunning floral crown with printed Bride To Be veil! Pair with Bertie Valentine’s hand-painted leather jackets for a cool, bridal spin!

#3 Team Bride Floral Party Bags

Place one of our Team Bride Floral Party Bags at each of your bride tribe’s place settings on the hen and fill it with a selection of Team Hen’s modern hen party favours! It’s a no-brainer! Glistening with a glamorous rose gold foil - they’ll be blown away.

#4 Boho Hen Party Balloon Arch

Create the perfect backdrop for your bride to show off her exclusive Bertie Valentine accessories with our Boho Hen Party Balloon Arch. Featuring a sumptuous array of blush, nude and blue balloons, this stylish addition will make dressing any hen party venue a total breeze.

#5 Bride Diamanté Hair Slide

If you’re planning on adorning hen party-ready locks with one of Bertie Valentines’ gorgeous paper hair accessories, why not pin that beauty in place with one of our GLITTERING Bride Diamanté Hair Slides? Plus, this sparkling hair accessory can be worn from hen to aisle, to honeymoon and beyond....

#6 Bridechilla Luxury Bath Soak

Every boho bride deserves some delicious self-care treats to indulge in before the big day. Arriving in style in a beautifully soft, organic cotton pouch, your bride will love our Luxury Himalayan Salt Blend Bath Soak. Delivering an alluring mix of the finest Himalayan Pink Salt, Epsom Salt, Dried Rose Petals and Lavender, all she needs now is a glass of champagne, a hot bath and her favourite glossy to read.

#7 White Bride Straw

Our Instagram-worthy White Bride Straw is the perfect finishing touch to any cocktail, champagne flute or delicate glass of rosé. And, FYI there’s Squad and Party straws available for the entire hen party crew too.

Want more hen party inspiration and gift ideas for the bride? Head on over to teamhen.co.uk STAT.

Bridgerton: 5 Ways to Channel Your Inner Daphne at Your Wedding

Hand crafted accessories with a Bridgerton aesthetic

Hand Painted Maximalist Footwear

Throughout the Bridgerton series, Daphne’s character develops to become a strong young woman and her wardrobe reflects that. She starts in shades of white and extremely light blue and then the shades get darker as the series and her character progresses. You can emulate her strength and beauty with a gorgeous chunky soft leather boot with inlaid mother of Pearl heel, crafted by artisans and delicate custom painted baroque emblems and roses. Style pictured is a collaboration between myself and the extraordinary footwear designer-Freya Rose-I interned with her during my placement year at university and the experience was invaluable to me. Freya is a truly nurturing, kind soul and I learnt so much from her! Style pictured is available at Freya Rose-click here to shop.

Maximalist Stationery

I absolutely loved working on this stationery set with decadent baroque patterns, a modern colour pop and hand finished with Finetec gold paint and glitter. Hand illustrated in Daphne’s signature blue.

Swoon Worthy Hair Accessories

‘Diamond of the first water’. I crafted this feather light hand shaped and cut paper tiara to radiate the beauty of a debutante in her heirloom diamonds and white feather plumes. It’s so delicate and as it catches the light is sends cascading sparkles across the room. I’m going to be launching a hair accessory collection very soon and I am soooo excited to share it with you!

Custom Hand Painted Wedding Favours

Wedding favours are recently more and more frequently under discussion regarding their relevance to modern weddings. But they needn’t be gimmicky or something for your guests to throw away after. Nothing makes people feel special and thought of like luxury wedding favours. These little coasters are hand painted with a bespoke design to match back to the stationery set. Find out how I can create custom products like this for you by getting in touch here.

Hand Tinted Hydrangeas and Peonies

All of the flowers in Daphne and the Duke’s stunning wedding scene are handmade and painted silk. These paper petals are handmade and hand dyed to get the most gorgeous soft blue tones. All of my paper flowers are custom made to order and therefore can match your colour palette and wedding design perfectly. Get in touch here to find out how I can work on your wedding flowers.

Paper Flowers: 5 Reasons to Pick a Bunch

Creative Freedom

Having trouble deciding on your wedding flowers? Nothing quite fulfilling the ideas you’ve dreamt of for your wedding?

Because we’re starting on a literal blank canvas, we can add any texture/paint/glitter/finish you can imagine. All of my flower petals are hand dyed and shaped which allows for total creative freedom and control-no one saying that it just isn’t possible!

Cue leopard print palms and metallic gold roses! I absolutely LOVED working on these Valentines inspired heart print palms. I can work to any colour palette or scheme that your heart desires, the sky is literally the limit and I adore working on your ideas!

Repurpose Those Petals

After your wedding day you can find a multitude of ways to repurpose those paper petals! They can be kept as floral displays in your home, reworked into wreaths, made into flower crowns for when we’re finally allowed to go to festivals again, gifted as posies to loved ones, or immortalised in a glass cloche. Provided they’re given the correct care, they can last for years to come and serve as a unique reminder of your wedding day.

Out of season flowers all year round

So you’re having a winter wedding and you have been dreaming of having cascading white peonies, but they’re out of season-none available anywhere! Cue paper florals! 180 gsm crepe paper allows for a paper light and divinely  crinkled finish which is remarkably close to the real thing. And unlike the real thing which only survive for 7-10 days, these paper blooms will last a lifetime. They make an incredible and luxurious alternative to wedding favours, why not invite your guests to take home some blooms after the event?

Hair Accessories to last a lifetime

Flower crowns make a stunning alternative to veils or more traditional glitzy accessories. They can be made to match your bouquet and worn for years after. Whether it’s big blousy blooms for a statement or more delicate pieces for an elegant wedding, each piece is constructed with the utmost care and completely bespoke. With the right love and attention they can even make beautiful heirlooms. 

 Incredible team behind the below pic:

The Canary Shed (Venue): @thecanaryshed
Jump the Broom (Concept and Coordinator): @jumpthebroomweddings
Lex Fleming Photo (Photography): @lexflemingphoto
Powder Blue Artistry (hair and makeup): @powderblueartistry
Your Plates or Mine (Table set up and styling): @ypom_london
My oh My Weddings (Shoot and coordination assistant): @myohmyweddings
Wilderness Prop Hire (Furniture and Prop hire): @wildernessprophire
Iris and Co (Flowers): @irisandcoflowers
Dee's Basement (Cake): @deesbasement
With Bells On! (Stationery): @with_bells_on_invites
Lucy Can't Dance (Bridalwear): @lucy_cant_dance
Ripple and Flip (Hats): @rippleandflip
Streamadelica (Streamer Backdrop): @streamadelica_uk
Rosa Bloom (Sequin partywear): @thisisrosabloom
Hanh Made Films (Videography): @hanhmadefilms
Bertie Valentine (Floral Headpiece): @bertievalentinelondon
Clare + Aurita (Real model couple): @meherwe

Cute AF Bridal Party Gifts

Struggling with finding the right gifts for your bridal party? Why not gift them their bouquets after the ceremony? 

I am obsessed with decoding the meaning of flowers, the Victorians used to use this system as a way of passing secret love notes. Why not craft bouquets which represent each of your squads personality and what they mean to you?

I hope that helps with any of your questions! If you’re interested in commissioning a bespoke bouquet and want to know more, you can take a look at my Etsy page here or send me an email here.

5 Ideas For Your Hand Painted Jacket Design

Having a custom hand painted wedding jacket is the perfect way to tell your relationship’s love story! Whether that’s including subtle details in the design that just you and your partner know are there, or big bold features that you can show off to your guests, here are a few things to think about to get the design ball rolling…

1. The Meaning of Flowers

A lot of the work that I do revolves around flowers, which I adore-my phone camera feed is basically just photos of flowers from my travels! But if you delve a little deeper, each flower has its own individual meaning. For example, did you know that a red Camelia means ‘you’re aflame in my heart’ or that a dwarf Sunflower symbolises adoration?

How about opting for some flowers which represent yours and your partners personalities or what your relationship means to you?

Hand painted wedding jacket for Freya Rose of Freya Rose London. This design incorporated cherry blossoms: beauty and the passing of time, and pink roses which as well as being Freya’s name sake, are also representative of grace, happiness and gentleness.

2. Meaningful Locations and Destinations

Is there somewhere that’s important to you and your partner? Maybe it’s where you first met, got engaged, or even somewhere exotic that you’re planning a trip to together! I was privileged enough to work with a bride who got engaged in Salcombe in Devon and managed to get married there, against all odds, in 2020! It doesn’t have to be a main feature of the jacket, it could a sleeve detail or a skyline that only you know about as it’s hidden under the collar.

Stunning photography by Clare Kinchin I love that the design here is reflected in the landscape behind the bride.

3. Pet Portraiture

We got a rabbit at the beginning of this year and safe to say, I am OBSESSED. To the point that we even had an illustration of her on our wedding order of service, (sadly she’s too wild to be a ring bearer)! But why not include pet portrait in your wedding jacket design as well? Then even if they can’t be with you on the day you can wear their heart on your sleeve.

4. Wedding Wording

If you’re looking to keep a design quite simple but want to add in those extra special, subtle details, adding wording in a calligraphy or fun typography can be a perfect way to do this. Do you and your partner have a special song that you both love? Or maybe it’s some words from your wedding vows. One of my favourite projects that I have ever worked on included words written by someone incredibly special to the bride who had devastatingly passed on. I studied and copied their handwriting exactly so that she had a small part of them with her on the day.

This design was the ultimate challenge and I am so happy with the result! The bride to be wanted a fusion of Vegas style, 1920s glamour and chinoiserie to match back to her wedding theme. The ‘CRAZY’ has tiny bits of silver sparkle so that when this jacket is under the dance floor lights it’ll glow like a neon sign in Vegas.

5. Symbolism

A really nice way to look at this is to think of any in jokes that you and your partner might have. A good friend of mine always refers to her partner as a pug, and her other half calls her a French bulldog, ever since i’ve known her they’ve consistently bought each other cards/badges/soft toys that are either a pug or a French bulldog, cute I KNOW! So if I was designing for her, I would definitely suggest incorporating this into a jacket, it’s a huge part of their identity as a couple. Symbolism might mean something different for you, it could be crystals or tarot, it could be Harry Potter references or constellations! Being different is what makes love beautiful.

The sleeve detail on Grace’s jacket is two hats-each worn by her and her partner. They both worked for music festivals and that’s what they were wearing when they got engaged. This is a perfect example of making your design completely your own.

So that’s that!

You don’t have to include all or any of these in your jacket design but I think the best designs come from a real and truly meaningful narration of your love story. If you’re interested in any of the above or have any more questions about how to make your design fit in with the aesthetic of your day please do reach out, discussing your ideas is something I continue to cherish and a huge part of why I love what I do so much!