From dream cakes and personal wedding invitations to looking after your wedding finery, check out our wedding planning notes for ideas and inspiration
Restoration drama
Once you take off your wedding finery and jet off on honeymoon, it needs some TLC. Speed is of the essence when it comes to dry cleaning, since stains and spills degrade fabric – even if you can’t see that champagne, make-up or hair oil mark now, it will start to work on the material and become much harder to remove the longer it’s left. Bentley Garment Care can clean and repair bridal party outfits (including groomswear), and return them clean and folded in tissue paper in a special box for long-term storage. Don’t neglect the other elements of your outfits that may need some TLC. Bentley also cleans ties, hats, shoes, bags and other fine accessories – even items that state they can’t be dry cleaned – working by hand using specialist techniques and rescuing everything from silk and lace to diamante and fine beading. If you have had a wedding-day disaster and think an item is beyond saving, it’s still worth getting in touch with the specialist cleaning team for impartial advice on your options. bentleygarmentcare.com
Cake creative
There seems no end to the creative requests of couples when it comes to the centrepiece but, while ‘homemade’ ruffled icing and naked cakes are still hugely popular, lots of couples still prefer a traditional tiered and iced number. Not only does it look impressive, but there is plenty of scope to make the design match your theme. Artisan baker Elsa Laima of Let it Be Cake recently created a lavish seven-tier design, painstakingly hand-painting the icing on a middle tier to ensure a perfect tartan match for the couple’s wedding-day kilts. She also reports a rising demand for pillared cakes, an alternative to tiers but still well within the traditional zone. Of course, behind that magnificent tower of icing, the cake itself can be as you like it – perhaps with different flavours for each tier. Popular flavours at Let It Be Cake include carrot & walnut, red velvet and mocha chocca (espresso soaked chocolate). letitbecake.co.uk
Make it all yours
Creating your own wedding stationery is one of the most popular of DIY projects, not least because this is a great way to put a very personal stamp on your celebration. Artistic souls can practice their calligraphy or design their own motifs. But if the last time you used craft scissors and glue was in primary school, we suggest you head to Imagine DIY for project advice and the right tools for the job. You’ll find a great selection of pre-cut cards, wallet and pocket invitations and kits that are fun and easy to use. With signs of a revival of all things Deco in 2019, we are particularly keen on Imagine DIY’s great selection of textured papers – including flock, lustre, glitter and sequin embossed – and its glamorous pearl and crystal embellishments. imaginediy.co.uk
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