Black Meringue, Alternative & Off the Wall Weddings

How Inviting!

Scrap the trad paper invite and get creative, says Daisy Bradbury

Bleary-eyed, you stumble down the stairs to discover a pile of the usual circulars and a wad of two-for-one pizza offers on the doormat. You’re about to hoof the whole lot in the bin, but then something catches your eye – a handwriten envelope, hidden amid the junk. It’s either a letter from your great aunt Muriel or you have been invited to a wedding. The predicable calligraphy scrawled across the front and the wax seal stamped on the back say it all – it's a big, white,
boring affair.

Luckily, BM’s here to save you from the same fate. After all, the invitation’s your first chance to make your mark on the big day and impress your guests. We went in search of invites guaranteed to make an impact.

Acushla Creations

Acushla Creations is a brandnew company that specialises in high-quality conceptual design. The aim at Acushla is to throw the invite rulebook out of the window and start from scratch with the client’s interests and ideas; this means that there are no limitations on what can be created. “Wedding invitations are the first point of contact between the bride and groom and their guests; they should reflect the personalities of the couple and set a tone and standard for the wedding to come,” says the firm's creative director David Spoor.

Keen outdoor types John and Sarah Longworth got creative with Acushia's help. Their invites were large A2 maps with all the necessary information on one side and the couple’s faces illustrated as map contours on the other. These were packaged in silver foil like the freeze-dried packs used by hikers.

On a more horticultural note, Peter and Juliette Howell's guests received the necessary components to grow their own carnation in place of a traditional invite. Each guest was asked to bring their flower to the wedding to form part of a display, and the best one won a prize.

And for Richard and Lucy Heaton’s oriental-themed wedding, Acushla created a delicate origami lotus flower, packaged in a small wooden box and decorated with floral Japanese washi paper. For more creative ideas and information on Acushla contact:

E: david@acushlacreations.co.uk
W: www.acushlacreations.co.uk

Message in a bottle

Bottles This is a cool twist on an old idea: fill an empty bottle with bits and pieces that tie in with the theme of your wedding, pop in a scroll with the details and let the postie do the rest. To be even more creative, why not collect your own bottles over a period of time and make each one completely individual? You can use glass or plastic bottles, but bear in mind the risk and cost of posting glass. If you haven't got much time, ready-made bottle invites are available from violetandblue.co.uk. A standard message bottle is £3.50 and scroll invites are £1.50.

T: 01236 725557
W: www.violetandblue.co.uk

Video invites

If you love the spotlight and are technologically inclined, a video invite is a great idea.
As long as you include all the necessary details, anything goes. Try re-creating scenes from your favourite films or impersonating a well-known celebrity. Get on YouTube
for inspiration.

W: www.youtube.com

Moo cards

Moo Cards These little cards give you the freedom to create 100 different designs at one time, allowing each guest to have a unique invite. Simply upload 100 photos to the site (fewer than 100 and some will be duplicates), then choose one message that will go on the back of them all to create simple, stylish invite cards at the touch of a button. At just 28mm x 70mm, they’re also super-cute, and a bargain at £9.99 for 100.

W: www.moo.com

Seeds of love

If you’re into saving the planet then this is a great idea for you. Try making your own paper from old newspapers, bills, random flyers – even old wedding invites. It’s simple to do and you can create colourful effects by adding flower petals. If you don’t feeling like getting your hands dirty, there is a wealth of ready-made handcrafted papers available.

The Green Apple offers ready-made wedding invitations on plantable, home-made paper. They come embedded with a cocktail of basil and chive seeds, and are printed with soy-based inks.

W: www.the-green-apple.co.uk

Wooden you like to know?

These designs (pictured right) from American company Oslo Press are laser-engraved onto wood; the coordinating paper bits are created using the centuries'-old method of letterpress. The results are full of character, texture and originality. As Oslo is a small company, it can offer you a personalised service with great attention to detail.

W: www.oslopress.com

Edible invites

Sweet Thoughts makes wedding invitations in either high-quality milk, white or dark chocolate, and these can be personalised to your own design. They come boxed in a range of colours and you can order from a minimum of 25. It also does chocolate
wedding menus – yum!

W: www.sweetthoughts.co.uk

Going Postal

Toast Want to send your invites via Royal Mail? Then try thinking outside the post box. BM set about experimenting to see what the postie will deliver

Toast post
‘Toast post’ is an ever-growing cult phenomenon. Simply stick an address label and stamp on a piece of well-done toast and whack it in the post box. A little Clingfilm might deter any hungry postal staff.
Visit www.badgehabit.com for your very own ‘I post toast’ badge and check out www.toastinthepost.com for ideas.

Live insects
Yup, Royal Mail will happily accept live insects, including bees, leeches, earthworms and crickets. You must mark the package ‘urgent – living creatures’ and it must be sent first class. Common sense is needed too – package the creatures sensibly.

Balloons
Get your invitations printed onto balloons. As long as they are filled with non-flammable gases and are clearly labelled to indicate that they are non-flammable, they should reach their destination in one piece.

Postal no-nos