Which dress to choose, the venue, the right band for you, the bridesmaids, and the best man – it all needs organisation.

Once the date and the venue are set, one of the first choices you’ll need to make is your wedding stationery.

Most brides like every part of their day to reflect their personalities. Picking the same wedding invitations as many other brides is not for them.

Instead, why not choose to create something bespoke?

The best way to do that would be to create your own wedding stationery with the help of experts like those at Dandie Crafts in Treforest.

Their base is an award-winning hub for crafting in Pontypridd and Rhondda, with an extensive range of supplies. Co-owner Debbie Goodman says there are three excellent reasons for choosing to create your own invitations and place cards:

1.      You can make invitations which really reflect your personality.

Ms Goodman says: “You can have whatever you want. We’ve had people making wedding invitations themed on butterflies or fairies, and one having a Goth wedding where the invitations were black.

“The natural look is also popular now – using hessian, wrapping paper colours, lace, and Kraft paper.

“Glitter is also popular, as is the inclusion of buckles with ribbon threaded through them.

“You can take the latest trends and create something very personal to a bride’s tastes so that it isn’t like what everyone else has.

“I would advise people to keep it simple, though. Remember you may have to make hundreds of these invitations, so intricate work will get very wearing after the first 10.”

 2.      You can use making the stationery as a family event.

“Get the bride, the bride’s mum, her bridesmaids, female relatives, and friends together on a few Monday evenings and make it a social event,” Ms Goodman says.

That can lead to great memories and life-long friendships.

“I know of one lady who was invited along to help make a bride’s wedding invitations, and they got on so well that she was invited to the house on the day before the bride went to the church. She became part of the family.”

3.      It could lead to a new hobby or even a new business.

Ms Goodman says: “We had one lady who came in to look at the costs of having lace on her friend’s invitations. She realised we had a machine which cuts card into lacy shapes, which we dye. She liked that so much, she bought one of the machines.

“Other friends saw the 80 invitations she made, then they asked her to do the same and make their wedding stationery. So it’s starting to become a potential business for her.”

One of the biggest mistakes some couples make, says Ms Goodman, is over-estimating how many invitations they’ll have to create.

“Many people will come as part of a couple, so factor that into your calculations,” she says.

If you need some inspiration, why not join in the fun at one of the regular workshops run at the Dandie Crafts site at Treforest Industrial Estate? Check out their latest dates on their website  www.dandiecrafts.co.uk or call 01443 842785. The website also has useful tips and tutorials.