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First impressions
One of the key components for setting the tone of your big day is the design and style of the wedding stationery, and Blewbury designer Charlotte Hewson is an expert at helping couples find exactly what they are looking for. Since launching her bespoke wedding stationery design house Chartula Studio, her innovative, stylish and trendy designs have gained a sought-after reputation, both among professional wedding planners and the rich and famous. Earlier this year, Charlotte, 29, added the names of Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster to her client list, producing the stationery for their wedding in Italy, and previously she designed and produced funky pink, orange and red invitations for the wedding of pop star Sophie Ellis-Bextor. In 2005, one of the designs from her popular floral range proved a big hit with the public, who voted for her to design stationery for the GMTV Wedding of the Year, and she is regularly featured in national bridal magazines, including Conde Nast Bride and Cosmo Bride. Among the most popular designs are her fairytale wedding invitations, with their intricate cut-outs of flowers and butterflies, while the swirls and twirls of her romantic rococo design are borrowed from the history books. She also regularly draws inspiration from the countryside, with her floral collection featuring delicate English roses, daisies and meadow flowers, mixed with exotic lilies and orchids. Charlotte said: “Every bride and groom want their wedding invitation to stand out from the crowd and we spend a lot of time talking to them so we can produce a design which really captures the essence of who they are and what they want for their big day. “This can often mean personalising invitations, doing an illustration or sourcing photographs which have a special meaning for the couple — we have had some wonderful requests to fulfil.” One of the more quirky of these was the Vegemite meets Marmite illustrations she drew for the wedding of an Australian and English couple, while closer to home she produced a stunning cut-out design combining roses and thistles for a English-Scottish wedding. With colours playing such an important role in the day, Charlotte provides advice on the latest trends and styles. For spring brides, she expects the trend for metallics to continue, contrasting silver, gold and bronze with soft creams, whites and pastel colours, or vibrant purples, violets and electric blues for the more adventurous. Bespoke monograms featuring the bride and groom’s initials entwined in an elaborate illustration with climbing flowers and flowing scripts, are becoming increasingly popular. It has been a steady rise to the top of her profession for the former Didcot Girls’ School pupil, who did a year’s art foundation course at Oxford Brookes University before taking a design degree. She set up Chartula Studio in 2003 with support from The Prince’s Trust, and since then the business has grown in strength. Earlier this year, she launched an online wedding stationery boutique and bespoke showcase at www.chartula.co.uk which, as well as showing a snapshot of her designs, provides an advice and information section to help brides on style, wording and etiquette. Prices for invitations from her existing range of designs start at £359 for 100 invitations and envelopes. For an exclusive, bespoke design, prices start from £1,000. For further information, call 020 7138 4055 or e-mail info@chartula.co.uk
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