We often get asked to make something special for weddings and always jump at the chance. For those of us who hand craft things it’s such a joy to be able to make a piece that is truly unique and perfectly matched to our customer, to be part of their special day.
People seem shy when it comes to asking about a custom order so we thought we’d put together some tips on how to work with your designers to make sure you get exactly what you want – and at a reasonable price 
First up, money. Unromantic as it may be, it’s the thing that makes this happen and both you and the maker have an interest in how much exactly is going to be involved. Most designers will have a pretty good range of things to choose from and so the initial conversation often goes something along the lines of …
‘I love the vine mask in black but my dress is purple- can you make me one to match?’
Well, that’s easy enough – no design fee as we’re working off an existing pattern and we use purple anyway, so we’ll have the materials in stock. We agree a date by which the mask needs to be sent out, send an invoice for payment or create a listing online- et voila! One purple mask, custom made at no extra expense.
But what if you can’t find anything that’s just right or the colour has to be a perfect match? This is where a little preparation on your part can save a lot of time, stress and money later.
Even if you’re doing most of your shopping online for the big day, you can e-mail photos you’ve taken yourself of pieces you’ve already bought or links to the product online rather than trying to describe the style you are going for. If colour is a factor, our top tip is to nip into your local craft or sewing shop, buy a metre of ribbon in the right shade and for a few pence, you have lots of small, postable samples you can send out to dressmakers, shoe dyers and florists. It’s a lot easier to judge colour from a physical object than from an image on screen.
Be clear from the beginning on what you want and when you want it by. The more hours a designer has to spend on the phone or e-mailing questions, the more hours you’re going to get charged for and the longer the whole process takes. Don’t be afraid to tell them your budget either- it can be a deciding factor in what is possible and allow the designers to make suggestions you may not have thought of.
When customers approach us armed with all this information, we are able to confidently give a quote straight away and agree a payment schedule because we are clear from the start how much work we need to put in. It’s almost invariably cheaper that way than if we have to estimate, which gives you more money to spend on honeymoon
Happy shopping !
This post was contributed by Grin, Grimace and Squeak! who can be found in the Gothic By Design directory in the Accessories Category.
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