FRIDAY I'M IN LOVE: QBride rounds up this week's loveliness

This Friday's round up is full of little tree-ts 

Though busier than elfin types in Lapland at the moment (hush, you doubters and humbugs in the back there) when not sharing the news and showcasing our lovely new book, The Secret Quintessentially Weddings Guide, at trade launches and press meets, we've mostly had our heart rate quickened by the below, which I hope you'll find just as festive and endearing too...

Take your cue from Chanel, and host a romantic wintry wedding in a slightly loveworn castle with roaring log fires, plaid and obligatory antlers. You could marry at Linlithgow Palace, site of this week's Metiers d'Arts show (sadly no receptions, though), or try newly opened Chilham Castle in Kent, owned by Jacquetta Wheeler's parents and venue for her recent Vogue featured wedding.

Sometimes you just need things that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Like this gloriously cheery album endorsed by Vogue, no less. Amazon says I've just bought the last one, but you can always try...

This weekend I'll mostly be firing up the oven to bake these (for a charity afternoon for disadvantaged mums and their little ones, Eaves) from rising star patissere Will Torrent, which still make me dribble every time I merely think about them. A lovely touch for decadent foodie winter weddings, no?

Kate Spade for Paperless post = dream come true. Ever the magpie, I adore this chic gilded invite to a Christmas bash (or wedding?!).

Gorgeous wreaths to adorn your doors, or drop from picture hooks at varying heights for a little whimsical decor. We would love learn to make one with the lovely Philippa Craddock but like the playful feathered numbers from Zara Home and Liberty too.

Fairytale fashion makes for the magical option for winter brides: see Jenny Packham, Valentino and Marchesa in the Harrods windows to kick-start your inspiration - all of whom feature in the book.

And for those not already burnt out by Christmas shopping, savvy brides will be heading to Browns Bride's sample sale on Sunday.

Hope you all have wonderfilled weekends planned, and send me any tip offs of festive wedding wonders you're loving too!

QBride XOXO

PARTY TIME: Dig out your sparkliest frock, it's the book launch soiree!

Do you have anything planned for the 5th December? Scratch it. As you're invited - whether literally or metaphorically - to a certain little bash to celebrate the launch of The Secret Quintessentially Weddings Guide. Whilst the 'party' itself will be jumping (and doubtless those antique chandeliers shaking - cripes) here at 29 Portland Place, we'd like to encourage you, our lovely readers, to partake of the fun at home and host your own Planning Party. That's right. Put on your sparkling finery, gather your wedding crew about you, shake yourself a cocktail, and raise a toast to a book that will help take all of those wedmin stresses away - and that we hope you'll love as much as we did making our masterpiece.

NEED SOME INSPIRATION? We've put together some planning party ideas below...

1.Send some pretty invites. We love these jolly (and chic) versions from Brownpaperdesigns.com. 2. This is your chance to fool around a little with decor, and try those ideas knocking around for the big day. Experiment! Balloons from Geronimoballoons.com ; similar from etsy.com in the UK 3. Bake yourself one of Peggy Porschen's deliciously pretty Victoria sponges with this recipe at Mulberry's Brilliant Britain - if only to prove that you can bake (whatever the ribbing of your husband or his best man may say on the big day), you're just going to get the pros in for the wedding itself. 4. Get ideas cracking in Smythson's glamorous tome 5. And serve drinks in these elegant Rosy-Cheeked coupes from BHLDN

And what's more, if you sign up for updates on the book at www.quintessentiallyweddings.com/pre-order/ you'll be in with the chance for you and a friend to come and rattle those crystals with us!

Love (a very excited) QBride XOXO 

PRINTS CHARMING: hot off the press news about The Secret Quintessentially Weddings Guide!

So, after a very loooong absence (apologies lovely readers, even my new husband has forgotten quite who I am), we're back with the very, very exciting news you've all been waiting for....

Cue a thundering drum-roll...

THE BOOK HAS GONE TO PRINT!!

Many months of hard-labour later - and that was just the prising of top secret names and addresses from the little white books of the Quintessentially Weddings team - some printing presses just outside of fair Verona in Italy whirred into action with the illustrated pages of The Secret Quintessentially Weddings Guide. This special project and something of a book-shaped (whisper it) baby of ours sees a myriad of over 100 venues, artisans, boutiques and brilliant designers come together in a uniquely hand-bag sized wedding planning tome.

We personally still can't stop ogling up the ozalids - yup, we've become total book geeks and now speak in bookish language. Vera Wang's cloud-like gowns in blush pink the precise shade of a Laduree macaroon; Smythson's wedding etiquette and how-to guide accompanied by delicious stationery ideas; a delicious mulled wine recipe given to us an exclusive by any self-respecting fashion label and Kate Moss' wedding caterer of choice, Cellar Society (perfect for any winter's nuptials); masterclasses in floral beauty from the likes of Absolute Flowers & Home; Blake Lively's wedding dress designer Marchesa; royal wedding florist Shane Connolly, Rebel Rebel, Zita Elze, Phillipa Craddock, CJ Floral and Hayford & Rhodes; all come together to make for a wedding book we hope you'll be as delighted to own, use and tote about as we were to make.

There are new names to reveal too: the astonishingly beautiful tailoring of Alexander McQueen gracing the groom's section, Elizabeth Emanuel debuting her relaunched collections of glorious gowns fit for a queen, House of Hackney's less-chintzy-more-cool furnishings and novel photobooth backdrops of ombre dipped rose-patterned fabric, shimmering gems with whimsical settings from Emma Franklin, word-of-mouth pretty gowns and accessories from Minna, cult party-rocker Guilty Pleasures DJs, Laurent-Perrier's delicious Champagne, Pomp de Franc's fantastical wedding cakes, almost too gorgeous gowns for bridesmaids from Ghost, Snow Business' fairytale snowscapes, simply chic stationery from Brown Paper and delectable cakes from Peggy Porschen.

Yes, there were names we were sad to not be able to include (I'm thinking of you, mister de la Renta, and you, Ellie and Anna at The Flower Appreciation Society, the lovely and talented Louise Richardson and of course being something of an engagement ring magpie,Tiffany's). But written with real affection, the book is filled with insider tips and expert tricks on everything from handling those inevitable meltdown moments with aplomb and a joke or two to putting your own stamp on your wedding feast and even pretty hand-drawn illustrations by yours truly.

You can order your copy now, by simply clicking this little here link or visit www.quintessentiallyweddings.com/pre-order. And the countdown to a bookshelf near you begins now!

QBride XOXO

FRIDAY I'M IN LOVE: QBride rounds up this week's loveliness

Rosalind Miller's glorious cake: just one of the delectable pretties in the book!

Phew! What a week. This weekend bodes well, with a long country planned replete with gastro-pub shaped pit-stop, and writing of reams of thank you cards with my (new!) husband - all in a bid to wind down from a week that has brought near completion of our forthcoming book, catching up on the New York bridal week shows, and oh yes, a certain matter of the very British art of cake kicking ass.

But enough about me and my post-wedding wayward waistline, over to this week's love in and little slices of heaven.....

Nothing lovelier than brown paper packages tied up with string....other than these invites enclosed in the endearingly humble stuff. Style it up with calligraphy flourishes in chalky white or gold for a little something spesh.

A little bit of autumn goes a long way. And given we're big fans of seasonality here at Q Weddings towers, we've fallen hard for these stylings over at Ritzybee.

YES

Cakes that take inspiration from your frock? Why ever not....

Wants everything from here, please.

Just because

Happy Friday, loves!

XOXO

NEW YORK, NEW YORK: All the pretty from the Bridal Market catwalk shows....

Bridal Market (held this past weekend in the big apple) can only mean one thing – more 'oohing' and 'aahing' than your average fireworks display. Because a veritable firework display of beautiful gowns this most certainly is.

A bride who strides: Monique Lhuillier's cheeky thigh-split gown

For those of you unfamiliar with New York's biannual Bridal Market, it plays host to a glittering showcase of wedding talent from across the globe who all descend upon the big apple for four days of couture shows of their latest bridal collections, exciting new suppliers and basically share in an industry love-in. With collections from Vera Wang, Caroline Castigliano, Sassi Holford, Stephanie Allin and Monique Lhuillier showing on the runway and a clutch of couturiers holding private, invite-only trunk shows to rival the ateliers of Paris (and give Tom Ford a run for his money when it comes to the hype and 'wish I was on the invite list' elbowing), it's small surprise these runway to aisle style shows often dictate the trends and aesthetic of wedding fashion and weddings themselves, given they take such inspiration from gowns now, so wholly and absolutely. When Bridal Market's designers talk, we sit up and listen, taking notes and scribbling like women possessed.

More dreamy dresses, above, all from Monique Lhuillier Fall 2013

Highlights and noteworthy dresses this time around seemingly revolved around a return to a whiter shade of pale. Following several seasons of leading designers' collections being marked out by an irreverent and unexpected use of colour, hands up who welcomes the return of such pure beauty gracing the catwalks and inevitably aisles? We certainly do, much as love a bride foxy enough to wear red on her big day.

Luxuriously structured and full-bodied gowns with added ruffled interest in the skirts also made a strong showing led by the endlessly breathtaking Vera Wang, with voluminous romance and millefeuille layers at their best in Carolina Herrera's almost too-beautiful gowns. The girl has most certainly made a comeback.

Vera Wang ruffles our feathers. If we had some, that is....

For the magpies among you, glittering pewter beadwork smattered the corsets (yup, you read that right - corsets) of Marchesa and Monique Lhuillier in embellishment that harked back to the golden age of court dresses with their gilt thread bodices, but all given a modern, youthful feel thanks to simple silhouettes and acres of white fabric framing the sparkle.

Marchesa's collection showed oodles of statement gowns, with abundant textural detail and twinkling embellishment.

And the high-low hems at Oscar de la Renta reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn in her Givenchy best or detachable skirts and trains at Reem Acra, Amsale and Monique Lhuillier (think Emilia Wickstead's beautiful self-made wedding gown rather than Bucks Fizz)? Don't even get us started. With designers Vera Wang, Jenny Packham, Marchesa, Monique Lhuillier all showing and featuring in our forthcoming book, the future looks bright - and more than all white.

BARDOT BRIDAL BEAUTY: Get the look with fluttery lashes from Eyelush

Yearn for lashes as luscious and voluminous as the quintessential Sixties saucepot's? Then head to the lovely team at Eyelush at one of their two London salons for revolutionary extensions as natural and conditioning as they come. Specialising solely in eyelashes, Eyelush offers a gentle and non-invasive application of leading brand Xtreme lashes results in longer, thicker and abundant flutters. Even for fidgets like me, sitting though the application was a serene experience with lashes meticulously applied individually taking a little over 2 hours following a consultation on my desired look. Choosing from five different levels you can choose to keep it subtle and tear-proof as just a natural boost to what you already have, or go all-out Bardot with alluring, lavish lashes. Lasting for so much longer than just your wedding, removal is a cinch too - simply return to the Eyelush girls who'll quickly and painlessly remove them free of charge.

And then follow Charlotte Tilbury's guide, below, to smoky Feline eyes from Vogue's Beauty Confidential supplement....

1.  "Curl the lashes"

2.  "Using a dark brown eyeliner [try Dior's Crayon Eyeliner in Dark Brown, £16.50] draw a line on the top eyelid from the lower corner of the eye along the lids. When you're two-thirds of the way along, swish it upwards."

3. "Draw the eyeliner along the lower lashes then smudge along top and bottom lashes, or for a more defined eye, use MAC Fluidline in Dipdown, £13.50, to fix the look in place."

EYELUSH
Kew: QCut Salon, 295 Sandycombe Road, Kew Gardens, London TW9 3LU
Mayfair: Michaeljohn Salon, 25 Albemarle Street, Mayfair, London W1S 4HU

E: [email protected]
T: +44(0)7525 536 537
Eyelush.com

Follow on Twitter @Eyelush and find on Facebook

TO THE COUNTRY: Babington House open house Wedding Day 29th September

What must be the Mulberry of country houses throws open its doors on Saturday September 29th for a day as luxuriously lovely and laced with bohemian style as the venue itself. One of our hands-down favourite wedding spots, nestled between the rolling folds of the Somerset countryside Babington House strikes just the right balance between edgy cool and heritage refinement, making it the perfect boutique venue for couples who like their weddings as unique as they are. No mandatory chintz and tweed here, just plenty of fun and one of the best bars in the land, with a range of tariffs to suit your pocket.

Jacquetta Wheeler rocks the boho bridal style in Temperley (as featured in Vogue)

With full tours of the estate (bring your Hunters), the chance to experience the facilities which include a dreamy Cowshed Spa, and sample some of the fresh, locally sourced food for a true farm to table experience this isn't your average wedding open day, either. Oh no, with Christian Louboutin, Temperley and Smythson all showing off their latest collections and Smythson offering 10% off on all orders placed on bespoke stationery as well as a luxury gift to take home, the country just got a whole lot more stylish. All brides will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win a bespoke pair of Christian Louboutins too. Almost more perfect a day than your wedding will be!

Book your spot now on +44(0)137 381 4907 or email [email protected]

QBride XOXO

Calmzilla: 10 days to go! How to keep your inner bride T-Rex at bay

Doing the 'bridezilla': spilling wine all over your frock optional.

With just 10 days to go until a certain disastrous, disappointing wedding (I'm kidding, although perhaps a little reverse psychology might do me good! It used to work a treat with exams anyhow....) this, dear readers, is what I think is known as wedding meltdown. You may remember from previous posts I thought I'd endured one of these episodes before. But no. They didn't have diddlysquat on this one right here. With the wedding I've been planning for the past two years looming oh so soon, I'm stuck in a strange sort of stasis between wanting to do every last fiddly detail and buying all of the whimsical finishing touches that I am dazzled by yet know my love will groan at (he of the inadvertent wedding treasurer role).Or just letting it be.

The strange thing is - having watched this from afar with many brides whom we always try and soothe with cups of tea and truisms like 'panic is TOTALLY normal' - I had been blithely planning mine thinking this would never happen to me. I've even just written the Big Day Survival Guide page of our forthcoming book, The Secret Quintessentially Weddings Guide, all the while merrily tapping at my keys thinking to myself I wouldn't need to heed such advice myself for I was on top of everything wedmin....

The one about pride before a fall? I think I might be the epitome of the phrase right now. 

Equally; I suddenly understand the bridezilla phenomenon having found myself apologising to my mum this morning for becoming irate over flowers - a very rare thing, my anger is usually only provoked by a lack of peanut butter in the house and is more mild sulking than full blown rant. I'm not suggesting this is true of all brides who have such a label attached to them, but for me, it's come about because I suddenly felt very vulnerable. I didn't know what to do next: what was most important on the to-do list, and then my skin went mad, and then my groom started looking at me with wide eyes and a slightly alarmed look, and then and then and then....You get the picture. As the bride, you are expected by incorrect assumption or simply shouldering the role, to plan the most perfect day; even if with the help of a wedding planner; and when the small things start mounting up, many of us go into meltdown.

All lining up: putting pressure on yourself by looking at other people's beautiful weddings doesn't help....

Which is why I'm re-branding. It's all about finding your inner calmzilla - the serene and capable one who can laugh off the jitters and things that go wrong. Perhaps even she would be ok with accepting the wise words of Carrie to Charlotte when her wedding to Harry is going quite fantastically awry: "the worse the wedding, the better the marriage". These are my top tricks and fairy godmothers for getting you through. And do share your experiences - the more of us that talk about it and pool ideas, the more we can put that Bridezilla thing to bed!

CALMZILLA TIPS

1. What you put in the inside is just as important as when it comes to the outside. Keep yourself fighting fit with a healthy, nutritionally balanced diet that's right for you (we're all as different as can be, so don't just think eating shed loads of slow burning carbs and fruit will sort things). A visit to Janine Fahri, the lovely lady who weaned me off a diet that gave me constant spots and gnarly feelings in my stomach comes highly recommended. Find Janine at www.nutrilifeclinic.com
2. More than anything, try and take some time out. The more fraught you are, the higher your cortisol levels and the spottier your skin. Even if just as a vanity project, go for a short walk or a good back massage when it all gets a bit much. Works wonders every time.
3. Refine your list into two categories: must-dos and must-gets and those that you would be ok with sacrificing if you run out of time. Keep your eyes on the prize.
4. Keep every wedding document and email attachment together filed in boxes or folders on your computer for easy referencing.
5. Don't be afraid to delegate. When you have too many tasks that need equal attention and time is running out, pass the one you're not bothered about (such as sorting taxis home for guests) to a willing relative or friend. You'll be surprised how many eager beavers there are to help when you need it the most. Just say 'yes'.
6. Some traditions are meant to be kept and some you'll have to give in to for the sake of your parents. When it comes to compromising, just remember 'he who pays the piper calls the tune': once you let go and accept that life will be easier if you find a middle ground things become a lot less painful. Only stand up for the things that truly matter to you.
7. Play it safe and always have a contingency fund - 77% of weddings go over budget. This will come in particularly handy when you have to shell out for unforeseens which are guaranteed to spring up towards the end of the wedding planning process when the pot is running dry (advice I sorely wish I'd listened to).
8. It's always worth asking if suppliers will cut a deal. Go what I call 'Marrakesh' style when haggling and  smile whilst being firm and use phrases such as "I had something more along the lines of £XX in mind - what could you do for this price?"
9. Breathe and get a good night's sleep. No-one is expecting perfection other than you, and you certainly won't achieve it if you're frazzled and tired. 
10. If you get the dress, food and booze right, the rest will follow....

And the rest is over to you - any tricks up your sleeves or recipes for calm? Comments away....

QBride XOXO

ALL ABOARD: How to nail moodboards (and a 50 Shades of Grey board to get you started)

After the craziest few weeks here at Quintessentially Weddings towers (and not least for me, with just five weeks and mere days between the big day and me!) we're finally back with a pretty-filled bang. Here, in a sneak peek excerpt from our forthcoming wedding planning book - The Secret Quintessentially Weddings Guide - we share our top tips on creating boards with a 50 Shades of Grey special.

The wedding planners version of daydreaming, we think moodboards are good for the soul, (and curating them panders to my inner art director besides - who would only wear a wardrobe of Isabel Marant, Chloe and H & M's new Lana Del Rey fronted LA Noir range, incidentally). Luckily for us brides, what was hitherto the preserve of designers, creatives and interior decorators has gone mainstream. Whether you are just at the outset of planning your wedding when everything is a blank canvas or busily curating those final few details with just weeks to spare until the big day dawns, there's little a good moodboard can't help hone.

Collecting together all of the prettiest things you stumble across on your wedding planning journey and pinning them to your Pinterest boards or assimilating onto a  is simple when you know how, and offers maximum chances to play around, change your mind and tinker with all sorts of creative curve-balls which may help you to re-imagine your wedding. Plus, you can always scrap them and start again!

TOP TIPS FOR MOODBOARDING

1. Tote your 'boards around with you on your smartphone, iPad or print outs carefully stuck into a handbag sized notebook for ease of use. They come into their own when out shopping, when you can easily look at your boards for reference to check items fit your overall vision
2. It's totally normal (and not at all bridezilla-y) to find yourself becoming quite protective of what you will no doubt find yourself calling your 'vision' for the big day. Ignore the naysayers who raspberry your moodboards as some adult version of scrapbooking or think you have an unhealthy fascination with colour palettes and cream frosting. They'll see come the wedding - if they're still invited!
3. Commit to a theme or feel early on and refine it, but don't dismiss the wildcard or avant garde. Put your stamp on the day.
4. As a rule of thumb (and to be as kind to yourself as possible) stop looking at wedding blogs, websites and  Pinterest a month before your big day. That way, you won't be too overwhelmed or tempted by wacky ideas you stress to create too late in the day...
5. Look for images, textures, colours and compositions in unlikely places. We love sites such as ELLE Decoration, Wit and Delight, This is Glamorous, Net-a-Porter's magazine, Saipua, design sponge, eat drink chic, Coco Kelley...
6. Be true to yourself - it's all too easy to get sucked in by the wedding world and it's whirligig prettiness, but always go with your gut. If you love an image or prefer a crisp, clean aesthetic, it can totally translate to a beautiful and pure beauty of a wedding day. It doesn't have to be all frills and fondant shades. 

I've mocked up a Fifty Shades of Grey board to get you started....because if Anastasia and Christian ever did manage to extricate themselves from the sexy stuff and he got over his abandonment issues, I like to think their wedding might look a little like this, in shades of charcoal, moonbeam, mercury and smoke.

 QBride XOXO

MAN UP: Groom style

When it comes to weddings, pity our poor menfolk.

I say that not because there aren't ample opportunities for them to give into their most capricious sartorial fantasies in the same way that us brides can flounce every normal rule about spending on 'just one dress that you'll only wear once'. But because somehow in among the flowers, the cake and the prettiness of it all, our sexy, bearded other halves can get a little marginalised. If your groom is anything like mine, he will reach a point where he just nods and smiles and is happy for the whole circus to take part with just this minor involvement (picture me balancing on a ball emblazoned with stars, juggling bouquets, napkin fabric swatches and mixing our signature wedding cocktail all at the same time to calamitous effect. And most definitely with a veil and ring masters coat on, as you do). It's not that he or your groom are not interested, but such is the way of weddings that they are geared up to the girls and even civil partnerships can descend into the usual quirks and frills of the effeminacy of weddings. They are just not that man-friendly.

Enough now. I think it's time to take a stand. It does, after all, take two of you to tango and say those vows. Your man shouldn't just be confined to the sidelines in a staid top hat and tails with the dull duties of organising the transport and first night's accommodation. So without further ado - and taking inspiration from the manly inspiration that seems to be having a moment, think the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones, the Bond exhibition currently gracing the Southbank and Tom Ford's new London flagship opening - here's our little guide to groom aisle style and tips for the beards out there. Because you, sirs, are very wonderful individuals.

Boy George: the perennial bachelor who ironically, is such an aisle style icon...

MR PORTER
Not enough men know about this fantastic one-stop-shop for some of the stylish attire, ever. From slim-fit Burberry suits to Richard James, Balenciaga, Acne cigarette-pant suits for a little Scandi-luxe that wouldn't look out of place on Alexsander Skarsgard  to John Lobb Monks (nope, we didn't know either until further investigation proved them to be buckled beauties that wouldn't look out of place at a rock and roll wedding) everything here is meticulously sourced and styled for maximum dashing effect. Don't fear the online nature of buying a suit either - the site thoughtfully includes a dedicated wedding section with Q & A's, and a guide to cuts, fits and size that makes it a doddle.

From top: Dolce & Gabbana Martini Velvet trimmed Tuxedo, £1,345; Alexander Skarsgard; AMI double breasted blazer, £430; Yves Saint Laurent Pique bib cotton tuxedo shirt, £365; Brooks Brothers cotton pique bow tie, £65; Drakes dotted silk pocket square, £45

PAUL SMITH
Something of a sartorial legend, you cannot go wrong with one of the Nottingham designer's finest. Featuring riotous prints on the inside (those silk linings) and structured elegance on the outside, these are suits and accoutrement's with a particularly English touch. We love the curve of the notched lapels, the soft floral print shirts and the square-end ties for a little Madmen mid-century sophistication.

Left: Penny-Collar button shirt; the bar at Palazzo Margerita, Italy.

SPENCER HART
Think achingly cool. As in Brandon Flowers meets Roger Moore dressed by Roxy Music girls (if you follow...). Luxuriously made to measure or tailored to fit in sensuous fabrics with trays of knit ties, silk pocket squares in jewel colours and the inkiest of wools, these suits call for a muscle car arrival and a very, very nice watch. As they rightly say, perfect for grooms after classic style with an edge.

RAY-BAN
For those men who aspire to a little of that phosphorescent style and allure of Ryan Gosling or James Dean perhaps, pop a pair of these on a sunny wedding day for instant charisma. And give them to your groomsmen as gifts for some rat pack referencing photos.

'Of a bicycle made for two.....': do Riviera meets Hollywood chic:
hire a vintage moped to whisk your new bride away on

JIMMY CHOO
Unlike the bride, guests will most certainly see and take note of your footwear. Don't disappoint with some flamboyant leopard  print, velvety soft suede brogues and calf skin leather buckled boots in a desert style.

Left: Leopard print Sloane slipper ,£495 and above, Mayfair patent leather Derbys, £450. Jimmychoo.com 






THE KOOPLES
Inject your big day look with that certain va va voom only the French truly know how to do. We're talking sharp trousers with no socks, double breasted blazers in light cotton, neckerchiefs and teeny tiny skull motifs. The only issue is, if you look this hip, you need the wedding band to match. If money is no object, a DJ set from Jamie from the XX or Hotchip would do it. And we love the Wedding Smashers for tearing up a dancefloor simultaneously shredding the stereotype of the wedding DJ. Think a modern-day mixtape of every great song you ever heard.

From top: Jamie XX Djing; The Kooples ad campaign; Beige chevron suit, £379; Prince of Wales check bow tie, £35 in sale and Suede shoes, £122.50 in Sale; 

JAMES LOCK & Co
If you're going to work a tifter, it needs to be one of these. Fur felt top hats, or a navy Hornburg from their Lock and Roll collection make for the perfect finishing touch if you're a groom purist. And wear with a Favourbrook morning suit in steel grey for a modern take on 'top hat and tails'. Lockhatters.co.uk

EMMA FRANKLIN
Cufflinks simply don't come any more special than these.

 Pheasant with Shotgun cufflinks, £225, and Triceratops cufflinks, £215; Emmafranklin.net