Gay Norfolk

We love this quote, and in essence it's a good piece of guidance: "It's very dear to me the issue of gay marriage or as I like to it: "marriage" You know, because I had lunch this afternoon, not gay lunch. I parked my car; I didn't gay park it. Liz Feldman" In other words do what you want, don't feel it necessary to gay theme your Wedding Stationery.

Create something that you'll look back on as the true meaning of your desire to publicly celebrate your union. This is the first formal news that you send to your friends and family so your personalities will be reflected in the attention to detail that a good designer can create using your theme in either an off the shelf or bespoke design on sumptuous paper. We have found it's really useful to create a Pinterest board for our clients and if you search under 'Wedding Stationery' you can start to collect some samples that you would like to share with your designer.

There are lots of Civil Partnership and Gay Wedding ideas, so it will help to concentrate your attention on the details you would like to incorporate into your unique wedding stationery suite. Experience has taught us that there is one golden rule to stick with, 'Keep it Simple'. You will want to express your exuberance and individuality great, go ahead, but steer away from complex invitation creations.

Simplicity is sophisticated and if you choose a designer to design your stationery – let them get to know what makes you and your partner tick then stand back and let them work the magic. Indeed a good design house will gather all the details needed, help with the wording and then provide beautiful quality stationery, effortlessly. It's a good idea to start out with wording that conforms to traditional etiquette and then tailor it to your taste.

There is quite a bit of information to organise, and if you use a designer you'll want to look at everything from Save the Date cards to Thank You notes, Seating Plans, Order of Service etc. We at Toby Designs offer the first consultation and quotation free of charge. Creating bespoke stationery takes a lot more thought than choosing designs from a catalogue, so it really is a good idea to start the process at least five, if not six months before the big day.

This gives plenty of time for any alterations and proofing of the wording.

Toby Leetham is Creative Director of Toby Designs