Truly unique & original wedding gifts

Customisable heart keychain

Attention brides and grooms! Are you looking for that extra special wedding gift to give each other? Or maybe something for your groomsmen or bridesmaids as a thank you gift? Or even looking for wedding favours that your guests will love and keep forever?

Well, look no further. I am all about being unique and standing out from the crowd, especially when it comes to weddings, so when I heard about Shapeways I knew I had to share it with you.

Shapeways is the leading 3D printing service and marketplace. Now, 3D printed gifts may not be the first thing that springs to mind for weddings, but it's a really cool and original way to show off your personality and interests.

T.A.R.D.I.S. Tie clip for the Doctor Who fan

You can choose from a vast range of awesome designs already created by the Shapeways community - everything from keychains to bottle openers and cufflinks. You can even chose the material you would like it printed in, including precious metals. There is quite literally, something to be found for everyone!

With the huge range of stunningly beautiful and somewhat unusual jewellery, you could even find your perfect engagement or wedding rings that are unique as you are.

Guitar ring

If you want something with a bit more of a personal touch, Shapeways also offers an array of customisable gifts, so you can easily add a special touch by having your wedding date or names engraved on a selection of gifts. If nothing takes your fancy, why not create a truly one-of-a-kind gift by uploading your own designs and bring them to life with 3D printing.

If you're completely unfamiliar with how 3D printing works, fear not, the whole process of turning your ideas in to beautiful products is simpler than you'd think. Just design your gift (via an app, software, or hire a designer), upload, and Shapeways will do the rest. You can also make your designs customisable too using the super easy CustomMaker tool.

So why not try it out? A completely new and different idea that you and your wedding guests will love!

Thinking of having an adult-only wedding?

Have you ever been invited to a wedding and told that children aren't allowed? I wanted to write a post on this as it's currently a hot topic among my family and friends as we have decided to have a child-free wedding ourselves.

This came up between me and my Fiancé quite naturally and early on in our wedding planning (it may have actually been one of the first things we decided on!) It was a mutual and easy decision to make as neither of us are really very maternal.

We've all been to weddings where there are babies and/or toddlers crying, shouting, or having a tantrum over the ceremony, making it really quite difficult to hear all the vows and readings. This is something we really didn't want at our wedding, we felt it would be such a shame for the most important part of our day to be unheard - or worse, ruined.

If you're thinking of having an adult only wedding day yourself, there's a few things to consider before you decide for sure...

Guests may be offended if they're asked to leave their little ones at home.

Remember, they're likely to have to find a baby sitter if you've said no children. Be prepared for some guests not to come at all in this case, especially if they'd be travelling far for your wedding, and staying over night.

With this in mind, think about how many of your guests would this actually apply to? It may not be a good idea to say no children if a large number of your friends and families have them. If that's the case, there are other options to occupy your child guests during your wedding ceremony if you want them out the way.

Make sure all guests with children know the rule.

There would be nothing worse than if you've told a guest that their little angel won't be able to join them for the day, then they arrive to find that another guest is there with a child. You can't have one rule for some guests and another for others!

Of course you may rather have all your family and friends present, no matter what their age. It's just a matter of what's more important to you.