Creating a wedding ceremony which is personal to you both is so very important. Which is why I am so excited to introduce you to Joanna from Bespoke Verse, who creates personalised wedding readings and speeches, which can be printed and framed to keep forever too.

Joanna also creates brilliant personalised gifts in the form of poems and prints which are stocked on Not On The High Street and John Lewis.

Let's get to know Joanna a little better...

I'm a bespoke poet based in Berkhamsted and I run a company called Bespoke Verse. We are the UK's leading provider of personalised poems and poetry prints for weddings and special occasions. We write poems, readings and speeches which are closely based on the answers we receive from questionnaires. We also sell lots of generic prints of many subjects from marriage and parents to wine and dogs - we add personalised message to these for lots of customers.

I am a mum of 3 and apart from time with my family, I love our dog Dickens, books, holidays in New Zealand, Bobby Brown Make Up, Prosecco and Game of Thrones!

I love running my own company and employ a wonderful team of writers and admin assistants. I enjoy working with other wedding suppliers too, but the best part of all is hearing feedback on how the speech or poem we have written has been the best part of a couple's wedding day. It feels wonderful on a Monday morning to receive orders from people who heard our poems read at weddings over the weekend!

I am rather a workaholic but the downside is that since Bespoke Verse has taken off I don't have so time to spend with my friends. Luckily, they are very supportive and are happy to lend a hand.

I began Bespoke Verse after writing a rhyming speech for my own wedding which brought the house down and led to lots of commissions. It soon became apparent there was a market for well -written and witty bespoke wedding poems. We now write over 500 a year and have sold over 10,000 generic prints.

Our aim is to create something for brides and grooms that is talked about, reread and watched over and over for years to come.

We want to help our customers bring an element of uniqueness to the words used in a wedding - there's no need for the same boring old reading! We also aim to help those who struggle with public speaking and writing and allow brides to give the ultimate in personalised gifts to their groom and the wedding party.

Our generic prints make great gifts for the wedding party too, especially parents and bridesmaids. We also provide a service where we can format and frame readings and poems - this came about simply because brides repeatedly asked us to do it!

Our poems are most frequently described as 'witty' 'clever' 'moving'. They are written in rhyming pairs of lines by my hand-picked team of writers (I have a degree from Oxford which helps!) We also format and frame some of our wedding poems - I would describe our design style as clean lines with a vintage twist!

These are our most popular wedding products:

40 line wedding reading sent by email - £100

52 line wedding speech by email - £125

52 line wedding speech framed with photos - £165

26 line poem framed in a vintage style - £99

'What is A Marriage?' framed poem print - £46

Bespoke Your Special Words - £65

You can purchase these products from

www.notonthehighstreet.com/bespokeverse and www.johnlewis.com as well as directly from Bespoke Verse www.bespokeverse.co.uk

There is a vast difference between the quality of writing you will receive from professional writers and an amateur, so be prepared to read lots of sample poems and testimonials. You get what you pay for and sadly there are many aspiring bespoke poets who do not have the skill required to scan correctly or write with humour!

Don't be afraid to ring wedding writers and talk to them about their experience. At Bespoke Verse we know just what length poem will work and what will work with guests. We have tried and tested questionnaires, a house style and professional writers.

You can email us on: [email protected] or ring our office on 01442 875343.

You can view our products at: www.bespokeverse.co.uk

www.notonthhighstreet.com/bespokeverse

You can also follow us:

www.facebook.com/bespokeverse www.instagram.com/bespokeverse www.twitter.com/bespokeverse www.pinterest.com/bespokeverse

Such a wonderful personal idea, which also make for a thoughtful and memorable gift. Thanks so much to Joanna for sharing all about her business today XOXO Lou

* Bespoke Verse is a Whimsical Wonderland Weddings sponsor.