Weddings with „heirloom objects" are rare and that is why they are remembered. Spaniard Ana, who got married on 27 September at the Parish of Santa María Magdalena in Madrid, chose the right path - not the new generation of luxury, but a 130-year-old Spanish mantilla (an embroidered lace head covering) that had belonged to her great-grandmother. It is a small declaration that should be fully understood on the Balkans.

The dress: a special order from the Spanish atelier Cotonnus. An asymmetric neckline, a pleated organza bodice, a natural crepe skirt and a 2.5-metre silk gabardine train. The sleeves are detachable - a styling trick that allows two different looks in the same day: formal with sleeves for the ceremony, lighter without sleeves for the evening dinner.

The bride says: „I got married at 27, so the design had to be fresh, romantic, with style." She adds: „My advice to brides-to-be is not to get frustrated if at the start they find it hard to visualise the dress." The second sentence deserves attention. Many brides expect to walk into an atelier and immediately see „their" dress. The reality is that the process is iterative - 4 to 5 fittings, constant adjustments, and the moment of „exactly that" usually arrives only at the third fitting. That is not a flaw in the process, that is the process.

The fan - the „abanico" - was hand-embroidered by Punto e Fiori. Details from their love story were stitched into the embroidery in code. „This fan gathers the details of our story," Ana says. At a Balkan wedding this would be the equivalent of a carved cross, a grandmother's embroidered towel, or an engraved silver box - objects that carry a name, a date and a story. Our brides have all this in their inheritance; they only need to take it out of the wardrobe instead of spending money on new „inspired-by" replicas.

The jewellery: sapphire-and-diamond earrings, and a diamond pendant she received from her father on the wedding day itself. A dialogue across generations - the father gives something, the great-grandmother left something, and the bride ties them together. This is the whole style. Not „I bought everything new" but „I build on what I have".

The shoes: Mint & Rose, metallic sandals in a copper tone - not white, not silver. That is the brave decision that makes the difference. White shoes on a white dress are a safe formula, but also a predictable one. The copper notes lend a toxic-warm undertone to the whole look, and the photographs end up with more life in them.

The wedding venue - Finca El Albero. Catering by Petisco. Flowers by Arrayán and Mercedes de Rada Studio Floral. Music: Los Puppos and DJ Dándote Ritmo Eventos. Embroidered table runners by Punto e Fiori, hand-illustrated gifts for the guests by ByPaloB. And - the surprise that should have been the localised sensation - friends dressed in inflatable dinosaur costumes at one point during the party.

What should the Balkan wedding industry learn from this? First, that heirloom objects are not „old-fashioned" - they are status. A Spanish lace cannot be bought in Zara - it is something impossible to reproduce. Second, that handmade work (the embroidered fan, the embroidered table runners) has higher value than anything branded. Third - and possibly the most important - that humour at a wedding is not a sign of cheapness. Inflatable dinosaurs in front of 300 guests... if our brides had the courage to do that, there would be fewer „grand presentations" and more real days actually worth remembering.

„To be surrounded by everyone you love and to marry your other half - that is a happiness you already have!" - Ana. A sentence that on the Balkans we sometimes forget under the weight of „what will people say".