Beautiful wedding accessories handmade from Swarovski crystals and crystal pearls for the perfect finishing touch

Archive for the ‘Advice’ Category

Add Glam to your wedding with a Signature Cocktail

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Ever wanted to have a party and serve your own signature cocktail? Liquid Spirit Mobile Bar Hire have caught our attention with their fabulous advice for making your wedding, party, birthday or anniversary a day to remember by creating a signature cocktail to commemorate your event.

What a great way to personalise your wedding!

Astound your guests and showcase your taste to make your day a day to remember.

Tips for making signature cocktails – by LiquidSpirit
1 – Stay true to your event
If you are creating a cocktail for your anniversary, remember where you and your partner spent your honeymoon, if it’s for a birthday, consider your favourites pastimes.

2 – Celebrate your history
If you have Brazilian ancestry, consider Cachaça. Part Scottish? Scotch. Russian heritage? Vodka. Chinese forebears? Sake, you get the picture. Remember to research your spirits wisely as local produce will support your roots more than an international brand, i.e. don’t think there’s that much Cuban interest in Bacardi.

3 – Listen to your pallet
What do you like, sweet or sour, sparkling or still, light or strong, clear or dark? This drink is usually intended to be enjoyed by your guests as well but don’t forget this is one drink you will want to recreate for the rest of your life.

4 – Local & Seasonal
Find garnishes and local liquors in your market to make your drink locally sourced and ecologically friendly. Flavoured vodkas are a good spirit to research as they can match any ingredient and provide a flavour for all occasions.

5 – If you think outside the box, destroy the box
Go nuts! Consider outlandish cocktails with that added wow factor; consider flaming orange zests, bacon infusions and possibly a whole banana as a garnish.
For more inspiritation check out the Mai Tai 3000.

6 – Nostalgia
Research old cocktails, the Manhattan, Vesper, Old Fashioned and Sazerac are becoming popular once again. Try inventing a modern twist on a classic; include your family’s namesake or the area your event is in.
Create the Steel City Vesper, the Zeuners’ Flaming Ferrari or Timothy’s Twisted Sazerac!

7- Simplicity.
Too many clashing flavours can ruin a drink, no matter of the quality of the ingredients. It’s useful to know that many mixed drinks contain a liquor base, a liqueur and juice. The garnish is added for eye-appeal. A Cosmopolitan is double vodka, a single Triple Sec and a double cranberry juice. A dash of lime is added to zest it and a lemon twist is added to the glass to make it more appealing. This formula is tried, tested and easy to adapt.

8. Fashion.
Have a look at modern restaurant menu’s or up-to-date cocktail guides. Pomegranate is in right now and if you’re a perfectionist you could research Japanese tools and techniques, inspired by East Asian tea ceremonies’ attention to detail add to the luxury of crafting slow drinks. Have a Google of it and ponder no longer.

9 – Have Fun!
This should not be a chore; this should hark back to childhood days of ‘mixing potions’. Playful experimentation should be the cornerstones of your cocktail creation. Remember to celebrate your likes and don’t stress out about pleasing anyone in particular.

10 – The Golden Rule, never forget:
“A cocktail will never be better than its cheapest ingredient.”
– David A. Embury (1948)

For more hints, tips and advice or to hire the Liquid Spirit Mobile Bar for your event head to http://mobilebarhireuk.com/

Wedding Hair and Bridal Makeup event

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

Bridal makeovers

Bridal makeovers

Radiance Boutique wedding accessories and Beauty Call bridal hair and makeup artists met some lovely brides to be at our first Tips, Tea and Tiaras event held at the fabulous Butterfly Boutique in central London. It was a great afternoon, finished off with goody bags and gorgeous cupcakes!

Our brides to be were pampered with mini makeovers and we chatted about how different wedding hair accessories might work best for their wedding day style. The opportunity to try different hair accessories and hair styles went down a storm and everyone looked beautifully bridal by the time we had finished with them!

With these ladies wanting to keep their final chosen styles to themselves I’m afraid we won’t be publishing their photographs in this blog before their weddings -we can’t spoil the surprise for their groom, friends and family now can we?! But as you can imagine by the gorgeous array of makeup laid out to create these looks, the whole experience was very much like being a kid in a sweet shop!

We hope to run more of these events in the future. In the meantime if you need any one to one advice on choosing your wedding accessories please feel free to get in touch, I am always delighted to help! Email jen@radianceboutique.co.uk or call 020 7193 9599.

Bridal Make Up Tips from Beauty Call

Sunday, April 4th, 2010

Wedding Hair Ideas

Wedding Hair Ideas

Radiance Boutique, Sparkle and Wow and Beauty Call are really looking forward to our bridal event at the fantastic Butterfly boutique in central London next Sunday 11th April. It was the Beauty Call team that helped create all the looks in Radiance Boutique’s Wedding Hair Style Gallery, including this romantic half up do with our pearl and crystal rondelle tiara and matching hair pins.

Next week sees us combining our talents once more to host an afternoon of make up tips and bridal hair suggestions, as well as the chance to browse Radiance Boutique’s wedding hair accessories collection -all whilst filling us in on how your wedding planning is coming along. We can’t wait!

In the meantime, why not check out Beauty Call’s You Tube make up tips online for a taster of what’s in store? There are still a couple of spaces available for our Tips, Tea and Tiaras event so if you like this clip be sure to snap up one of the last remaining tickets and come meet the team in person for more handy advice and some Sunday afternoon tea and cupcakes!

Tips, Tea & Tiaras -a fantastic new event for brides to be

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

Tips, Tea & Tiaras

Tips, Tea & Tiaras

Great news for brides to be -a fantastic new event is headed your way! This April, Radiance Boutique in collaboration with ‘Beauty Call’ and ‘Sparkle & Wow’ will be showcasing their products and services for brides to be.

Whilst the men are watching the football, why not join us at the fabulous Butterfly Boutique in Central London for makeup tips and makeovers, the chance to browse through tiaras and wedding hair accessories and chat about how your wedding planning is going. Tea and cupcakes on us thanks to our friends at two:delicious!

For more information please email jen@radianceboutique.co.uk

Tickets can be purchased through the Beauty Call website http://www.beautycall.co.uk/latestnews.php - only £10

We hope you can join us!

Help with putting your Bridal Accessories together

Monday, February 15th, 2010

Here at Radiance Boutique we pride ourselves on customer service. Not just post sale but prior to that too, in the form of assistance and advice. Be it by email, over the phone, or with our online advice guides on where to start -we can help you style your big day look.

We tend to start with the style of your day and the look of your dress, but from your queries what we often find is that first and foremost, you have fallen in love with a Radiance Boutique piece after spotting it in a bridal mag. And it’s going from there, deciding what other pieces to add and how to tie your look together that can start to feel, well, tricky!

You can find suggested pieces to wear together on each item page in our online boutique. Even so, we thought we’d take a look at some of our bestselling pieces and suggest ideas for teaming them with other Radiance Boutique items to help inspire you in bringing your ideal look to life. Let’s start off with a modern take on classic pearls.

Take our best selling Swarovski crystal pearl charm style bracelet

Pearl Bracelet

Pearl Bracelet

Wear with our timeless pearl studs for a modern twist on classic

Pearl Stud Earrings

Pearl Stud Earrings

Add our beautiful pearl hair pins to an updo

Pearl Hair Pins

Pearl Hair Pins

Our statement hair comb for more impact in in a half updo

Pearl Hair Comb

Pearl Hair Comb

Or our pearl hair grips to the front of loose waves for that extra touch

Pearl Hair Grips

Pearl Hair Grips

Swap studs for gorgeous drops if you’re feeling glam

Pearl Earrings

Pearl Earrings

Or the matching pendant necklace if your neck feels bare

Pearl Pendant Necklace

Pearl Pendant Necklace

Tie in your Bridesmaids’ look with classic studs or modern pendants

Modern Pearl Pendant Necklace

Modern Pearl Pendant Necklace

And you’re big day ready! Find more inspiration and shop the look online at http://www.radianceboutique.co.uk

Bridal Hair Style Inspiration

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

Happy New Year! Let’s get straight into what’s new at Radiance Boutique for 2010! With the help of our Wedding Hair and Bridal Makeup Artist friends at Beauty Call, Radiance Boutique brings you a fresh new wedding hair style gallery full of ideas for your wedding day look. Get ideas for the kind of style you might opt for and see how Radiance Boutique’s hair accessories could work for you -all in one place. If you are looking for a bridal hair stylist and love the ideas in our gallery be sure to check out Beauty Call’s website -as you can see, those ladies are experts!

With statement jewellery still popular what’s a girl who thinks ‘less is more’ to do? We have tackled this for you with our new pearl headband. It adds that something extra for those of you not looking for the full height of a traditional tiara and the Swarovski pearls are a gorgeous addition to any bridal hair style. This new style also has a couple of Swarovski crystals at either side of the band that lift it just enough and bring the touch of twinkle that every bride should have.

Speaking of pearls, we’re delighted with our latest addition to the wedding jewellery collection – our gorgeous new pearl studs. Classic, timeless, beautiful -the perfect finishing touch. They’re an excellent choice for the bride and also make great gifts for your bridesmaids or mother of the bride. You can be sure they will wear them again and again and be reminded of your big day when they do. Spread the love and snap them up now!

Do I need a Wedding Planner? By Sparkle and Wow Events

Monday, December 14th, 2009

When you think of a Wedding Planner, does your mind conjure images of J-Lo in The Wedding Planner coordinating the day like a military operation or how about Franc from Father of the Bride the planner who finds it impossible to stick to the budget?

Well real life Professional Wedding Planners are fast becoming a brides must have accessory. The services of a Wedding Planner is no longer reserved only for the A-list. Think of it this way, we now have food delivered, cars washed by those helpful guys in the supermarket car park, and it’s not seen as lazy or extravagant. In the US Wedding Planners have been the norm for years, over 26% of brides in the UK now enlist the services of a wedding planner to inject creativity whilst taking away the stress of the big day resulting in priceless peace of mind.

If you need inspiration to put a personal stamp on your big day, then this is where the creative skills of a Planner can turn your wedding from ordinary to extraordinary – without blowing the budget. Ideas that wow and little touches make the difference. Planners are full of ways to create a day that truly represents you.

Don’t worry this will be done in close collaboration, we never loose sight of who’s wedding it is. It’s a collaborative approach that will produce stunning results.

So back to the initial question, Do I need a Planner? the answer is probably. To plan a wedding from the beginning to end can take over 300 hours, that’s nearly 2 months of a full time job! Who has that sort of time?

So what will it cost? Each wedding planner works in a different way and offers an individual product and service. Some wedding planners charge a flat fee, others an hourly rate with a minimum fee or a percentage of the overall budget. Shop around, and you will find a planner to suit your budget and needs whether it is an afternoon’s consultation, full planning service, venue search, budget planning or on the day coordination.

So if you want to explore the idea of hiring a Professional Planner, I suggest you follow these tips:

1. Personal recommendation is the ideal way to find the right planner for you
2. Have a look a planners websites and see if you like their style
3. At the consultation it is important you feel comfortable, so ensure you get on as you will be communicating a great deal. Do they listen to your ideas?
4. Ask for references and testimonials
5. Have they received any awards, press coverage
6. Not essential, but ask if they have undertaken any professional training
7. Speed of response to your initial enquiry
8. If you are happy and want to proceed, sign a contract that details the service specifics including number of meetings

Article by Sonia from Sparkle and Wow Events.

Sonia from Sparkle & Wow Events, is a Professional Qualified Wedding Planner and runs an award-winning wedding design consultancy in London. She offers all prospective brides and grooms a complimentary consultation over a cup of tea or wine if you prefer and will happily listen to your wedding plans. To book your complimentary consultation (which is without obligation) call her on 0845 234 0528 or 07947 571 693.

Wedding Table Plan Top Tips by toptableplanner.com

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

Have you completed your wedding table plan yet? Leaving it too close to the Big Day can cause untold stress at a time when enough is going on. Trying to be extra organised and completing it well in advance inevitably means that changes will be needed, and often making those changes can prove every bit as difficult as starting from scratch.

The trouble with creating a wedding table plan is deciding how all of your guests are going to react to it, and to each other, when they realise the company they’re going to have to keep through a three hour reception.

When it comes to creating your table plan the first thing you’ll need to think about are the tables themselves. The venue may offer either plenty of options, or limitations which in themselves stipulate how the tables will be set out. But where you have flexibility, it’s worth bearing this in mind. The traditional top table seating plan is not necessarily the best arrangement for everyone. With many families becoming increasingly complex a top table can sometimes end up so vast that there’s almost no one left to sit at the remaining tables.

In such cases it may be more practical to have a romantic table for two for the happy couple, with everyone else on standard tables. But have you considered how you’ll label those tables so that everyone knows where they are to sit?

There’s no doubt that having designated places for guests to sit saves a great deal of time and anxiety for all concerned, unless of course the occasion is quite small. But numbering tables presents its own challenges. Clearly table one must be the bride’s and groom’s immediate family, but what of table two? You know full well that those seated at table 23 will be feeling pretty neglected.

Why not abandon numbering your tables, giving them names instead? Perhaps your wedding has a theme, in which case you could have fun giving each table a theme related name. Or you could use flower names, or if you’re deeply in to travel – country names. Although avoid placing the Mother-in-Law in Afghanistan – it might not go down too well.

There are a few rules to consider whatever wedding table plan you choose, such as alternating men and women round tables and seating partners opposite each other. It’s terribly tempting at a time of such romantic bliss to create a table for the singles. Resist the urge to play Cupid and try not to set people up – you won’t be thanked.

Guests at your wedding will be seated for some time, and so it’s worth trying to strike a balance between seating people with those they see every day, and sticking people in the middle of a group of complete strangers. Above all, whatever type of wedding table plan you come up with, make sure it’s thoroughly flexible. Your wedding day is about tying the knot, not getting tied up in knots.

Article written by Adam Leyton, Director of Toptableplanner.com
Arrange your table plan the easy way with Top Table Planner’s online seating planning software -just drag and drop!

New Wedding Jewellery and Bridal Hair Accessories from Radiance Boutique

Sunday, November 1st, 2009

This Autumn Radiance Boutique is proud to present a new collection of over 20 pieces, each designed with your big day in mind.

New bridal hair accessories include pearl hair grips for a vintage feel and beautiful bridal headbands. Our asymmetric headband, is bang on trend and gorgeous when worn with an updo. Both are great for short hair too.

Hair adornments are big news this season, making them the perfect way to flaunt your glamorous bridal style. 2010’s trend for bold statement pieces and romantic layers are well catered for with beautiful pearl necklaces and wedding earrings.

Find your perfect finishing touches in our online bridal boutique And remember, as the economic climate bites we are now offering FREE postage. Happy wedding shopping!

Bridal Trends for 2010

Friday, October 16th, 2009

As any follower of fashion knows, jewellery and accessories are big news right now. Statement necklaces, hair accessories, fascinators, huge scarfs, snoods and hats are making a style statement on the catwalks and in high street stores. Think big and bold or layered and romantic for Autumn /Winter trends, for both every day style and for your wedding.

In this vein 2010 wedding trends continue in line with much of 2009’s offerings, but with extra emphasis on hair/head adornments. Now is the perfect time to go for something beautiful in your hair to really customise your bridal look. The economic outlook has an impact here too with those in the know predicting personalised details, rather than grandiose pomp, the order of the day.

Short dresses reflecting 50’s and 60’s styles are increasingly popular, and demand continues for asymmetric shoulder gowns. Layers are still going strong with frills and ruffles adding depth and texture. For 2010 it’s all in the details: alongside ruching, bows, back and strap details on dresses, oversized accessories with lashings of pearls, feathers and sparkle are key.

How to add the personal aspect? Wear something you love with confidence and your own sense of style will shine though. If your dress has many of the details mentioned above, hair accessories can help balance your look. A romantic scattering of flowers or a statement headband is all you need. An asymmetric shoulder looks great with a bold pearl bracelet on the opposite wrist.

Playful cocktail rings are also still on trend but with a big sparkler on your ring finger already, perhaps you’re covered?! As always the key to finding your bridal look is to take the time to think about the overall look you want to achieve and use your wedding dress to inform your bridal accessory decisions. Radiance Boutique aims to make selecting those perfect finishing touches simple, but please get in touch if you require any assistance.

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