Beauty Call Studio

Once you’ve booked your wedding hair package with Beauty Call, enjoy the convenience of having your hair trial there after work, instead of having it at home. At the studio your stylist will help you find the right hairstyle for your bridal look and there’s even selected pieces from Radiance Boutique’s collection available for you to try. Experiment with different hair styles and accessories all in one place.

The Radiance Boutique pieces at the Beauty Call studio also mean you don’t need to worry about finding the right accessories to bring to your hair trial before you’ve decided how you’ll be wearing your hair. Make it easy on yourself by trying first and buying later!

Check out Beauty Call’s website for more information and to book your trial today.

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/

Bridal makeovers

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.

Wedding Hair Ideas

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

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!

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!

It’s also fair to say that your hair type comes into it. Fine hair often requires the sturdiness of a hair grip rather than a pin. But if your style is an up do and includes some backcombing and hairdresser magic, such as use of a donut, pins could work for you. Some thicker hair has trouble holding a comb, but if you’re only adding it to a small section of hair, then it’s unlikely to be a problem.

As ever, the advice of your stylist is key, so be sure to have a detailed conversation about what you’re hoping to achieve. Looks you like can often be adapted to your hair type and you can find a way to incorporate the kind of accessories you’re keen to wear. Radiance Boutique’s tiara wire for example, is the perfect way to add a touch of elegance to your look without the need for a fuller tiara.

Radiance Boutique has also created some designs on hair pin wires with a loop at the bottom to enable your hairdresser to secure the piece with grips, giving you more hold than a hair pin. This is important if a design is large or top heavy as such pieces require a larger hair pin as a base, and those are often tricky for stylists to secure. If you’re following the trend for statement hair accessories this is worth considering.

You can find more inspiration and practical bridal hair style advice from Radiance Boutique in this month’s Perfect Wedding Magazine, (Issue 32, August 2009) where you’ll find the hints and tips you need to recreate the look that’s perfect for your own wedding day style. All of the styles featured were created by Jeni at Leamington Spa’s Hush Hush Salon. Call 01926 430880 for an appointment.

Wedding photographers sometimes have a bad reputation – ask a sample of your married friends and it will become clear that in wedding photography there is no middle ground.  Happily-marrieds are usually terribly disappointed or ecstatically over-joyed with their wedding images.

What is the secret?  Why is there such a divide between loving and loathing your wedding album, and just how much impact does the photographer have on the memories of your day?  A lot.

I recently shot a portrait session with a lovely actress who was married in June last year.  She had seen my wedding photography website since then and started telling me how much she wanted to get married again so that I could shoot the wedding – such was the “nightmare” she was experiencing with her photographer.

She sent me a link to her wedding images and I clicked on the collection, expecting to see hideous poses, out of focus shots, selective colour, and ill-thought out effects.  However, much to my surprise, the images were actually quite good from a technical point of view.

The photographer clearly had a good understanding of composition, the backgrounds were nice and soft, and the main subjects were always pin-sharp.

The images were just a little bit ordinary.  Perfectly fine.  Acceptable.  Nice.  However, the emotion of a wedding tends to magnify feelings and as this particular bride didn’t want “nice and ordinary” she started to loathe the pictures.

Now, when choosing your photographer it really is important to think about the style you want captured as each photographer will be different.  The tendency to categorise styles, with reportage and photojournalism on one side, and classical on the other does little to help the bride understand the differences between each photographer.

The first thing to do is ask any of your married friends if they have had a great experience with their wedding photographer.  If they have, and you like the images in their album then put that photographer on your shortlist.

Next you’ll need to start researching other photographers to add to your shortlist.  A google search is probably the best place to start to find photographers in your area.  When you look at the websites consider the feeling you get from them.  Does the website look fresh and modern and is it easy to navigate?

A photographer who has invested in their website is one who has passion and who is concerned with the image they are presenting to the world.   A scruffy unkempt website is not a good sign at all.

If you get a good feeling from the website, next navigate to the gallery pages and asses the photographers work.  Do the images have a clear style?  Are they technically sound?  Has emotion really been captured?

When you have found a couple of photographers who have portfolios containing images that really excite you, check if what they offer is in your price bracket and what you want.  Some photographers will not post price lists on their website so find some who do before making any decisions.

Also, be aware of what is actually included in any wedding packages as this can make an initially cheap-looking photographer quite expensive when everything you want is added up, or a more expensive photographer better value when the quality of their products is considered.

There can seem a whole range of different products and services on offer in Wedding Photography, but what are the main things you need to consider – and what are the hidden traps that couples may not be aware of?

1.     Coverage – how long will the photographer be at your wedding?  A wedding day can be anything from 8 hours to 16 hours.   Make sure you are aware how many hours are covered and how much additional hours will cost, or find a photographer who offers Unlimited Coverage.

2.     Albums – is there a range of albums to display your images?  How many “spreads” are included in the quoted price, and how much are additional spreads?

3.    Personality – Do you have a sense of the photographers personality through their website?  Are they a fresh and fun wedding photographer, or staid and corporate?

4.    Blog – Does the photographer have a photography blog, and is it regularly updated?  A busy blog means the photographer is also busy.  It gives a great insight into their personality and can help you decide if this is the kind of person you would like at your wedding.  A photographer who updates their blog regularly is one who is excited about their work, and gives you an opportunity to see their very latest images.

5.    Similarity – can you see yourself in the images on the photographers website?  Are you similar to the couples he or she regularly shoots?  If the couples look like models and not “real” people then chances are the images are of models hired in or from training courses.  As the photographer directly if the images are from real weddings or pre-wedding shoots.

Follow this advice and you should have a short-list of photographers you can arrange to meet and see their work.  At this stage you need to check the quality of their albums matches the claims on their website and that their personality is one you feel comfortable with.  You will be spending a lot of time with your wedding photographer so it is vital you get on with them!

Advice for Choosing the Perfect Wedding Veil by Ann Guise Silk Veils

1. A Wedding veil can transform the simplest dress into a stunning Bridal outfit.

2. If you are having a Wedding veil then you need to consider its colour, style, length, number of tiers and the material which it’s made from.

3. Try lots of different styles and lengths of Wedding veil in different fabrics to find the one that best compliments your outfit.

4. Don’t have a heavily patterned Wedding veil with a very ornate dress as one will ‘fight’ with the other.

5. Don’t have a Wedding veil that cuts across detail at the back of the dress. Let the Wedding veil finish below the decoration. Silk tulle is sheer enough to allow decoration to show through.

6. If you are petite, don’t have a veil that swamps you such as a high bouffant veil. It will only make you look smaller

7. Think of adding colour, eg. embroidery to the veil to link in with your bridesmaids and/or bouquet.

8. Remember the Wedding veil is part of the Bridal outfit, not something that is ‘plonked’ on your head as an after thought.

9. If practical, don’t forget to take your veil with you when you have your hair trial.

10. If you are nervous of pressing your veil, ask the store where you bought it if they will steam it a couple of days before the wedding. You can transport it home covered in a pillow case or duvet cover depending on its length.

11. Don’t wear something because you think you should, wear what YOU want.

12. Don’t make a decision about whether to wear a Wedding veil or not until you have tried some on with your dress. A long veil can create a wonderful ‘aura’ around you.

13. Don’t forget you can have a veil made to measure just as you can a dress. You can have the exact length and decoration that YOU want.

14. Your guests should say ‘YOU look stunning’ not ‘your outfit looks stunning’.

15. You only wear a Wedding veil once so make the most of it and enjoy it!!

To find out more about the silk veils Ann designs and creates by hand please see Ann Guise Silk Veils

Copyright Ann Guise 2004 www.annguise.com

Colour trends for 2009 by Poppy Stationery

Seasonal catwalk trends and colour schemes in our homes usually set the trend for forthcoming wedding colour schemes.

The colour you decide on for your wedding scheme will reflect in most elements of your wedding plans – starting with your wedding stationery.

Colours to consider:

• Tropical – think bright turquoise, bright orange, hot pink!

• Popular spring/summer colours – aqua, champagne, platinum, rose.

• Popular autumn/winter colours – fuchsia, purple, turquoise, lilac.

• Contemporary shades such as chocolate (think Cocoa, French roast), natural shades (think Willow, Tusk, Ecru) and black and white will continue to be popular in 2009.

Our stationery range offers over 150 colours and patterns to choose from so the possibilities are endless!

With fabulous names such as Geisha, Belize, Azalea, Wisteria, Sapphire, Zen and Wicked it is easy to get inspired!

Material choices include beautiful metallic card, contemporary matt card, linen effect card, leather effect card and much more!

To speak to Poppy Stationery about your own stationery requirements or for further inspiration please see http://www.poppystationery.co.uk