Today we’re adding five new pieces including a heart pendant necklace, heart studs for little girls, and a gorgeous faith, hope and charity bracelet for bridesmaids to wear as they accompany you down the church aisle. What better way to say thank you than with a beautiful and quality piece that they will want to wear again and again?

Silver Bridesmaids Bracelet

All of the new items have been hand made from Sterling silver chain, charms and clasps with the Sterling Silver quality mark stamped on every piece so you can be assured as always, of the best from Radiance Boutique.

These items also come in their own very cute packaging of dinky boxes with gingham ribbon ready to give to those eager little bridesmaids!

If you still can’t see what you’re looking for then do drop us a line. We might be able to help if you’re looking for something in particular and we’re happy to chat about bespoke orders for your bridesmaids so that you can get it just right for everyone whose sharing in your big day.

Brides who like the designs available at http://www.radianceboutique.co.uk will love the new service if they want to vary any of the designs seen online or have something special created from scratch. Whether you have an idea in mind already for your jewellery commission or you’re looking for guidance and ideas to start you off, we can help. And as with our online experience, friendly service and respectable prices come as standard!

Hair accessories, tiaras, necklaces, bracelets and earrings are all available. Initial consultations in Greenwich, South East London are informal and with no obligation -a deposit is only taken once you decide to place an order. We would love to hear from you and learn more about your wedding planning so email jen@radianceboutique.co.uk or call 020 7193 9599 for your appointment now!

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/

Crystal and Pearl Wedding Earrings

Pearl and Crystal Wedding Necklace

Romantic collection Pearl Wedding Necklace

But it’s not only this style of necklace but also our Romantic pearl necklace which is being snapped up.

Our bestselling pearl bracelet is still going strong, as is the variation on it’s design, our Romantic collection pearl bracelet featuring different sizes and shapes of pearls.

Yet it looks like come summer we may be handing our latest wedding necklaces the crown! Find your own favourite wedding accessory at http://www.radianceboutique.co.uk

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!

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

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

Pearl Stud Earrings

Add our beautiful pearl hair pins to an updo

Pearl Hair Pins

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

Pearl Hair Comb

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

Pearl Hair Grips

Swap studs for gorgeous drops if you’re feeling glam

Pearl Earrings

Or the matching pendant necklace if your neck feels bare

Pearl Pendant Necklace

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

Modern Pearl Pendant Necklace

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

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!

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.