Archive for May, 2011

VOWS (Visualise Our Wedding Secrets) welcomes Sarah Jagger, acclaimed make up artist to the fold

Monday, May 30th, 2011
 
 
We are really pleased to announce that Sarah Jagger has joined the VOWS team and we look forward to welcoming her and sharing all her top tips with you over the forthcoming months.
 
 
Here is a short biography of who Sarah is:
 
Sarah Jagger's background is extensive. She is known to be a respected and trusted professional makeup artist, a semi permanent makeup specialist and author of Magic Make-up Tips and Techniques, which contains her secrets to long-lasting, achievable beauty and comes with a DVD containing fifty 'one minute beauty tips', making a flawless complexion or dramatic eye make-up achievable in record time.
 
When Sarah isn't behind the camera, she can be found 'dishing the dirt' on the latest beauty products on TV, Radio, the Internet and in magazines. Sarah is a makeup expert on British breakfast show GMTV and you can see her makeup tips here. As a make-up expert for www.boots.com, Sarah demonstrates make-up application in online videos.
 
At Beautyzone TV, she is the resident Beauty Expert and the show's main presenter, discussing everything from make-up and hair to fashion and cosmetic surgery. On The Baby Channel, Sarah hosts 'Mummy Makeover' and together with the team at Toni & Guy, gives tired mums a brand new image. As a beauty expert, she is a regular guest speaker at The Vitality Show and a beauty spokesperson at BBC London.
 
Sarah has been a makeup artist on countless advertising and editorial shoots, television commercials (working with clients such as Disney, Mtv, Warehouse and Tesco's), as well as a popular choice for the music industry. Jagger writes for many style and beauty glossy magazines and is incredibly adept at making celebrities glitter and mere mortals look fantastic, on and off the red carpet.

Lynn Crean gives Cinderella tips on the slippers for OK Magazine Royal Wedding Edition

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

 

Chelsea Bidwill of Beyond Weddings and Lynn Crean of The London Wedding Dress Finder shared their tips with Cinderella for an advertisement for the new DVD in OK Magazines 'Special Royal Wedding Edition' on shoes.

I am sure you will agree that Kate looked stunning throughout the day.

 

Here is what they had to say:

 

CREATE YOUR PERFECT WEDDING WITH FAIRYTALE SLIPPERS

Relive A Magic Moment With A Limited Royal Edition Cinderella DVD

Once you’ve found your Prince Charming and are planning your big day, one of the most important decisions is finding the perfect fairytale slippers.

Cinderella slipped her delicate feet into those famous glass stilettos, which fitted her like a glove, but Chelsea Bidwill from Beyond Weddings says ‘you may need to search further to find your perfect footwear.’

Wedding dress finder Lynn Crean also specialises in discovering the heels to match the gown and has plenty of tips to make your shoes shine.

‘Ideally your dress hemline should float above the floor and not on it – this means the very tips of your shoes should be seen when you walk.

‘Going for a design look with a brightly coloured sole always attracts attention but it is important that they are in the same colour family as the gown – although it’s not essential to be a perfect match.’

The wedding outfit expert is adamant that comfort, elegance and simplicity is paramount to the bride’s confidence and Chelsea Bidwill recommends staying away from skyscraper heels over 9cm to avoid a catastrophe.

‘Couture shoe makers will educate and support your physique and gait to create a pair of shoes that even Cinderella would not leave behind! I always encourage my brides to investigate this as an investment not just in their wedding day but in themselves’, she says.
 

Wedding Planner Sarah Ducker plays Fairy Godmother for Cinderella in OK Magazine

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

 

Founder of VOWS, Chelsea Bidwill of Beyond Weddings and fellow colleague, Wedding Planner Sarah Ducker gave their tips to Cinderella as the Fairy Godmother.

 

 

Here is what they had to say:

 

CREATE YOUR PERFECT WEDDING WITH THE REAL FAIRY GODMOTHERS

Relive A Magic Moment With A Limited Royal Edition Cinderella DVD

Cinderella had her Fairy Godmother to organise the nitty gritty of her wedding day but the rest of us have to hire wedding planners for such help.

Chelsea Bidwill from Beyond Weddings says ‘brides-to-be can surf the net, ask for friends’ recommendations or look on bridal blogs to find the perfect wedding planner to create their fairy tale wedding.’

Wedding planner Sarah Ducker, says: ‘Brides don’t always require ‘full planning services’ but a helping hand by someone who is not biased and that they can confide in and trust is worth its weight in gold.’

‘A wedding planner doesn’t take over but relieves the stress and it should be a joint partnership between the bride and the groom – even though Prince Charming didn’t seem too involved in his big day with Cinderella.’

Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother was able to just shake her magic wand to create the spectacular wedding but the real wedding planners work much harder to organise the behind the scenes magic.

And some of Sarah’s transport ideas to compete with Cinderella’s impressive horse and cart entrance are: ‘arriving in a real vintage car, a speedboat or row boat if your venue is by a river, a hot air balloon or a helicopter.’

But when it comes to your budget, Sarah says: ‘Know your budget when you start planning, as you don’t want to start life off in debt.’
 

And, I think you will agree that the Royal Wedding was perfectly orgastrated and I am pleased to see that my suggestion of a vintage car featured in the day as the going away car and then you also had the helicopter to disappear for the honeymoon or should I say the 'mini-moon'.

Andrew Prince gives tips to Cinderalla for OK Magazines Royal Wedding Special

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

 

Chelsea Bidwill of Beyond Wedddings and Andrew Prince shared with Cinderalla tips on the jewels for the 'special' day and didn't they get it right about the beautiful tiara.

Here is what they had to say:

 

CREATE YOUR PERFECT WEDDING WITH FAIRYTALE JEWELS

Relive A Magic Moment With A Limited Royal Edition Cinderella DVD

The most opulent part of a princess bride is her jewellery and luckily tiaras aren’t reserved for only royalty anymore.

Cinderella accompanied her veil with a bejewelled tiara and Chelsea Bidwill from Beyond Weddings says ‘there’s no better way to frame the face and make the bride appear more graceful than a headpiece.’

Fine costume jeweller Andrew Prince has devoted his career to such accessories and his loyal clientele include royalty and stars on stage and on screen.

Mr Prince says: ‘Tiaras are without a doubt the most beautiful, the most romantic and the most feminine of jewels – why do you think princesses still wear them?’

‘Wedding tiaras are often of a floral design as each flower can symbolise a different meaning.

‘Rose for the pleasure and pain of love, forget-me-nots for true love, daisies for innocence, convolvulus for binding love and wheat for plenty and fertility.

‘Wearing a tiara on your wedding day is really the crowning glory of the whole ensemble and often the most fun bit! The jewels are the luxurious part and often much more personal,’ he says.

And he refers to Cinderella’s style of tiara as the perfect example of how a classic regal headpiece can add that extra sparkle to your special day.
 

Lynn Crean gives tips to Cinderella on her Wedding Gown for OK Magazine

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

 

Lynn Crean, The London Wedding Dress Finder and Chelsea Bidwill of Beyond Weddings offered tips to Cinderella for her Wedding Gown for OK Magazines 'Special Royal Wedding Edition'.

Well what can you say her wedding dress was simply gorgeous.

 

 

Here is what they shared:

 

CREATE YOUR PERFECT WEDDING WITH A FAIRYTALE GOWN

Relive A Magic Moment With A Limited Royal Edition Cinderella DVD

Making your wedding your very own fairytale is what most girls dream about from childhood.

The vision of Cinderella walking down the aisle in her pristine white dress to meet her Prince Charming is a common fantasy that brides want to emulate with their own Fairy Godmother.

And when it comes to choosing the right gown, Chelsea Bidwill from Beyond Weddings explains ‘there’s no better person to recreate that Cinderella look than your own personal wedding dress finder.’

Wedding gown finder Lynn Crean is the Fairy Godmother of bridal wear and dedicates her time to finding the perfect dress that suits each bride’s body shape and personality – so you’ll look and feel like a princess on your wedding day.

Lynn says: ‘The dress designer will work with the bride’s vision and start by sketching up options to slowly make her fairytale dream a reality.

‘For the princess bride who is looking to shine forth, I would always recommend couture.’

And the personal gown finder says the Fairy Godmother did a wonderful job with Cinderella but comments that you don’t have to stick with classic white, like she did, to look like a princess.

She says: ‘Very buttery and lemony ivories tend to suite fair headed brides as they add a beautiful gold tone which is warming on the complexion.

‘But darker haired brides look better with brighter/bluer toned creams or a deep creamy ivory.

‘Lace, slipper satin and embellishment work add shade and depth which can be used to accentuate body features, which Cinderella did with her bodice.’
 

Nicola Hall of Hall of Cakes talks about the infamous Wedding Cake for the Royal Wedding

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

I am sure that anybody reading this blog would have already seen the images of the stunning wedding cake created by Fiona Cairns for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

 

I was absolutely trilled to see that Catherine had chosen something so beautiful and thankfully(!) so unlike the previous styles of Royal Wedding Cakes.
 

The piping detail and sugar flowers are exquisite and as a fellow cake designer and maker I know the many many hours that would have been put into each and every tier. However, I am not sure I can imagine the level of stress! Every wedding we do at Hall of Cakes is a challenge and each has its own stresses – in the transportation more than anything! I wasn't surprised to learn that Ms Cairns spent two days at the Palace assembling the cake prior to the wedding day.

After seeing the first glimpse of the cake, I was even more delighted that Hall of Cakes seem to be bang 'en vouge'. You will see from these images here that the piping detail on one of the Royal tiers is almost identical to that of the detail on our design 'Victorian Grandeur'.

‘Victorian Grandeur’ cake

A further delight was learning that Ms Cairns had reflected some of the architectural detail of The Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace. At Hall of Cakes we pride ourselves on design, service and detail and prior to producing wedding cakes we very often visit the venue with the client to take pictures of the architectural detail of the wedding breakfast room. This was certainly true of our 'Spring at the Dorchester' design, where the two of the tiers reflected the 'egg and dart' detail in the panelling of the Orchid Room at the Dorchester.
 

Polly Atkinson is the Art Editor at Condenast BRIDES. A few months ago she said to me that she has not seen for a long long time a new cake designer replicating the traditional styles of the Victorian wedding cake. She urged me to continue this forte and to carry on creating the Victorian classics. From seeing the Royal wedding cake I do feel very proud to have concentrated my talents in this area. Thanks Polly!

Visit our wedding gallery for more images of our traditional Victorian wedding Cakes.

Nicola x…