Archive for February, 2010

Wedding Day Makeup Tips

February 28th, 2010 No Comments
rule

Today is the last in our series of makeup treats and great makeup recommendations.  They say the eyes are a mirror to your soul, they certainly need to look good on your wedding day. I am afraid that Mascara and lipstick are a permanent fixture for me. I wanted them perfect for my wedding day.  Check out Claire’s top tips below.

Eyeshadow

For long lasting eye colour start by applying a colour-free lid foundation or oil free concealer, being careful not to apply too much, or else it will crease. Dab loose powder around your lashes and on the cheekbones so you can brush away any eye shadow that falls from your lids as you apply it, if the colours you are using are of neutral tones. (If you are applying stronger shades with a deeper pigment, try applying the eye shadow first, then clean up any specks that have fallen under the eyes and then apply your base etc). Apply a little light reflecting powder to the eye sockets near the nose to open up your eyes.

Now you can apply your colour starting with a natural shade on the lid. Build up and out using slightly deeper shades finishing with the darkest shade at the outer edge of the eye socket, or in the socket and blended to create the illusion of larger eyes. The secret is to build up the colour gradually and blend as you go, for long lasting makeup.

MAC – Pearlematte Eye Shadow, Mineralize Eye Shadow

All shades and deep pigment.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres

Mystic Eyes, Smokey Eyes more shades available. Wonderful quad of colours in Chanel’s signature packaging, perfection!

Aveda Petal Essence

Single eye shadow in a pretty delicate shade, suits all skin tones, nice as highlighters too.

Bourjois Little Round Pot

Amazing quality, and excellent range of colours.

E.L.F Duo Eyeshadow

Two complimentary shades, a great choice of colours, excellent durability.

Mascara

For a fuller lash take the brush to the base of the roots and wiggle from side to side as you slowly run the mascara wand through the lashes to the ends. For a more natural look, take the mascara wand and remove excess with a tissue and pply to lashes but not from the base but just from half way.

Aveda Mosscara

Thickening mascara, doesn’t clump, great brush, doesn’t dry out easily.

YSL Faux Cils

For the false eyelash look, if you want to build up a set of lashes to flutter this is the mascara for you. Apply a waterproof top coat though for your wedding day.

E.L.F Earth and Water Mascara Duo

Excellent value, this regular or waterproof mascara is long lasting and smudge proof, ideal factors for your wedding day makeup bag!

Well how do you all look, I hope your weekend has been fabulous. If you are planning on doing your own makeup then I hope this has helped. If you want more advice then why not check out Claire’s blog site. or email to ask her a question.

Until next time, happy planning.


Wedding Day Makeup Tips

February 27th, 2010 2 Comments
rule

Today our makeup tips from Claire are all about having a fabulously healthy glow and luscious lips.

Bronzer

For a healthy glow apply a little bronzer on the forehead, nose and chin. Use sparingly to avoid a shine. A cream bronzer can work really well on dry skin, blended again with a brush, adding a little at a time.

Claire’s Top Recommendations

Bobbie Brown Bronzing Powder

Various shades, in a great silky smooth compact powder in lots of shades, also great used on the eyes for an overall sun kissed look.

Lilly Lolo Bronzers Loose Powder

Fabulous mineral makeup range in four wearable and versatile shades, great on eyes also!

E.L.F Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder

A touch of sunshine, this lovely soft and easy to blend bronzer is value for money and easy to pop into your bag.

Cheeks

Use a large brush to apply to your cheeks, temples and forehead. To create contours apply a little lighter shade to the top of the cheek bones, blending out. On the apple of the cheeks, using a smaller softer rounded brush, apply either a sheer colour to give a feeling of light reflecting properties, or a soft pink to give a healthy pinched cheek look, very pretty for your wedding day.

Nars – Orgasm

Made wih transparent pigmens that never look heavy for a soft and sheer look, a faourite wih all my clients. It look stunning on my brides just on the apple of the cheek.

Nars Highlighting Blush Powder

Had to add another of my favourites from Nars, its essential for adding sheen to any part of your face,makes a great highlighter above cheek bones and over the eyes.

MAC Powder Blush

Amazing pigment, and an array of shades and tones to suit everyone. A favourite of mine. Great as eye shadow too.

Now ladies they see how we get those fabulous eyes to mesmerise our gorgeous husbands to be.

Lips

Line your lips with a dab of foundation to help fix your lip colour or apply a lip plump. Then apply a lip liner in a shade that’s similar to your natural lip colour. Don’t use a lip liner if you’re wearing a nude gloss or sheen. finally apply your lipstick using a lip brush.

Benefit Lip Plump

Great for a base for lipsticks, also gives them a little plumpness.

Avon Glazewear Intense Lipgloss

Medium full coverage that doesn’t bleed or feather and there is a great range of colours.

MAC Lipstick

My favouries are: Hug Me, On Hold and Sweetie. Great with MAC Lipgloss over the top for the ultra sexy lips, apply the gloss after the ceremony for your pictures.

Two complimentary shades, a great choice of colours, excellent durability.

Well another fantastic lesson, I am so glad I am having my husband to myself all weekend. He is going to be blown away with my transformation.

Until Tomorrow, happy planning.


Wedding Day MakeUp Tips

February 26th, 2010 No Comments
rule

I love makeup and this week we have got a really excellent guest featuring on our blog. Claire Hanson is a leading Makeup & Hair artist with over 15 years experience, she has worked with people such as Lionel Richie and Jon Bon Jovi and featured in leading magazines such as Marie Claire and Elle.

If you have a copy of The Wedding Bible you will have seen her work in there too. She has now bought this passion and knowledge to my pages here…..  Over the next three days we will be offering the very best advice on all things makeup.  Today its all about Foundation and those dark circles we sometimes get, especially when wedding planning attacks in the middle of the night! So if you are thinking about doing your own wedding makeup read on.

Foundation

Foundation can be a mine field…. The right colour of foundation will blend well and you won’t notice at the jaw line. Remember, foundation shades often changes once on the face so always ask for a trial at the sales counter, and ask if you can, to apply it yourself. This way you’ll know how it feels to apply and to blend. Then leave it for a while before buying to see how it wears. Some makeup houses will give you a small sample to try at home. Always look at yourself in natural daylight too – the department store lights aren’t the most flattering. Ideally try and leave the jaw line area clear if your skin is OK, including the cheek area. This is the area of the face that you notice first and if the cheeks have too much base, it will show the added makeup such as blusher or bronzer much more. The aim is to create a flawless base in which to highlight and add contours so keep your skin as fresh as you can. Add a liquid sheen to the foundation if you want the dewy look, or if you are prone to dry skin. Buff the base after with a Kabuki brush in circular motions to blend and remove excess foundation. If you don’t like wearing foundation mix a little with your moisturiser to create a slightly heavier more durable tint. Warm it on the back of your hand before applying it and don’t apply it to thick or all at once or it can look streaky.

Claire’s recommended Products

Mac Strobe Cream –

Great product for a dewy base is mix with base, or apply alone to freshly cleansed skin.

Narrs – Sheer Glow Foundation

Used on many of my clients for an exquisite coverage, not too heavy, and giving a healthy appearance, the skin looks alive.

Avon Ideal Shade Fresh and Light Foundation

Brush on liquid foundation with light adjusting pigments.

Circles

It can actually be the vein in the inner corner of the eye that gives the impression of darkness. This applies also to the outer corners, where once a small dab of concealer is applied can take years off your eyes. Try this first before applying it under the eye area. Light reflecting powder is also excellent for reducing darkness. Apply with a brush sweeping it just beneath the eye.

Sante Natural Concealer Pencils

Are amazing, natural and totally free of parabens and synthetics.

Disappear Smoothing cream concealer

By Estee Lauder is an all time favourite of mine.

Secret Camouflage by Laura Mercier

Another all time essential in my kit – covers everything!

D’un Coup De Pinceau by Borjois

Excellent at covering blemishes and has a handy brush applicator.

Well ladies I am off to practice. Tomorrow its all about getting that lovely glow and those fabulous lips! Don’t miss it.

Until tomorrow, happy planning.

Creative Wedding Photographer – Featured Supplier

February 19th, 2010 No Comments
rule

I was so excited to meet Steve Gerrard last week at his studio in The Custard Factory, Birmingham. His style of photography is really refreshing and edgy. You can see from this picture straight away what I mean. Steve is also a thoroughly nice man and very easy to be with, I can’t wait to work with him.

We chatted about how he became a photographer and I asked him how his style and technique is different from that of many of his contemporaries, and what advice he could give newly engaged couples looking for a photographer. I think its much better if you read what he has to say for himself in his own words.

Hi Folks, this is Steve Gerrard. I’m a wedding photographer based in the Midands but I travel all over the UK and beyond to shoot weddings and I love my job. We’re not your typical wedding photographers. We hate cheesy, forced pictures. We love couples who want to have fun and are after something different with their wedding photography. We’re on a mission to make wedding photography cool again!

Our style is a mixture of styles. We’ll capture those candid shots of your mates laughing, your parents getting emotional and, of course, the first kiss. We also want to show off that dress and the cool suit and create the best pictures of yourselves you’ve ever seen!

Everyone has different tastes and wedding photographers vary massively in stye and approach and also what you get for your money, so we recommend taking time to browse lot of sites until you find something that excites you and suits your own style. Meeting the photographer is a huge benefit too. After all, this person will be with you on your wedding day. You want to get on with them and enjoy having them around.

You should also check how long your photographer will be there on the day. We think its important to cover the day in full so don’t limit our time at all. We’re often still there at midnight!

You may even find your venue won’t allow any photography during the service. This happens all too often and is a real shame in our opinion. Don’t find this out on the day. Check beforehand.

We want our couples to have the best of everything which is why we only use Queensberry wedding albums as well as using the finest printers and craftsmen for all our products. It means we’re not the cheapest photographers in town but our clients tend to see their photography as something extremely important and appreciate our attention to detail and quality. After all, once the main event is over, the flowers are dead and the cake is eaten, your photographs are all that remains. Imagine showing your album to your children in ten years time….

There are plenty of great photographers out there. There are also some terrible ones! Find the photographer which suits you best.

As a Wedding Planner I have to say that photographs are one of the most important things for me when brides ask for advice on what to spend their budget on. Once the day is over your photographs last a life time and you can relive your memories over and over again as you turn each wonderful page of your album. I would really recommend the best photographer that you can afford to capture your day. I hope you love these pictures as much as me. It makes me want to go and get married all over again.

Until next time, happy planning.

Wedding Cake Heaven – Featured Suppliers

February 17th, 2010 1 Comment
rule

Even in today’s modern weddings where traditions are sometimes thrown to the wind, the Wedding Cake is still one of the most important symbols in a couples special day. A few weeks ago I met the lovely Pauline and Julie, mother and daughter team, from Cakeydora. Their cakes are to die for and so beautiful! We love it when we find local suppliers who we can really recommend and these ladies certainly fit the bill. I asked Julie how they started their business and if she could give us her pearls of wisdom on how to choose and budget for your wedding cake.

Cakeydora How it all began!

After years of making cakes for her own children Pauline gained cake orders through word of mouth. As the orders came flooding in Julie helped out and gained knowledge passed on from her Mum. This in turn led to Cakeydora being born.  The name Cakeydora is the name my Mum was christened by my Dad due to her always being in the kitchen beavering away on cakes, so it seemed like the natural choice when choosing the name of our Business!

At Cakeydora we are passionate about baking and design. We are always developing new designs and recipe ideas to make our cakes stand out and taste fantastic. Along with your cakes we also provide Wedding favours in the form of cookies and cupcakes. These can be personalised with an edible message or photograph, our gingerbread men and ladies are a firm favourite as well as our more recent “Hollywood icons” cookies! Cakeydora has featured within several publications including “Your West Midlands Wedding” magazine and counts one of the leading High Street names within the UK as their clients.

 

Cakeydora’s Top Tips for Choosing your Wedding Cake

How many guests have you got attending?

This will determine the size of the cake you will need. Make sure this is enough for all your guests. If you decided to cut the cake at the reception so that your evening guests can see your cake prior to it being cut, then you will to take into account the extra guests. Equally, you don’t want too much left over that may go to waste.

Set A Budget

The price of your cake will naturally depend on the size, type (flavour) and number of tiers and the complexity of the design and decoration. If you opt for a large cake with a lot of detail, you will be pay considerably more than a less extravagent design.

Consultation Service

Find out if your chosen baker is willing to arrange a consultation meeting with you. This will enable you to run through your ideas and also taste samples of possible cake flavours, yum!

Cake Type

You want your cake to look amazing but you also want it to taste amazing! It’s worth considering the following when choosing the cake flavour(s)

  • When will you be serving the cake?
  • If serving as dessert will the cake go with cream/fruit?
  • Do you have children attending?
  • Do you want to keep a tier for after the wedding? If so this would obviously need to be fruitcake.

Decoration and Design

Your baker should be able to guide you through the design process and give advice on choosing decorations and colours that work with your theme. Your cake should reflect the overall feel of the day: pick and choose elements that will compliment each other.

Be Prepared

When visiting the baker it’s a good idea to take along photographs and designs of the the type of cake you would like. i.e. shape, colour, display options. This will be a great starting point for your baker and will also save time.

Colour Swatches

Providing your baker with colour swatches is a great way for your baker to make sure you cake will match up with your theme, where colours can not always be matched 100% it will be possible for them to blend and compliment each other.

Display

Decide how you wish your cake to be displayed i.e stacked, on pillars or on a stand? If your cake will require a stand ask the baker if they can provide one for you to hire for the day.

Delivery/Setup

Does your baker provide a delivery service/set up service? If so is there a charge?

Time

Don’t leave ordering your cake at the bottom of your “to do list”. Good bakers are often booked well in advance so to avoid disappointment book early!

Well thanks Julie for great advice. If you are on a strict budget consider serving your cake as a dessert, or let your guests take a piece home as a favour. Your venue or wedding planner will be able to sort that out for you. I hope you liked today’s blog it has certainly made my mouth water. Julie and Pauline will be showing their cakes in Birmingham at Debenhams wedding fair this weekend. Go along for a taste and chat.

Until next time, happy planning.

Wedding Genie Loves Hearts!

February 14th, 2010
rule

Today I just have to take the opportunity to talk “Hearts”, well it is Valentines weekend. I just love them, my own wedding featured them everywhere. Here are a few for you to love yourself. They are all reasonable to buy and would look great at country weddings, and Vintage themes too. Since Vintage is part of the 2010 wedding trends how can you resist?

This gorgeous zinc heart shaped basket would look stunning filled with simple flowers dotted around your venue.

How about these cute hearts! Brighten up an area in your venue or tie them in trees or drape on bushes that lead the way to your reception.There are so many variations on the theme buy them from Giddy Kipper.

How about Hearts you can leave messages on around your venue?

Decorative Country Living

And how about ones you can eat!!! I love this idea for a wedding reception

Cox and Cox

Finally, I “heart” this one for the bride and groom, maybe tie to the backs of their chairs at the reception.

Giddy Kipper

Well thats my indulgence for Valentines, now I am off to go and share the day with my gorgeous husband. Have a fabulous Sunday. Don’t forget our Valentines Day offer. A Genie for An Evening for everyone when booked before the end of March. Call or Contact us to check our availability.

Until next time, happy planning.

Wedding Trends for 2010

February 12th, 2010 No Comments
rule

This year will see more Eco Friendly weddings. Quite right too, we really should aim to be as green as possible. You can incorporate this into your wedding day in the form of recycled stationery, reusable centre pieces, perhaps potted plants or herbs. This is a lovely idea and your guests can take them home at the end of the evening. Organic foods is another way and sourcing food locally is a great idea. A web site you can try which specialises in this area is Eco Weddings.

Intimate and Homely

We will see smaller more intimate weddings. At the moment the financial climate  is focusing many couples attention on their budget. One of the best ways to cut your costs is to reduce the number of people you invite to the wedding. Its not just the food, an extra 10 people means, more invites, more centre pieces, favours etc. the cost goes up considerably. Couples will be more discerning who they invite, of course this means that your very best friends and close relatives will be present to share you special day and will prove for a very special and intimate atmosphere. We may very well see more weddings being held at home, perhaps having a Marquee in the garden. As we said yesterday DIY weddings are on the up and this is the perfect example.

Wedding Colours

According to my research the very popular chocolate colour we have seen over the last few years is out and bold vibrant colours are a hot trend for 2010, orange, purple, pink, gold and turquoise are hot to trot. The theme is monochromatic with various shades of the same colour.

Well now you know whats hot for 2010. But a word of caution we still advocate that you think about what you really want and whilst you want to be on trend don’t let the pressures of the wedding industry push you into spending more than you want to. As we always say Prioritise! Prioritise! Prioritise! If you want some help to keep you on track why not give us a call. We guarantee to give you the best advice and inspiration!! to help plan the wedding you want and not what trend dictates.

Until next time, happy planning.

Wedding Trends for 2010

February 11th, 2010 No Comments
rule

This year will see brides indulging in DIY decor for their venue. Everyone wants their wedding to be unique and to reflect their style and personality. Not only can it be a lot less expensive than hiring someone esle to do it, but you can certainly put your stamp all over your big day. We are certainly fans of that at The Wedding Genie.

I love this idea of making paper pom poms of various sizes to add a touch of uniqueness to your wedding reception. In fact one of our lovely brides is going to  use beautiful paper garlands to make her wedding venue come to life.

Check out the pictures below to see how gorgeous this can look. For instructions on how to make the pom poms click here.

How pretty is this?

This is so fresh and striking. Very suitable for barn venues as well as marquee weddings.

The Lovely Martha Stewart

Until tomorrow, happy planning.


Wedding Trends for 2010

February 10th, 2010 No Comments
rule

Our blog over the next few days is all about what is hot in the world of weddings for 2010. Part of my role is to keep up to date on wedding trends so I can offer the most current advice and inspiration.

It would appear that despite the credit crunch many couples are still determined to carry on with their wedding plans. We may be adapting for the financial climate but it seems we are doing it with style and panache.

Here are some of our favourite trends this year

Lets Go Bridal

Short wedding dresses are very on trend at the moment especially ones with 1950′s inspired looks. It seems brides are opting for dresses with sleeves and straps. Although strapless dresses will never go out of fashion, of course, there may be more demand for the latter in 2010. Birdcage veils are the accessory of choice adorned with jewelled clips or feathered headpieces. For todays modern brides they are less fussy and easy to wear. They also bring that touch of glamour to the event.

This is from Etsy -


Bridesmaids

More and more brides are allowing their bridesmaids to choose their own dresses instead of dictating style and fabric. Multi colour dresses and different styles will be popular this year. High street shops such as Monsoon and Coast are great places for bridesmaid shopping. I also love the dresses from Dessy, they are fabulous and their colour range is incredible. As we strive to be practical and stylish at The Wedding Genie we love the idea that these dresses can be worn again and not pushed to the back of the wardrobe once the wedding is over.


Check back tomorrow to see what else will be on trend in 2010.

Until next time, happy planning.




Valentines Wedding Special Offer

February 8th, 2010 No Comments
rule

If you are looking forward to Valentines day because you have a sneaky feeling your gorgeous partner may pop the question. Then this offer may be just what you need to start your celebrations.

A Genie for An Evening Service £100 instead of £125

Kick start your wedding plans, spend an evening in your home with a Professional Wedding Planner. Its fun and we guarantee to give you the help, confidence and knowledge that you need to start planning your own wedding. Share the evening with your friends, partner, your Mum, or all of you. Its informal, informative and most of all focus’s on what you want for your wedding. We will send you a brief questionnaire designed to get to know you a little. That way we can spend the whole evening talking about your wedding, what you want and how to go about planning one of the most important days of your life.

All the main wedding topics are discussed, we will give you tips, advice and plenty of inspiration. You will even receive a written summary of our discussions with a “To Do List” to use a “Road Map” for your wedding planning.

Booking before the end of March 2010 will ensure you receive the special discounted price. Call or contact us for our availability.

Until next time, happy planning.