Different Styles Of Wedding Dresses

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Frostie

So you are trying to choose a wedding dress but there are so many styles to choose from, and so much jargon, I mean, what the hell is a trumpet? We decided to put together a visual reference guide to help you along the way. Let us know what your favourite is, we had so much fun writing this article and looking at endless pictures of wedding dresses. If you want help and advice planning your wedding then buy our editor, Catherine’s, wedding book, it is full of great advice and lots of tips. If you are off wedding dress shopping soon then also check out our editors experience of buying her wedding dress. Happy shopping!

Strapless Sweetheart Neckline Halterneck V-Neck

Plunge

One-Shoulder

Mermaid A-Line or Princess

Empire

Ballgown Trail / Train

Short

Trumpet

The trumpet silhouette is different to the mermaid as the skirt gradually flares about mid-thigh. It has a close-fitting bodice.

Backless Lace Back

Straps Sleeves

Cap Sleeves

Off-The-Shoulder / Boat Neck

What one will you choose? What is your favourite?

If you are planning your wedding then get your hands on The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity. It has great advice on every aspect of wedding planning and lots of great advice on choosing the perfect wedding dress.

Simple Flower Arranging: Step-By-Step Designs & Techniques Book Review

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Frostie

Although this is in the wedding section the book works well for every day and every occasion. Simple Flower Arranging: Step-By-Step Designs & Techniques by Mark Welford & Stephen Wicks is a money-saving book, but also one with hours of funfor the creative and people who love flowers. Written by ex-Royal Ballet dancers and the owners of the award-winning destination florist Bloomsbury Flowers in Covent Garden, Mark Welford & Stephen Wicks have written a book to let blooming florists make amazing arrangements.

The book guides you through designs and techniques. There are over 60 different projects and the book teaches you to bring the professional touch to your arrangements. There are a lot of insider tips and it is very easy to read and understand.

The book also lets you take things around the home and use them to create great arrangements. The getting started section leaves you with a lot of knowledge; going through colour palette, vases, flower shapes, foliage and basic equipment. There is also chapters on maintence and tips.

The pictures and illustrations in the book are not only beautiful, but also make it easy to follow, along with the step-by-step guide. This is a very good book which allows you to make beautiful arrangements for every occasion.

Simple Flower Arranging is available here

Choosing The Perfect Anniversary Present

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Frostie

If you have a wedding anniversary coming up and you’re at a loss as to what you could possibly get the special someone in your life to mark the occasion, help is here! There are loads of great ideas for wedding anniversary gifts online, but often they can seem too impersonal and generic. If you’re a bit of a romantic and prefer a personal gift, a box of chocolates or a bunch of flowers
can often feel just not good enough for your other half.

A great way to celebrate an anniversary is to look at wedding anniversary gifts by year. Each year of marriage has a theme associated with it, and buying a present to reflect that theme is the ideal way to narrow your options down a bit whilst still ensuring that the present you choose has some special significance for you and your partner.

For couples who have been married for one year, for instance, the theme is paper. This might at first seem like an odd thing to base a present on, but in fact there is plenty of scope for choice and imagination within each theme. So for paper, you could choose to put together an album of pictures from your honeymoon, or frame a particularly good picture of the two of you. If photos don’t float your boat then an alternative paper-themed gift could be some lovely stationery or, thinking outside the box a little bit, how about a year’s subscription to a magazine based on something your other half is really interested in?

Maybe you’ve been together a little bit longer, say fifteen years. In which case, your anniversary theme is crystal. This theme also has lots of scope for imagination and choice. For instance, you could choose crystal champagne glasses, a crystal faced watch or you could really go for it with a weekend skiing break for two!

Wedding Ideas | Make A Badge

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Frostie

Good weddings have fun, personalised details. These very cute and quirky badges work for weddings and the hen/bachelor party. The wedding badges are only £1 for the standard size, and £1.50 for the large one with free personalisation, they work to let people know who is who, and also as mementos of the day for bridesmaids and such. Great for those on a budget (which is pretty much everyone at the moment!) We think they are great. From Makeabadge.co.uk

What do you think?

How To Choose Jewellery Colours For Your Skin Tone | Weddings

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Frostie

Each person has their own individual and very unique colour palette and this consists of skin tone, hair colour, eye colour and even the time of year. But selecting that sought-after fabulous piece of jewellery can be overwhelming with such a vast range available. Whether you’re looking for a wedding gift, or want to rework a piece of jewellery you already have, here’s a guide to help:

Identify your skin tone using your wrist. Look at the inside of your wrist to see if your skin tone is cool or warm. Cool skin tones are identifiable by bluish coloured veins, their eye colour is most likely to be blue or brown.

Warm skin tones are identifiable by greenish coloured veins., hair colour having a red or auburn, strawberry tones.

How do you choose between gold and silver for your skin tone?

There is no steadfast rule on this; you really need to try both against your skin to test. What can make a difference is the finish on your jewellery – polished, satin, textured, oxidised (blackened silver).

A yellow gold ring with a polished finish might not suit you, but then the same ring with a satin finish might look amazing. So remember if you have a piece of jewellery already which you now are unsure of – it might just be the finish. Bentley & Co often change simple things like this for customers which can make a dramatic change for the better.

Can you wear a mix of colours together?

Yes you can definitely wear silver, and yellow gold jewellery together. If you are wearing pieces closely together then a satin finish to the gold can give it a wonderful look.

Can you add coloured stones and what colours suit people?

Skin tones are diverse and unique to each person; even family members who will have similar skin tones, might not suit the same stone colours. Here’s a rough guide to help:

Reds tend to suit autumn and winter tones more than spring and summer tones, but that doesn’t mean that the paler skin tones cannot wear red at all. It’s all down to the tone of red. Try testing a few shades of red against your skin to see if it’s right for you. You will know the moment you put it against your skin; a wrong shade will clash immediately and the right one will look like you were born to wear it.

Winter/deep tones

Winters should wear colours that are sharp, stark and clear. Deep blue sapphires, Ruby and Garnets in red and cerise pinks all go well with winter complexions. For lighter colours, wear icy tones rather than pastels e.g. White pearls, opals, diamonds, Emeralds, blue-green tourmalines and turquoise.

Summer/cool types look good in pale amethysts and pale blue topaz and should choose pastels and soft neutrals. Pale amethists, rose pink spinels, soft blue tourmalines, and Lemon beryl.

Warm tones suit golden undertones.

People with autumn or warm skin tones should select colours with golden undertones, Smokey quartz, amber, fire opal, warm yellow citrine.

Spring tones look best in wear warm orange-based colours like Scarlet red Ruby, garnet , fire opal, and coral. Lighter types should choose soft or pastel shades while clear types can wear more contrasting colours.

Managing MIL: You And Your Mother-in-Law – For Better, Or For Worse? Book Review

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Catherine Balavage

This book starts off with a joke: “My mother-in-law fell down a wishing well. I was amazed; I never knew they worked.” Les Dawson, this joke highlights that, traditionally, it is men that have problems with their mother-in-law. However there has been a rise in women clashing with theirs, and a number of my friends like to have a moan about their husbands mother. Marriage is hard, but even harder when there are three people in it.

Some of the real-life stories in this book are horrendous and shocking, and a few are nice. In fact the real-life stories are what I like most about the book. Learning about other peoples experience always make you feel less alone and helps to get through a rough spot. The best way to learn is from other people.

The book has rules and even suggests you start your own DIL (daughter-in-law) Club to unlock the secrets of a good mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship. Where you get a group of like-minded women together and all vent anger, or share experiences: good and bad.

This is a good book. A lot of the advice is common sense: be polite, decorum goes a long way, see things her way. The book is also intelligent enough to see things from the mother-in-laws view; sometimes she cannot do anything right. All in all I thought the book was great. There is also top advice from leading relationship experts.

The top tips for managing your mother-in-law are good and this is a helpful book. It takes the view of both the daughter-in-law and the mother-in-law to make it fair. Full of good advice and highly recommended.

Managing MIL: You and your Mother-in-Law – for better, or for worse? will be released by Peridot Press. You can buy it in e-book form or as a proper book.

Does your mother-in-law drive you to distraction? Are you a desperate daughter-in-law? Who is to blame? It’s hard to know when you’re stuck on the inside.

Journalist Katy Rink looks at the best and worst of this frequently tricky relationship and provides smart advice for keeping your cool, your sanity and your family intact.

How do you survive a weekend with the in-laws? Should you ever go on holiday together? How do you manage a new baby and MIL? What are the dangers of accepting that friend request on Facebook? These are just some of the tricky topics tackled.

The author calls upon the experiences of fellow daughters-in-law in her home town – at secretive get-togethers that came to be known as DIL Club – to illustrate the highs and lows of dealing with his mother.

There are plenty of anecdotes to amuse and entertain, including the DILs who received engine oil, chin hair removal cream and paper knickers as Christmas presents from their MILs; the MIL who provided itemised receipts for ice creams and charged for petrol; and the MIL who greeted news of a pregnancy with “I can’t believe you haven’t had her sterilised yet”.

You can also try and recognise your MIL from a cast of hilarious caricatures including The Apologist, The Snob, The Manipulator and The Social Climber.

But amid the horror stories there are heart-warming tales of when (and how) it all goes right, and when peace breaks out.

Hints And Tips On Choosing The Perfect Wedding Wines

Posted on December 14, 2013 by Frostie

There’s so much to think about when organising a wedding, but planning (and most importantly tasting) your wedding wines should be fun. So we’ve worked with Hattie’s Wines to bring you the top 10 tips for anyone thinking about wine for a wedding day.

1. Before you do anything else, work out what your venue will allow. Can you bring your own wines? Will they charge ‘corkage’ (a fee per bottle to let you bring your own)? Or do you have to choose from their wine list?

2. If you have to select from their list, make sure you ask to taste the wines that you’re thinking of choosing, ideally with the food you’re having, to check that you like them. If you’re struggling with the venue’s wine list, you can upload it to Hattie’s Wines for some free help, if you’d like.

3. If you can bring your own wines (yay!), the next step is to be clear on your budget, bearing in mind any corkage you might have to pay on top. On balance, while it’s great to splash out on some fabulous wines for such a special occasion, it’s also really important to make sure you don’t run out halfway through the meal, so if your budget is limited then consider some of the great value for money wines we’ve suggested below.

4. Next up, think about the food you’re having but also think about the people coming (younger crowd, trendy crowd, boozy crowd?!), the weather (if you can predict it!) and the time of day. Red wines can get quite heavy after a while, especially on a summer afternoon.

5. Most of us know the broad rule of thumb is to pair white wine with white meats and fish and red wine with red meat dishes. But like everything else you’re organising, this is your day, so do it your way. You might prefer to have a white wine with the starter and a red with the main, or both on the table at once for people to pour for themselves. In this instance, think about the weight of the wines and the foods – lighter wines with lighter foods and bigger wines with richer foods.

6. When you look for a wine supplier, make sure you’re able to get some good advice on what you’re buying – whoever you buy from should be happy to have a look at what you’re trying to achieve and help by advising you on the best wines for your needs and budget.

7. Don’t forget to consider the delivery options. It will probably be much easier for you if the wines are delivered direct a day or so in advance, then it’s one thing off your to-do list.

8. Get tough with your supplier, especially if you’re buying lots! Look into wine companies that can give you some kind of offer for a bulk purchase, e.g. free delivery or money off when you spend over a certain amount.

9. Don’t forget the bubbles! There are lots of times you may need to serve something sparkly, perhaps while guests are waiting for you to have your photos done and of course during the toasts. Splash out on Champagne if you can but if not don’t worry, there are some fantastic Proseccos and Cavas out there which will suit just as well.

10. And our final tip? Don’t worry about over-ordering – whatever you don’t drink can be taken home for you and your beloved to enjoy whilst perusing your wedding photos.

Some wedding wine suggestions from the Hattie’s wine list:

Aperitif / during photos:

Bach Extrisimo Semi-Seco Cava, £8.99. For those of you who don’t like their sparkling wines really, really dry, this will be music to your ears. It won’t make you suck your cheeks in (think lemon sherbets, or Victoria Beckham). Made in the Cava region, this is all apples, citrus and almonds in liquid form. A great alternative to Pimms.

White wines:

Clique Viognier, £8.99. This is a wine stuffed with gallons of juicy exotic fruits, from pineapple to grapefruit, but is still dry and highly drinkable. This is not the moment for British reserve – it’s time to kick off your shoes and dance like nobody’s watching. This is punchy, unabashed, unembarrassed joy. Oh and the label looks fab on the table!

Or splash out on Coulaudin Bussy Chablis Premier Cru, £14.99. A wonderfully fresh, lemony wine, but with real backbone. It’s ‘Premier Cru’ (more Marc Jacobs than Mark Owen) which means it’s even better quality than the average Chablis. This is the Chanel handbag of wine – a classic that accessorizes anything, and oozes style and sophistication – just like your big day.

Red wines:

Domaine d’Aumieres Merlot, £7.99. This little gem of a wine comes from a family that started making wine in this region over a century ago. So, they really know what they are doing. The beauty of this Merlot is in its simplicity – ripe, juicy and soft with baked plum fruit flavours. A definite crowd-pleaser!

Or splash out on Le Blason du Prince Chateauneuf du Pape, £14.99. It’s time for a celebration. A big classy celebration. Even the scantest French skills will pick out ‘prince’ and ‘chateau’ here, and should tell you that you’re dealing with something pretty regal. The flavours manage to be both restrained and powerful at the same time: a sophisticated glass of dark brambly fruit. The quintessential posh red wine – a princely bottle for the day’s princess!

Toast:

A toast to the happy couple deserves Champagne, and why not go pink with the Louis Massing Champagne Premier Cru, £19.99. Light and delicately done, but with lush redcurrant fruit flavours, and a twinkle in its eye.

Should You Change Your Name After You Marry? | The Wedding Diary

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Catherine Balavage

We live in modern times and tradition is something ever-changing. Some traditional things last, and some just don’t. Others, like a woman taking her husbands name after they marry, actually become controversial. My favourite motto to live by in life is, ‘live and let live’. But, yet, it seems we can’t.

Some woman see submission or sexism when a woman changes her name. But where did that woman get her name? And where did her mother get hers?, and her grandmother? To stop it now feels like closing the stable after the horse has long bolted.

All of this does make me sound pro changing my name, I know. I am in a bit of a muddle with it to be honest. Part of my thinks it is something to do if you have children, so you can be a family unit, the stories of woman being stopped at airports because they have a different surname from their children are common. If I have children I certainly don’t want to have a different surname than them. It would just be too weird. This means I have to take my fiancee’s name, he has to take mine or we have to double-barrel our names. That is if we have children. If we don’t, does it really matter? Part of me thinks not.

There is a part in The Crucible when John Proctor has two choices: change his name or die. He chooses to die, “It is my name”, he says; “I cannot have any other”. This is a pretty extreme example but I remember watching TV with a friend. There was a woman with a very long double-barreled surname. My friend commented on the ridiculousness of her name; “Oh, just lose your ego woman!” But it is not just ego is it? It’s your identity. My name is me. Well, actually, my name is a stage name, albeit one that I use for everything now. It belonged to my grandmother, a Lithuanian who died when she was only 40 of kidney failure. Not surprisingly, I would like this to live on. I am only a handful of people in the world with the surname ‘Balavage’. An Anglo take on ‘Bullovich’. You see? Surnames, they change. As does identity. I even pronounce my surname differently than she would have: Ba Lav age, with a quiet ‘V’. At my friends Nick Cohen’s book launch, the amazing writer Francis Wheen complimented my on my surname, ‘Like a glamorous French actress’. I have pronounced it the way he said it ever since.

So when I marry I have a few choices: change my real name and keep my stage name, change my name completely and just keep Balavage for acting, or double-barrel my name. I have until next year to decide, but I am already in a pickle. What to do?

It is not about feminism or inequality. If a woman wants to take her new husbands name, she should be able to, if a man wants to change his, he should and if a woman wants to keep or double-barrel her name, she should be able to without rudeness: it’s her identity after all: Live and let live.

What do you think? Will you change your name?

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