I’m back! Back to reality with a bump after our amazing day and honeymoon! As the tan begins to fade, I have so many happy memories I’d like to share with you; as clichéd as it sounds, it really was the best day ever, the Scottish weather was kind to us, all our friends made it to the wedding safely and we had a truly memorable wedding day spent with our friends.

The morning of the wedding went by in a flash, we had breakfast all together (a little untraditional I know!), I then said goodbye to my groom and he went off to put ribbon on the car and to finalise his speech (or start it I heard later!)

While I decorated the table and then went back to our suite to put my make-up on, our flowers turned up and I was truly thrilled with what the florist had done, my bouquet was beautiful and our table flowers looked lovely.

Then the exciting bit! Laura arrived to help me into my dress! I was excited, nervous and full of anticipation! This was it- the moment when I got to wear my dress for real! Not a rehearsal, not a fitting but the actual day (and it was all a bit surreal to be honest!) Of course, like every bride I was worried it wouldn’t fit. That last-minute panic, had I put on weight in the last 2 days? Should I have had that last G&T last night and that tiny square inch of Dairy Milk…..

Of course it was all fine. It fitted like a glove and I still loved it! I was ready!

As you now know, I wore ‘Etta’ from Charlotte Balbier, such a simple and elegant dress with the loveliest of lace jackets! I loved the fact I could dress it differently for the evening and it just felt like me! We teamed it with a grey/silver sash and I wore a fab mini birdcage veil with beautiful vintage style hair clip! My hair was loosely up (an amazing job by the lady at our hotel) and my beautiful bouquet was the perfect accessory!

Our wedding was watched by family and other friends at home via a web link so they also shared in our ceremony (the girls in the shop were hooked too!). I managed to make it up the aisle without tripping over, to be greeted by my new husband grinning like a Cheshire cat in his gorgeous James Bond tuxedo!

And then I got the reaction I wanted….. He whispered to me ‘ You look AMAZING!!!!’ And to be honest that was the best bit! I was happy and felt amazing! The months of dieting, hours of finding the perfect underwear, the agony of the tightest spanx ever (I never actually wore them in the end!) and the amazing journey finding the perfect dress, all paid off!

During the ceremony,  two of my very good girlfriends did readings which nearly tipped me over the edge, but despite all their efforts I kept it together! We both made our vows to each other, exchanged rings and then had the traditional ‘Gretna Announcement’ made after a wedding, with the gavel on the anvil!

After a few pictures we made our way back to the hotel and I sloped off to change! Now for look number 2! I took the jacket off, and added a sparkly belt by Lily Bella, took my birdcage veil off (kept the gorgeous hairpiece in though!) and added my fabulous clutch bag (Glisten from Pink!). I also changed my jewellery, a new bracelet, earrings and added a necklace – voila!

After sitting down for dinner we kept our guests quiet by asking them to fill in our “wishes” cards instead of a guest book. Their sense of humour prevailed throughout and I enjoyed seeing their insights to married life together! The food was very good as was the wine, and everyone was too full for cake!

After dinner came our speeches! Lee’s was really great, very emotional and from the heart!  My speech went down really well too, and I gave it to Lee as a present afterwards- he loved it!

It was a wonderful day and the best feeling; I got to wear my dress again for the family do locally!

On Bank Holiday Monday we held our family wedding party at The Bear in Hungerford.  I got to put my dress back on again this time and wore my hair down, giving the dress a different look again, Lee was a little less formal with just a lounge suit on instead of his tuxedo. The sun shone brilliantly and we were able to make use of the gorgeous riverside setting outside in the garden, with many guests moaning about it being too warm!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank a few people, firstly to Laura for helping me get in my dress and ready on my wedding day, and to Mr Jones for video-ing the whole affair for us. I would also like to thank everyone who made the journey to Scotland, you all know it meant a lot to us that you were all their to share our day. I also wish to Thank Karen at Allium Design for our stunning table pieces which she did for us at The Bear Hotel on the Monday, she is not only very talented but also naturally inventive with her floristry. And finally to you for reading my diary and following my wedding journey, I hope if your wedding is impending that you too have the most amazing day and you enjoy every second of it as it will go in a flash….

Sadly my amazing journey is now over but at least I get to help our brides have their journey too!

Hannah x

The Outfit!: Etta by Charlotte Balbier, Hair clip, Loren, by Lily Bella, Belt Rebecca by Lily Bella.

So, while Hannah makes her way up to Scotland with a car full and lists-a-plenty,  we’ve got a lovely guest post today from Joanna at Bespoke Verse.

Joanna has helped Hannah with her speech – such a lovely idea and very creative! Read Joanna’s tips on penning the perfect few words, however used to public speaking you are.

Have a great weekend and have a wonderful day tomorrow Hannah!

Mrs Jones x

WOO THEM WITH WORDS

‘You stole my Thunder!’ These were the first words I heard my new husband mutter the morning after our wedding.  It seemed that the funny rhyming speech I extracted from the cleavage of my wedding dress had gone down rather too well!

I’m used to public speaking, and I’d never let a man have the last word, so I knew I wanted to say or read something at our wedding.   I didn’t want soppiness or cliché.  I didn’t want something everyone had heard a thousand times before.  I wanted the Roald Dahl ‘Revolting Rhymes’ of wedding poems.  So I wrote one.

My poem was a spoof extract from my husband’s ‘diary’ charting his progress from meeting me in a pub, to married bliss and two dogs. The road to wedlock, I argued, was ‘paved with beer’.  It brought the house down and years later people who can’t remember anything else about our wedding, still describe it as the best wedding speech they have ever heard.

The key to my success was that I’d been original. It’s true; the best wedding speeches are remembered long after the cake has been eaten and the flowers have wilted.  So what makes a great speech?  It’s probably both funny and moving, well-delivered, audible, not too long (or short) and most importantly, unique.  My number one rule is: don’t try to cover everything and don’t try to thank absolutely everyone.

If you’re planning a speech about your groom, remember you don’t have to conform to tradition.  A ‘list poem’ can be very simple and inventive.  Start every line with the same word, for example ‘You….’ and list things your beloved says, does and means to you.

To gather ideas, try starting with his likes and dislikes or what he would take to a desert island.  It’s always fun to describe your similarities and differences.  Gather words to best describe him and I would always advise writing the middle of the speech first, letting the opening and ending naturally evolve later.

If you have tons of great ideas but find the whole idea of writing a little stressful (you may be a teeny bit busy!), you can always commission a bespoke poem.  That way, you get to be fresh and creative, but with the safety net of a script.

Of course, there’s no accounting for the reaction of the groom.  They have been known to cry.  On the whole, though, they are usually flattered and delighted that they’ve been so hilariously upstaged.  That was certainly the case when one bride described her ‘gorgeous bearded Yorkshire man’ as an ‘avid Leeds United fan’.  She went on to explain that when they met he ‘stroked his trainers with affection’ and talked her through ‘his whole collection!’

It helps to channel your inner actor and to use lots of emphasis and silly voices.  You’ve got a willing audience, who are just dying to laugh and cry.  And a glass of champagne always helps!

My favourite commissions have been for a married couple who were not intending to live together (where would they hang it?), a gay couple who’d got together in their sixties (boy they’d lived), and one poem which included phrases in welsh (‘pob loch’ means good luck, apparently.)

At Bespoke Verse, we’ve been getting requests for bespoke wedding readings.  The sort of reading that is hopelessly romantic, yet witty, and most importantly…one you didn’t hear at your best friend’s wedding!  A new trend, I predict, for 2013.   Just one of the many ways you can wow with words at your wedding.

Joanna Miller runs Bespoke Verse

www.bespokeverse.co.uk

www.facebook.com/bespokeverse

Well this is it, the final entry…. which means my wedding is this weekend!! We also have a couple of other brides who have their big days this weekend too so I want to wish them luck and hope they too, have the most amazing days, and should trust me when I say that the day will go in a flash!

I have to say this time last week I was feeling the pressure, my list compulsion was pushed to its max…. but this week I am feeling in control and have very little to finish off, just the packing and sorting through the mountain of wedding “stuff” we have been collecting, buying and making in the last few months… I have tried on my dress again today (as 10 days ago it was way too snug!) and finally sorted my underwear issues out, and it all fits and looks great!! …. Seemingly it is all coming together!!

So my last topic to share with everyone is my speech. Now there are two views here, traditionally brides arent encouraged to say much at weddings, but after planning for months and prehaps dreaming for years I actually fancy having my say!

My friends will tell you I normally have quite a bit to say on most things and I think my groom would say the same, and I think he is quite happy for me to say what I want to and maybe take some pressure off of him to stand up and say much. But as a bride where do you start, do you follow the grooms speech pattern and say the thank you’s etc or do you use the opportunity to recognise your groom, and hopefully show him what your wedding day and marriage means to you….

This was the message I wanted to get across, but didn’t quite know where to start but knew I wanted to say something… Then on one of my wedding scrap book moments I came across an advert for ‘Bespoke Verse’ who create personalised poems and rhyming speeches… I made contact with the lovely Joanna Miller who sent me some questions to fill in and from that she created our first draft…. It is brilliant! Sums us up as a couple and my feelings for Lee and “us” moving forward… I have practiced reading it a couple of times and have framed a copy for him to keep… All I hope is that he loves it and I can deliver it in the way I want to!

So, I guess its time to sign off from my diary feature and I look forward to sharing some memories after the wedding…. but for now, goodbye!

Hannah x

Not long now to our big day!!!!!! and yes, I have started hunting down long-range weather forecasts…. knowing of course there is nothing we can do about the weather!!… is there????

With only days left now on my countdown clock as opposed to weeks my thoughts are beginning to turn to our honeymoon and getting away from it all…. So when it comes to booking your honeymoon where do you start? It’s the most romantic time of your life, just packing your bags and disappearing with your new husband whether its white sand beaches or African safari’s there are some top tips to bear in mind, here are a couple of mine ….

• Budget? – before selecting destinations, you need to be clear on what your budget is, and that will help to concentrate your search maybe to short-haul destinations instead of long haul ones.
• When to get going? – Not everyone wants to get going straight away, maybe you want to enjoy the ‘wedding high’ with everyone for a couple of days instead of rushing straight to the airport? And if your dream destination is in the middle of cyclone season maybe you want to delay your honeymoon for a couple of months and you just have a mini-moon straight after the wedding.
• Where to? -  You will want your honeymoon to be special, weather that is on a beach or city culture, it will probably be best to find something that reflects you both as a couple. If you love history, new places, art galleries etc maybe look at somewhere such as Rome or Paphos. If long haul perfection is for you maybe the Indian Ocean and a water villa perched in the sea? Fancy a bit of both?… look into twin centre holidays
• Book it early! – to get maximum choice and good value book early, and also ask for complimentary upgrades, or honeymoon special offers. But shop around particularly with your flights.
• Consider a ‘Honeymiles’ type service where your guests can contribute to your honeymoon.

Where ever you both decide on, as long as your together with some time to reflect and relax after months of planning and arranging your wedding you’ll have the most amazing time… We are heading off to find some sunshine and warmth for a few days, I can’t wait to see a sunset, maybe even read a book instead of a wedding magazine!

My next diary post will be my last before the wedding, so for now… enjoy daydreaming about sand between your toes!

Hannah x

Over the years I have worked within the beauty industry I have helped many brides achieve their “Wedding Day” look, I always ask brides to bring me their make-up bag, no matter how small it is, it means we can accommodate some of what she already has but also gives me big visual clues as to the colours she feels safe in. The brief on your wedding day should be to look like you but on a really good day, enhancing your best bits but keeping you, looking like you!…

Step 1 – Prime - to ensure long-lasting application and a flawless look the key is good preparation, not only the application of moisturiser but also a primer, a primer will help perfect the base on too which you’re applying your make-up, have look for different primers, some prime the colour of the skin, evening out the skin tone, some help fill fine lines and open pores, stopping your foundation ‘sinking’ into imperfections.

Step 2 – Foundation – the only way to match your foundation is to actually try it on your jaw line, not the back of your hand! If your unsure about matching shades, get some help from the lovely ladies on the counters. Armed with your correct shade (this is the shade that once applied you can not see) apply from the nose fanning your way out and down to the jaw line and ears, and then upwards towards the hairline and temples, use whatever you prefer to get a smooth result, I like to use a foundation brush, it’s the best way of achieving a very smooth finish.

Step 3 – Conceal - again using a small concealer brush apply a good quality concealer to area’s of imperfection To hide dark circles apply concelar under the eye in a ‘v’ shape from the corner to the corner of the eye, blending it as you go with your little finger. If your concealer is going to crease it will do so after a few minutes, if it does blend it out and it should hold for the rest of the day.

(if you require a medium to full coverage foundation and are using a ‘buildable’ foundation, re-apply with your foundation brush where you need extra coverage now)

Step 4 – Setting – using a nice big brush, apply some translucent powder by sweeping over the face, this will give setting power to your foundation, also will give a nice matt finish to which you can apply your blush or contour products to.

Step 5 - Eyes - there are literally hundreds of ways to do your ‘eyes’, so as an example, I am going to talk you through how I did the eyes on Sophie during our shoot of Caroline Parkes gowns last Autumn. You will need three complimentary eye colours for this, a base colour, a mid colour and a dark shading colour. I used 3 shades that gave me a taupe, brown, dark purple palette. Starting with the base shade, apply all over the eye socket and up to the brow. Next your mid shade, apply to the eye lid, blending with your first colour. Lastly your dark shading colour, apply this in the outer corner of the eye, in a ‘>’ shape towards the outer corner, again blending all the time with your other shades. Keep checking the look is balanced both sides and suits your eye shape. Define this further with a touch of eyeliner to the outer corner, I did this is the deep shade of purple to be a softer look than black. Echoed along the lower lashes too. Finish off with mascara, apply 2 coats, brushing out when dry to separate the lashes and give more natural look.

Step 6 – Contouring - Contouring is the term make-up artists use to shape and define your face or features. To keep this tutorial simple I am just going to explain how to place blusher correctly rather than how to contour. Take your blush, I like to use an angled countour brush which has short bristles to make it firmer, apply a mall amount of product to your brush, look in the mirror and smile, when you smile you will see the ‘apple’ of your cheek protrude slightly, dot your blush here and work up and outwards to the temple, working your brush in circles to blend and give a more natural finish rather than a blusher stripe. Avoid bronzer as it quite often has a touch of sparkle in it and the flash will bounce off it in your photos.

Step 7 – Lips – Most brides want something subtle here, you want something pretty with a light sheen, nothing too strong or dark that will stand out too much, especially if you do not usually wear strong colours, also don’t be tempted by too much gloss as it will make you very sticky to kiss and will shine too much in your photos. I love a bride whose lips just look like her own just slightly touched up, so natural and so pretty…

Hope its inspired you to have a go at your own make-up, if you need any more help creating your wedding day look, please shout, I would love to be able to help!

Hannah x

Well with just over 2 weeks to go, our wedding is coming round really quickly now, and I am so very excited… When we started this feature I had months to go… now only a matter of weeks!

Today I wanted to share my completely natural worrying over how to wear my hair! I think its unusual to have a clear idea for the onset as to what you want to do with your hair and actually stick to it, and even if you do have strong ideas, once you have chosen your dress that may change what would look better.

Last year when we got engaged on that slightly wet night in Paris and I started daydreaming about my impending (although it a year away) wedding, and bearing in mind my hair was short, I thought I would go for something loose, grow it longer and aim for maybe a side bun. My hairdresser assured me that knowing how quick my hair grows it was very achievable. This of course was long before I had “my dress”…

Now as described before my dress is simple, elegant and understated. It has an illusion neckline and pretty back, so I need to think this into my hair idea. Now I am slightly obsessed with symmetry and although initially loved the idea of a side bun once I had my dress in my mind I couldn’t help but feel a little unbalanced. Hair to oe side with a one shoulder dress makes perfect sense or with strapless but with my neckline it just all felt wrong.

Back to the drawing board…. or in my case, wedding magazines and the internet….

Most brides at this point have a trial appointment, which makes perfect sense so you’re not worrying about the unknown on the day, but because my hairdresser for my wedding day is in Scotland and  a trial isn’t really an option, I have had various conversations with them, also consulted their Facebook pages for recent wedding hair and there are a couple of options there that I like, I also have a few pictures of styles I like and I will take those with me too. The lovely girls in the salon at the hotel have helped put all my worries out my mind, and they have assured me that wedding hair is something they do every day, and they are good at it… funnily enough the same advice I would have given a bride when she raised her worries when we were doing our make-up consultations!

I have set my veil, a birdcage veil, on a hairband bound in ribbon suitable for my hair colour, so it will make it easier to remove after the ceremony hopefully without messing my hair up too much!!

My plan for my make-up is quite a simple one, I have updated my products, bought a new lipstick and some new foundation and look forward to sharing a step by step with you later this week!!

For now, my worries return to the dream I have had various times, the one where my dress doesn’t fit because I have put some weight one! See, it happens to us all!!

Hannah x

Well with only 3 and a bit weeks left before our big day I am tackling those last few jobs left on the list! Today I have the music for the ceremony and the order of service to tackle, whilst the order of service sort of takes care of its -self and is more a case of filling in the blanks, the music is causing me slightly more hassle…

How do we underpin what we are about in just a few songs? Our minister has a very laid back approach and told us to go with our own flow, so we sat down and thought about things that mean something to ‘us’. We aren’t actually having traditional hymns as we have such a small congregation so we are adopting more of a civil ceremony approach to the music for the wedding. I knew what I wanted to walk down the aisle to, but arranging other songs together to have as a prelude and on while we sign the register was much harder, striking that balance between romantic and the right message and the big overdone power ballads is quite tricky!

This is maybe the one time I wish we were opting more with tradition as I think this would all be a little easier picking hymns than songs that everyone has opinons on! So after much research I came across a useful checklist of music we needed-

• Joyful but unobtrusive music as guests arrive.
• Something stately as the bride comes in, which is long enough to last the length of her procession up the aisle.
• An instrumental or a sung piece (possibly by a solo artist or group as a change from the organ) during the signing of the register.
• Something triumphant and uplifting for the bride and groom leaving the church.

I am sure we have met this but with more of a personal, intimate style applied to it rather than the ‘typical’ wedding choices.

When it came to Order of Day/Service I resorted to my ‘keep it simple’ mantra and have made my own using a template, and kept the amount of detail on it quite brief, again as we aren’t having hymns I didn’t need to include the words so have managed to keep the whole thing to two sides of A5 card,  which made the process of making them myself easier, finished with a simple coloured ribbon tied neatly. The purpose of this for me is just to give my guests something to follow and an idea of the flow of the ceremony. I have also made Order of Day’s too, although these are generally used to replace order of service’s I wanted to have a rough outline of the day for my guests, and where they are supposed to be and when!

Hannah x

Lee and I are approaching the last four-week countdown for our wedding this week. Where have the last few months gone? – I have no idea, let alone the last year since we got engaged in Paris! My list doesn’t seem to be getting smaller, it seems stagnant. Lee has pointed out that just because I am on top of it all, now adding more jobs to the end of the list isn’t helping my cause and that I should just enjoy the build up!….

So, as briefly mentioned last week, today I report back from my hen party from the weekend before Easter…

Firstly I have a very good friend to thank for organising the whole weekend. The whole thing was kept a surprise and she asked what I wanted to do, and what I didn’t want to do and cleverly merged the two together, meaning I still participated in some classic “hen” moments, but totally enjoyed every second…

We started the day with an early tipple on the train to London, closely followed by breakfast and during breakfast, the full itinerary was divulged by way of various props, my favourite being the soundtrack to Cocktail… After dropping off our bags at our apartments, we made our way to a bar in Soho for our cocktail class. My advice here for anyone about to participate in something similar, you really don’t need the tipple on the train first, you will be drinking a fair amount in quite a short time!! All the girls got involved from Woo Woo’s to Mojito’s, and the odd Chilli shot thrown in for good measure. It was good girl bonding and we all left warmer than we arrived, despite the bitter wind and persistent sleet.

After a quick trip on the tube, we got back to the apartment to get ready for our evening out. We had a couple of games to play, the highlight being the creation of wedding dresses made from foil, sticky tape and white bin liners…

We then headed out to a bar/club where we had a booth for the evening, and we danced the night away, a great venue with a good variety of music in the different rooms. It was great fun and I managed to meet another hen who was also being made to carry around “her man”  … Although I am not sure she was made to carry him around for the whole weekend!

So many good memories, so many giggles and so so much fun, I loved every moment and want to do it all again!

Hannah x

A couple of pics..

Our Easter Opening Times are as follows:

Thursday 28 March: 9.30-5.30pm

Good Friday: Closed

Saturday 30 March: 9.30 – 5pm

Easter Sunday: Closed

Easter Monday: Closed

Tuesday 2 April: 9.30 – 5.30pm

Wednesday 3 Aprl: 9.30-5.30pm

Thursday 4 April 9.30-5.30pm

Friday 5 April: 9.30 – 5.30pm

Saturday 6 April: 9.30-5.30pm

Monday 8 April: Closed AM for staff training. Reopen 2pm- 5.30pm

Tuesday 9 April: Usual hours

Usual hours then resume. Just a reminder that we are now open EVERY Wednesday (not only by appointment)

Have a great Easter and don’t eat too much choc

Mrs Jones x

I wanted to write a post today all about our collaboration with Caroline Parkes. (pic above myself with Caroline courtesy of Newbury Weekly News )

2 years ago (almost to the day) a lady walked into my boutique and introduced herself as Caroline Parkes. She said she was in ‘the business’ and after some ill-health she had decided to close her showroom and studio in London and ‘retire’ to the country. A friend had told her about a new boutique opening so she ‘thought she ought to take a look’, given she is not quite at retiring age yet! As bridal is all she’s even known, Caroline popped in and offered her services for alterations (which I jumped at) From there the partnership grew….

Caroline began altering dresses for my brides and it became obvious we were a good team! I love working with her- she has a very straightforward no nonsense attitude but very kind and extremely funny. She is an absolute perfectionist and my brides were all exceptionally happy with her work - making a manufactured dress look like it was made for them!

After spending most Wednesday mornings with her  (and the odd coffee) I got to know more about her and her past. She showed me her previous work and I loved it. She liked being back in touch with the business and I loved her knowledge and humour! I fell in love with one of her previous designs and trialled it in the shop. Something wasnt quite right and a few tweaks later, that dress became the start of a new collection and a best seller in the shop!

Now we have 7 designs in the shop and I would say she’s back! Last year Caroline worked tirelessly on a lot of alterations and had less time to develop her own collection! This year her designs are in full swing and she has dropped back from the alterations to work on those and spend time thinking about new designs and reworking ones which are less popular. Caroline is able to get feedback from brides via myself and meeting them in the shop and together we are constantly looking at ways to improve the collection, add something new, listen to bride’s requests and keep a general eye on trends! It’s great working together and we are both always learning something new!

Caroline’s collection was photographed in the Autumn. We wanted some stunning pictures to showcase her work and encourage people to come in to see the styles in person! With a limited budget and the woods for company, we created a small selection of shots which I think show off the dresses well and encapsulates Caroline’s style. Classic and elegant are two very over used words but they are just that. Caroline is old school. Good old school. Old school when things were done properly, old school when you knew you were in safe hands and you didn’t question it. Sound authority and respect! Take a look at her work for yourself.. There is a taster and we have plenty more in the boutique!

Later this year we will run a more formal designer day when you can meet the lady herself but in the meantime, pop in to see her designs in person, try on and you’ll probably bump into her anyway on the odd Thursday or Saturday!

So for now, enjoy the pictures and read up all about her in the latest issue of Berkshire Life (April 2013)

Mrs Jones x

(click on the below to open and click again to zoom in and read!)

Laura x