Tag Archives: preparation

Bridal beauty dos

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You’re going to want to look your most beautiful on your wedding day and you’ll want your groom to gasp as he sees you arrive. To help you achieve this we’ve asked some top beauty experts and wedding make-up artists for their advice. Because you don’t want to be making any mistakes with your big day look.

Natural beauty

Try all your make-up on before your wedding day and view it in natural daylight, make-up can look very different indoors and outdoors. Wear waterproof eye make-up where possible, especially mascara for the emotional I Dos!

A good foundation

Have your foundation colour matched to your skin tone and bear that in mind if you’re having a spray tan for the big day. Moisturise your face 30 minutes before applying your make-up, to allow time for your moisturiser to sink in and do its magic.

Always wear a primer before applying foundation to give a smoother appearance and keep your make-up on for longer. Also always wear an eye make-up primer to hold your eyeshadow in place and prevent creasing. Keep a small powder compact to hand to touch up any shiny areas towards the evening.

Set in place

Use a setting spray when your make-up is finished to give it lasting power. If applying your own make-up on the day, try to have a professional go through it with you before the big day, to show you how to do the best application.

Look after your skin

Begin a good skincare routine. If you have any issues book a series of facials to get your skin in tip top condition. Get a skin consultation with a professional so they can advise you on which products will suit your skin type.

Use an SPF daily to protect your skin from the sun and keep shoulders covered if you’re wearing a strapless dress on your wedding day as strap marks are difficult to hide.

Get in shape

Have your eyebrows shaped two days before the wedding as shaped eyebrows make all the difference to the make-up.

Hands up!

Do have manicures because everyone will want to see your ring. Soft silky hands and manicured nails will look amazing in your photos.

Beauty don’ts for brides

Don’t risk a break out

Don’t have a facial too close to your wedding day, You’re risking your skin breaking out just before the big day. Also don’t try new products on your skin in the month up to your wedding. It takes a good 30 days to see results on skin. Don’t over exfoliate your skin, some products can be too harsh and aren’t made for daily use. Don’t have a fake tan if you’ve never tried it before – it’s always best to have a trial run first so you can see how long it lasts and always ask if it will rub off on your dress.

Bad hair day

Colour treatments or cuts should be avoided in the week approaching the wedding. The last thing any woman wishes to worry about is unnecessary hair troubles on such a gorgeous, picturesque occasion.

Make-up don’ts

Don’t wear foundation with SPF included as this can sometimes reflect light off your face in professional pictures.

Don’t over powder your make-up, or layer on too much as this can give a ‘cakey’ appearance and don’t try any new make-up looks on the day. Also avoid using heavy eye make-up with a strong lipstick, always choose to emphasise eyes or lips. And lastly, don’t forget to wash your hands before putting on your dress!

Unhelpful helpfulness

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1. Keep people occupied

Delegate jobs to your most enthusiastic wedding guests and they won’t even notice what else you’re working on. Choose research tasks that they can really get their teeth into – whether it’s asking your mum to make a Pinterest board for cakes, or your dad look up wedding bands, give them a brief and leave them to it. They’ll be so flattered you trust their taste that they won’t even ask about the other stuff.

2. Manage expectations

The earlier people know what you’re planning, the less likely they are to kick up a fuss if things don’t go how they imagined. If you’re eloping to France with couple of close friends, let everyone know early on so that your aunties don’t go out and buy their hats. If you’re open about what you want, there can’t be any disappointments.

3. Keep their good intentions in mind

An overly zealous family member is a huge compliment – after all, they just want to make you happy by making your day as perfect as possible. So don’t get angry if you feel harassed, but see it from their point of view. If they won’t let something go, ask yourself why they feel so strongly about it. Maybe they didn’t have a good time at a similar wedding, or regretted that detail about their own day? Once you know their motives, it’s easier to reassure them that your way will work out.

4. Make some things a secret

A confetti bomb for the first dance, fake snow at a winter wedding, or a magician working the crowd: it’s the fun finishing touches that make a wedding stand out. However, once the ‘tacky’ word raises its head it might curb your enthusiasm, so surprise people on the day and they’ll have such a good time and think everything is wonderful.

5. Pay for some of it yourself

One of the biggest reasons why couples bend to their parents’ requests is because, as they’re the ones paying, it seems fair to give them a say. But wait a minute, if they’re treating you to a wedding dress, would you let them have a say in that? Accepting cash is no reason to sacrifice your wedding dreams, but it can definitely take away some of your ammunition in a debate.

6. Meet up with them regularly

If someone’s constantly bombarding you with wedding emails, it could be a sign that that they feel out of the loop and are trying to muscle back into your wedding bubble. They’ll back off if you get some drinks dates in the diary, as it’s chance for everyone to share the buzz and excitement in one place.

7. Use a referee

Do you have an ultra-diplomatic member of the family who can charm people to putty? Tell the most persistent meddlers that you’re really busy, so you’ve asked that person to play wedding planner for a while. Then you can get the low-down through them and choose which advice you take, without having to tip-toe around anyone’s feelings.

8. Please yourself

The only person you need to please is yourself and your groom. Do you want to look back at your day and think it represented you as a couple, or your Mum? Your wedding is the most personal event you’ll ever plan, so you’ll regret it if you feel like a guest on your own special day. You’re never going to please everyone, so you may as well please yourselves.

9. Stay firm if you feel strongly

Ok, there are some things you might want to let go. Is it really so bad if the disco DJ is your dad’s friend from his bridge club? But when it comes to the things that really matter to you, leave your compromising self at the door. Big decisions such as the venue or food menu are worth disappointing people over because as soon as they see how happy they are about it; we guarantee they’ll share your excitement.

Valentine’s Wedding for 2017

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February is the month of romance and passion. In February, many like to blow their salary on expensive tasting menus in top restaurants and embark on lavish weekends away in remote country spa hotels. For those who prefer to be more resourceful with their Valentine’s budget, it’s often a challenge to prove your love in another way.

Luckily, for those looking to escape this Valentine’s one recognises that whisking your partner away for a romantic weekend doesn’t need to be expensive. To help those looking to escape, they have come up with five ways to save money but still impress your other half next February.

Be realistic

Before deciding how to plan your wedding, what to do, where to go, where to stay, decide on how much you are willing to spend and work with it. By establishing this early on you will become more resourceful with the money you have and it will certainly go further.

Be original

A great way of proving to your partner that you love them is to think outside of the box. Why not choose a destination they wouldn’t think of going and surprise them? Even the most expensive cities in the UK have accommodation which is affordable but still offer a good spot to rest your head.

Be spontaneous

One of the best ways to be romantic is to be spontaneous. Tell your partner that you are taking them away; you can even tell them where you’re taking them if you’d prefer. The trick is to save all the little trips and adventures for them to find out the weekend goes on. This makes the trip more exciting and unpredictable.

Be tasteful

While being on a budget often rules out pricey experiences, one thing money can’t buy is taste. When choosing activities for your getaway pursue cultural experiences such as museums, art galleries, and landmark sites as oppose to gimmick activities that you can do at home like bowling, ice skating and laser quest. It is also worth taking advantage of upmarket restaurants and bars which offer cheaper menus between certain times of the day. To get ideas, TripAdvisor often have lists for popular destinations like ‘Things to Do in (a place which means something to you) etc.

Be true

Finally, like taste, no amount of money can buy true love. Ensure you spend plenty of time talking to one another, planning your next adventure and relaxing. Everything else will be an added bonus.

A Hot Pink Wedding!!!

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Stand out from the crowds with a hot pink wedding theme! This colour looks lovely with ivories and creams so will compliment your dress perfectly, and is an easy theme to stick too!

Beautiful bridesmaids

Your bridesmaids will stand out from your guests in hot pink bridesmaid dresses! Team them with simple pink and cream bouquets and let the dresses do the talking

Stunning stationery

Your stationery is the first glimpse of your wedding day that your guests will get; impress them with a bright design that will give the wow factor!

Fancy footwear

To add a pop of colour to your wedding outfit with amazing pink shoes which will be the perfect finishing touch!

Pretty petals

Lovely petals make the perfect biodegradable confetti to hand round to your guests. We love the two toned pink and cream colour!

Decorative details

Personalise candleholders with bespoke vinyl stickers from with decals. You can also have vinyl stickers designed for on the dance floor, walls, table centres, favours or anything you want! Add a hot pink candle to fit in with your theme.

DIY decorations

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Perfect as favours or place names, why not showcase your talents as we show you how to make these fun felt wedding decorations…

What you need

  • Coloured felt
  • Stuffing (cotton wool balls)
  • Contrasting thread or wool
  • Needle
  • Scissors
  • Pins
  • Card template

Instructions

Pin your heart template to your felt (you can print a paper one from the computer) then cut around the template. Be sure to keep the template tight to the felt for a professional-looking finish.

Put the two felt hearts together and pin in the centre. It’s now time to start stitching, using a blanket stitch. If you are unsure of this stitch, you are sure to find it on You Tube.

For the stuffing we used unravelled cotton wall balls. Stuff as much or little as you like, the more shape the better the finish.

Continue to sew the heart, once at the end, tie a knot with the needle and thread. Snip the ends and you have a beautiful felt heart.

Top Tip

If you wish to use the heart for hanging, pull a piece of thread through one of the stitches, or put wire or a small stick in the bottom of the heart and use as a cake topper or in your wedding flowers.

Alternatively scatter loosely on your wedding table for a pretty look.

Mad Hatters Tea Party Wedding

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Wedding Invitations

The maddest guests needn’t be invited, they will simply fall through the rabbit hole and stumble across your party by chance.

Dress code

Colourful, bold and avant-garde.

Hair code

No one is allowed to have similarities in hair colour or style, other than that, anything goes.

Wedding Décor

Matching furniture is forbidden; the more quintessentially Wonderland, the better.

Guests

Be specific when choosing your guests based on personality, if they aren’t at least slightly crazy, they won’t fit in.

Tea

Earl Grey is the only tea to be served. It needn’t be high quality and can be of any origin, just make sure it’s Early Grey.

Sandwiches

There are three sandwiches which are appropriate for a Mad Hatters Tea Party; minted cucumber, egg mayonnaise and mustard cress, and smoked salmon and cream cheese. Cutting your sandwiches into heart shapes is cute, but would Alice approve of your allegiance to the Queen of Hearts?

The Chelsea Bun

The Chelsea bun is known predominantly for throwing, so get involved, it’s what Tea Parties are made for.

Shortbread

Height should not be discriminated against; therefore, shortbread is totally acceptable at the tea table.

Wedding Floristry

Floral perfection should be avoided at all costs. If you have a budget for plants, stick to twigs, decaying leaves and fungi.

Hospitality

Being hospitable is essential. This can be achieved through planning a range of unrecognisable party games.

Weather

If you’re worried about being outside and it raining, it doesn’t matter too much as the best Mad Hatters Tea Parties are set in very little sunlight. For big budget tea parties, rain and mist machines are encouraged.

Seating

If you can’t get bums on seats, bums on anything is fine. Stools, shelves, giant mushrooms; anything goes.

Cheshire cat

One ginger cat is required as ‘purr’ its Cheshire heritage.

Timekeeping

This is banned as there is no time in wonderland. However, we would only suggest this tip as optional as if adhered to it can cause havoc, after all, you don’t want your guests to be late for this very important date.

Cabaret ideas for your wedding

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When booking entertainment for your wedding day, it’s often difficult to know what works. Do you want to book the same function band that you saw at a friend’s wedding? Perhaps, but you want your special day to be unique! So how can you make your wedding day extra special? What sort of wedding entertainment should you hire for your big day? We’ve come up with a few unique cabaret ideas to help get you thinking!

Drag Queen

A Drag Queen isn’t a typical addition you might expect to see at a wedding but they can be a wonderful Master of ceremonies and deliver a stunning and outrageous show at the reception. From stand up to singing, a drag queen diva will wow your wedding guests. The ultimate in unique wedding entertainment.

Aerial Silk Artist

One for the larger wedding venues, there is no piece of unique wedding entertainment more beautiful than an aerial silk artist. Suspended from the ceiling by flowing silk drapes, a talented performer can twist and turn to music to create an ambient acrobatic display or even improvise a hanging routine. A majestic and graceful act, it’s best to let the photos speak for themselves! No performance is ever the same.

Classical music artists

One for the classical music lovers how about a little background music on your wedding day? Classically trained singers from the Royal Academy of Music will captivate your audience. A fabulous addition to any wedding, enjoy a flawless rendition of your favourite classical piece to make your wedding day truly magical. 

Related Dancers

When it comes to unique wedding entertainment ideas, it’s often easy to forget that your guests are as part of the big day as yourselves. A function band is great to get the room going but many attendees are often too shy to hit the dance floor. By booking a dance group who relate to the style of music that your function band play, the evening can incorporate the fun nature of your event and music that suits your particular musical tastes.

Five basic planning rules

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It’s natural to stress over all aspects of an event but if you follow these five basic event planning rules, you’ll be a brilliant wedding event planner in no time! So whether it’s your first time booking entertainment for an event or you’re an old hand, here are a few tips that it’s always worth remembering.

Make a List of Entertainment Ideas

This may seem like a no-brainer but always make a list of the entertainment ideas you have in mind for your party or event so that you don’t get side-tracked when looking at all the other event entertainment which is out there! There are a lot of superb entertainment acts out there but not all of them will be suitable for your special event. As such, it’s best for wedding event planners make a list of the sort of thing you’re looking for even if you have quite a broad spectrum.

Get the latest exciting acts.

One of the most important things about being an event planner is that you need to know what is available on the market. After making your list of entertainment ideas, it’s now time to look out for any other acts the people seem to be excited about and consider the date as well. Make sure you get the latest exciting entertainment act.

Budget Wisely

Decide on a budget far in advance of when you sit down to allocate the funds to each part of your event or wedding. Entertainment can be pricey, as can each part of event planning, but shrewd event planners are the ones who do not waver from their initial costings and ensure that they are getting a good deal. Musicians in particular vary widely in price but rest assured we at Red Masque only advertise the very best acts who have excellent reviews.

Give Yourself Some Time

People like to plan early so don’t leave it until the last minute before booking the entertainment for your event. Some of the most popular acts are already being requested by event planners for weddings late in 2016, so don’t delay if there’s a piece of entertainment you just have to have! It’s better to book sooner rather than later as this also gives time to deal with any possible song requests or dealing with venue difficulties like sound limiters.

Think About Everything Else

Well, once you’ve booked the entertainment, it’s time to focus on other things. Event planning is all about juggling tasks and assigning time to each of them. Once your wedding entertainment is booked, start thinking about how to improve your venue by picking a nice theme. Then onto the catering and flowers. It feels like it’s never ending but it doesn’t have to be. So book your entertainment early and then allow yourself some time to think about everything else.

Father of the bride speech

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Traditionally, at the reception, the bride’s father is the first one to make a speech to the wedding guests. Closely followed by the best man and groom, the father of the bride is usually seen as a bit of a warm-up act, and something to be endured rather than enjoyed. However, with a little effort you can make sure your moment in the spotlight is something to be remembered.

What to include in your speech?

Whether you intend to make it short and sweet, or to really reap the benefits of the spotlight, your speech will need to contain some basic elements if it is to be in keeping with tradition. 

The intro

You need to introduce yourself, but it doesn’t have to be reminiscent of an AA meeting. Tell them your name and maybe crack a small joke to make yourself feel relaxed.

The welcome

Make a formal welcome to everyone, and thank them for coming. Try to mention, in particular, the bride’s mother and the groom’s parents too.

Your daughter

She’s made you pay for it, and now’s your chance to get a little of your own back on her! Recall a funny anecdote from her youth, or simply tell her how proud you are of the woman she’s become.

Your son-in-law

Formally welcome the groom to your family, in any way you feel appropriate. You can mention how you felt about him when you first met him, or a moment when you’ve been particularly glad he’s around.

Parting wisdom

As the elder speaker at the wedding, you should impart some of your wisdom to the happy couple about maintaining a healthy marriage or living a happy life. This is also a good place to throw in some jokes about wives, weddings or life in general, just as long as it doesn’t upset your wife!

The toast

Finish up by asking everyone to stand and raise a glass to the happy couple. No doubt, the best man will do something similar at the end of his speech too, but it’s the traditional way to close yours.

Top tips for making it fun

The father of the bride might be a mature gentleman, but that doesn’t mean your speech has to be dull. Here are some top tips to make it as enjoyable as possible for everyone involved…

Timing is everything

At many weddings, fathers of brides have been known to drone on for some time, and that’s only fair. However, to keep things fun, engaging and avoiding Aunty Doreen falling asleep in her soup, aim for a speech that lasts around six to seven minutes in total. Read your speech through at your normal speaking pace to gauge how long this really is.

Keep it clean

Jokes are a great way to break the ice and loosen up the crowd, but don’t be too focused on being funny. You’re the elder statesman of the speakers today, so you can afford to be a bit more conservative in your words. That doesn’t mean you have to be full though; a few jibes at the expense of the wedding or your daughter’s love of spending money are fine, just don’t go too close to the bone. Leave it to the best man to really roast up the groom, and focus on welcoming your new son-in-law to the family and toasting the happy couple.

Hold on to your emotions

This is such a big occasion for you and all your family, it can be easy to get caught up in the emotion of it all. Do you best to keep things light and happy, as nobody likes to see a grown man in tears. If there are some personal things you would like to say to your daughter, but don’t want to include in your speech, write them down for her to read on the day instead.

The last word

Ask any public speaker what their biggest fear is, and they’ll pretty much always say it’s forgetting where they are in their wedding speech. Fumbling over your words and getting a bit lost is nothing to be ashamed of, provided you can make a quick recovery and get back on track okay. Take your speech on cue cards with bullet-pointed reminders of what you want to talk about, rather than printing it all out in full. This will give you a more natural delivery, and will save you having to read through several paragraphs to find your place after getting lost.

If you do get stuck, use a moment to clear your throat, take a drink of water or give your daughter a kiss. These moments might seem a lifetime to you, but will feel like a natural pause to your audience, and will give you the breathing space you need to get things back on track. Take your time, don’t panic and try to enjoy your moment of fame.

Take a deep breath, and count to ten

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The ever-growing to do list

You think you’re getting to the end of the list, happily ticking it all off, but then you’ve found that somehow more things to do have magically appeared on the end. Ticking off one thing makes you remember to do another. It just keeps going, and going, and going, and going. Will it ever end? The answer is yes! Keep it up – you’ll miss it when it’s gone!

Nosy parkers

Once you’re engaged, there are a number of questions that you’re almost guaranteed to be asked by anyone you talk to. Why are they asking what your baby plans are when you’ve just got the ring on your finger? You can barely decide on the colour of napkins for the wedding yet, let alone a baby’s name…

Yeah but no

Something that is super annoying, and understandably so, are the people who are SO up for helping you out with bits and bobs for planning your wedding day, but then… then they just don’t. You don’t understand why, because you swear they were just excited as you were. But you know what? That’s not what you need, so focus on what you – and the friends that WILL stick to it – can get done!

Monster-in-laws

Well, every bride-to-be will know she’s not alone here – we mean, there’s even movies on it! We know, it’s not just the mother-in-law that can be a bit of a pain, it’s your own mother too, but what you need to remember is that it’s all out of the goodness of their hearts. Sometimes they just need a little bit of reminding that it’s your wedding day, oh and that you’re not a baby anymore.

Cancellations

The days leading up to the wedding: the last thing that you want is something that you’ve been planning gets cancelled. Whether that be some mishap with your chosen wedding florist, entertainment, or even one of your invited guests. Whilst your wedding flowers being cancelled is worse than the seats at your reception not being filled, either way, just breathe. Remain calm, and your problems will be resolved quicker.

Comparisons

There is nothing worse than getting excited about your wedding plans with one of your friends or family members and their reply to be, “Oh yes, Sally did that” or “Well, Sally didn’t do it like that “. Firstly, you don’t care what Sally did, and secondly why mention that!? You needn’t worry about any comparisons or any expectations, because it’s YOUR wedding and not Sally’s!