Guest Post: Wedding Make Up Artistry with Amor Mi Vida

Hey! Today's guest post is from a very talented make-up artist from Amor Mi Vida, who features some great tips on finding the perfect make-up artist for your big day! xx

My work is diverse and will find me travelling near and far from my base near Bath in the heart of The West Country. Whether home or venue, I am delighted to share my professional knowledge and enthusiasm with my brides and their families. 

It is perhaps, a little difficult to put into words how special wedding mornings are...tears, elation, nerves, lots of laughter and bubbly! I have offered comfort, tissues and a shoulder on which to gently weep many a time. 

Each one of my brides is unique, their wedding day as different as the next, always a joyous occasion. I simply adore weddings, the excitement as the plans begin and the adrenaline rush towards the big day.
Months, even years of meticulous planning resulting in the wonderful, happy moments that will make your wedding day memorable with my hands playing a part in ensuring you look fabulous.

From a small, intimate wedding with a handful of guests to a large, busy wedding with many hundred guests, I have met many lovely brides, all of whom share a vision of their perfect bridal look, share it with me!

I feel privileged indeed, each time I am asked to create your dream look and consider it an honour.

SO...HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT WEDDING MAKE UP ARTIST-FOR YOU

I often hear from my bride "But I won’t look like me!”
I always answer “ You certainly will, just a more beautiful, polished version of yourself."

I often hear from my bride “I am scared I will look caked in heavy, thick make up."
I always answer “The correct technique for your base is crucial, I tailor products to each bride accounting for skin colour and tone, with a feather like base your skin will look flawless."

I often hear from my bride “What if the MUA is bossy, does just what she wants-I will cry!” 
I always answer “ Communication is key, my trials are completed quietly and without rush, I cannot stress enough how important it is to talk, have a good understanding and above all, remember who is getting married here!"

Referrals and good old word of mouth are excellent as are testimonials from previous brides when you are looking. Some of my testimonials have bought tears to my eyes over the years. It is a great feeling knowing I have achieved beauty and beyond!

My advice to all you lovely ladies out there looking to book your wedding day make up, above all else ensure you feel comfortable in your own skin with your make up artist at your side, and I promise you
the result will be worth it!

Amanda x @myamormivida www.amormivida.co.uk 

Wednesday Wedspiration: Pink Ombre

Ombre is totally in this year! I only wish I knew about it when I was getting married!

It is aesthetically pleasing as it is like a color wheel: showcasing the same color in light to dark shades.

What better way to be creative and flatter your bridesmaids' skin color with using the right shade of pink, or whatever color you choose, for their dress?!

Clockwise from top left: weddbook, bellethemagazine, she finds, theknottybride, lovellabride, bellethemagazine, tumblr

What do you think about giving your wedding an ombre theme?

Michelle xx

Guest Post: Five golden (and silver and and silk and diamond) rules to follow in wedding planning

Hey everyone! Isabelle from Ballara Receptions has written a really helpful post for you brides-to-be!

Check it out! xx

In all the wonderful madness and excitement and difficulty and hard work and decision making and joy of wedding planning, here are some ground rules to stick to help you keep your cool in the months leading up to your wedding.

Set boundaries

Even though you want all of your family and friends involved in your day, helping you through it and sharing the experience, you are the boss, and everything comes back to you. Make it clear that it's your day, and that on this one day, everything must bend to your will, and everyone else is there to support you. Now, your challenge is to this without becoming bridezilla, because no one likes those.

An image of a reception centre ready for wedding guests to enjoy the wedding meal

Choose your location early on, and stick to it

If you book your location early, you will make all of the planning and arranging much easier for yourself. If you are able to tell the caterer, the decorator, the planner, and the guests where the whole thing will take place, you will save a lot of work. A place like Ballara receptions has the facilities to accommodate every element of a wedding, which can be great because it means no waiting and no moving in between ceremony and reception. That can be great, and really convenient, but if you have your heart set on two different locations, do that.

Remember what it's about

This is the affirmation of love between you and your new spouse. Everything should be in service of that. If there are things that are causing trouble for you or that aren't as you imagined, then they aren't worth it.

Include your closest

The best memories are your memories of your joyous interactions with others. Try and include everyone who matters most to you, they will be thrilled that you want them involved in your wedding.

Tradition

You can choose the traditions that you follow. Remember, tradition isn't set in stone, and just by getting married you will be adding to and adapting tradition. You're creating it, and carrying it on. You're joining families and people together, so you're making big changes in the world already. If a tradition feels like it doesn't fit, don't try and follow it slavishly.

Guest Post: Cherry Morello, Vintage Singer

Hey all! Today's guest post comes from Cherry Morello, a very talented vintage singer! Check it out!

My name is Cherry Morello and I am a vintage singer, specialising in the old-time classics from the '20s, '30s, '40s, '50s and '60s. I am based in the East of England, but available for weddings and events all over the UK. I am inspired by old Hollywood glamour, from big ballads to seductive burlesque, swing classics to sultry jazz standards, with songs by Marilyn Monroe, Ella Fitzgerald, Doris Day, Jane Russell, Nina Simone, and many more from the golden era of music. My vibrant and elegant set is perfect for making a beautiful wedding, vintage or otherwise, as special as it deserves to be. I work closely with my clients to make sure they have the music they want for their special day.

I have been singing and performing for over 20 years, in various guises, from indie-pop bands to rock bands, acoustic guitar bands to disco funk bands, and although music has always been a passion, I found it hard to find my musical niche. I have a very eclectic taste in music (more so as my other half is also a fellow muso with altogether different tastes!), but I have always loved listening to the old time classics and jazz standards. Marilyn Monroe, Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone are my idols. It was whilst sitting at home, listening to Nina one weekend that I realised that this was the music I wanted to make. It is music I love to listen to and that always makes it more fun to sing.

The seeds of the idea sown, I then took to looking for backing tracks, choosing a set list, researching the market and working out what I needed to do to get started as a business. Finding good quality backing tracks was probably the hardest and most important part of the process. Whilst I will always try and add any requested songs to the set, I refuse to use bad quality backing tracks. Luckily, I happened upon a few sites with tracks played on real instruments (rather than synthesized), and I have managed to put together a lovely, mixed set which currently stands at 79 songs, but is being extended all the time. I then bought myself some beautiful dresses (all in the name of art, of course!), took some photos and made myself a website, Facebook page and Twitter page (never underestimate the power of social media!). I finally had a name and an identity. Cherry Morello was born and ready to hit the circuit.

I scoured the internet and made contact with as many vintage wedding, vintage events, burlesque events, clubs, venues and blogs as I could find. I introduced myself to the entertainment circuit and, I have to say, the response I got was overwhelming. There were a lot of vintage and wedding fairs in the early days, something I still really enjoy doing, not only for advertising, but because you meet so many lovely people, which quickly led to bookings and now repeat bookings. I have also sung at burlesque events, Great Gatsby 20’s/30’s events, fashion fairs, various private parties and various charity events. Each one has been different and that is why I love what I do.

I have had some amazing feedback from the fabulous clients I’ve worked with, which is probably the best part of my job. Knowing that you have, in some small way, contributed to making someone’s event fun and special, is a wonderful feeling and something I treasure. It is great to work closely with clients to put together the set they want, along the way often introducing me to new vintage songs that I may not have known before but have completely fallen in love with.

Anyway, that’s me! There is more information available at my website www.cherrymorello.co.uk; along with samples of my work, a full set list, contact details, news and links to some of the lovely people I have had the pleasure of working with along the way. I have been lucky enough to be able to sing the songs I love, build up a small business and bring joy to lots of amazing people. I don’t think it gets much better than that.

If you are looking for a great vintage singer for your wedding, please head over to www.cherrymorello.co.uk and get in touch. Whatever your budget, wherever you are I will help to make your day as special as it deserves to be.

Cherry Morello

Guest Post: How To Pick the Perfect Wedding Rings

So, you've got your engagement ring, but what wedding ring will you pick? Read the guest post below to help you find that perfect wedding ring!

How to pick the perfect Wedding Rings

Sometimes more thought is put into the wedding flowers than a couple’s wedding rings. It is important to remember that the rings you say ‘I do’ to are symbols of your partnership and will be worn every day for the rest of your lifetime. Therefore it is important to take into consideration such factors as comfort and metal as well as style and cost when picking your rings.

We have asked Diamond and Jewellery Expert and Founder of Diamond Manufacturers, Vashi Dominguez to provide us with some advice to pass onto our lovely readers, this is what he said…

Before looking at rings it is important that you and your partner agree on a budget. Weddings are expensive so it’s important that you plan your budget well, but remember don’t scrimp too much on the wedding bands as these are rings that you will wear for the rest of your life. Agree on your budget and then stick to it! Make sure you research the market to ensure that you get the best wedding rings for your money. Buying rings online can save you over a third on prices, so it’s worth taking a look on and offline to really find out what you can get for your money and work out your favourite styles.

Once you have agreed on the budget the next step is to decide on whether you opt for matching bands or choose individual styles. Some couples choose to have identical bands in different sizes and others just opt for the same metal, whilst others choose something totally different. Really this decision is down to overall taste. Just choose what works best for you and your partner.

Whilst trying on rings always be aware of their comfort and your lifestyle. You will probably wear the ring at work whilst typing and doing sport so make sure that you don’t run a risk of the ring becoming uncomfortable during the day. If you have an active lifestyle which involves a lot of manual labour you may want to consider opting for a platinum or titanium ring as these are the strongest of the jewellery metals and will with stand general wear and tear better than say gold or silver.

The next step is to decide on the style of ring. Would you prefer a plain wedding ring or include diamonds? Whichever style you choose just always remember that you will be wearing the ring in excess of 50 years so make sure that you choose something that will still be in favour with your tastes in a decades time.

If you choose to have diamonds in your ring, make sure that you read up on the 4C’s to ensure that you get the best diamonds for your rings and if you and your partner want something totally unique why not get your rings engraved or custom bespoke rings which you design yourselves for that extra special touch. Diamond Manufacturers (soon to be Vashi.com ) offers a bespoke service to customers as well as free engraving with any plain Wedding bands, so you really can add something personal to your special day.