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13
Nov 12

Five hot winter honeymoon destinations

When thinking of a winter honeymoon you may instantly think of rain, very low temperatures and snow, but although at home it may be like that, in some parts of the world it’s summer which means high temperatures, beaches and sexy swimsuits!

I have put together my top five destinations for a perfect and unforgettable winter honeymoon, so take your pick and get packing!

Hawaii

Hawaii’s diverse natural scenery, warm tropical climate and abundance of public beaches make it a very popular destination for newlyweds. It offers perfect weather all year round but during the winter months, it has extra attractions making it an idealic honeymoon destination. Surf season starts in late October and runs through March and whales visit from late November to May.

 

Argentina

It’s the most visited country in South America and its capital, Buenos Aires, the most visited city. Regarded as the “Paris of South America,” it offers elegant architecture, exquisite cuisine, a legendary nightlife, and fashionable shopping. Don’t forget to take some tango lessons whilst in this incredible country. The hottest months are Decemeber and January, when temperatures go up to 35 degrees.

India

Goa is an ideal setting for romance and relaxation offering multi-cuisine restaurants, clean and secluded beaches as well as excellent infrastructure and facilities. The temperatures during the European winter months are ideal, usually around 30 degrees. A 131-km long coastline means choices are aplenty. You can visit Anjuna for its lively flea market, Palolem for water sports and Calangute and Dona Paula for shopping, nightlife, food and drink. 

 

Belize

Located on the north eastern coast of Central America, Belize is on of the hottest destinations during the cold months, its dry season is from November to late April. Here you can discover the Belize Barrier Reef and over 450 offshore Cayes (islands). You can choose from hundreds of activities such as fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, rafting, kayaking, hiking, bird watching, helicopter touring and you can also discover the Maya ruins.

 

New Zealand

For those with a sense of adventure, New Zealand is the perfect destination. From extreme adventure to total relaxation,  like Belize, there are hundreds of activities to choose from. December and January are the perfect months to try river surfing, gliding and scuba diving or, for those who like their feet firmly on the ground, a hike in thousands of acres of National Parks. If you just want to sunbathe and relax, don’t worry, New Zealand has 15,000 km of beautiful beaches. 

Which destination is your favourite? If you are getting married during the winter months, do you want a hot or cold destination for your honeymoon?

MB xx

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08
Nov 12

Celebrity inspired floral bridal crowns

Forget tiaras and the traditional veil, this year is the year of floral bridal crowns. Until now, the beautiful accessory was most popular in vintage or bohemian weddings, but now traditional brides are choosing the floral headdress over other usual headpieces.

Celebrities such as Margherita Missoni, Peaches Geldof and Kate Moss have been the latest brides to make this trend a part of their big day.

 

To complement her amazing custom-made Alberta Ferretti wedding dress, Peaches chose a simple and elegant wreath of daisies. Margherita, on the other hand, had her three bridesmaids, Tatiana Santo Domingo, Eugenie Niarchos and her sister Teresa, wear daisy headdresses for her gypsy-inspired nuptials, as did Kate’s 15 bridesmaids for the country affair.

Traditionally it was only the bride’s flower girls who wore the crowns, but now everyone has taken a like to them, including A-listers for their red carpet appearances. Even designers such as Dolce & Gabbana have included them onto their latest catwalk shows.

The wonderfully colourful garlands are suitable for all seasonal weddings, whether it’s a summer or winter one. All you need to do is make your crown with the flowers in season. You can even match the wreath to your wedding colour scheme!

 

But there is one thing I love the most about these romantic headdresses, the fact that they can be made from real flowers, as seen in the picture above, dried flowers or silk flowers!

Actresses Anne Hathaway and Kirsten Dunst have gone one step further. Newlywed Anne was spotted months back wearing a floral headpiece made of crystals whilst Kirsten went for a special designer Dolce & Gabbana floral headband.

 

 

So out of all these, what headdress do you like most? Would you wear one on your wedding day or opt for the traditional tiara and veil?

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06
Nov 12

Royal Weddings: Princess Grace of Monaco

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Princess Grace‘s death and 56 years since her unforgettable nuptials to Prince Rainier III of Monaco.

The wedding, watched by an estimated 30 million people on television and dubbed the “The Wedding of the Century”, was attended by 600 guests, including Hollywood stars such as Gloria Swanson, Ava Gardner, Cary Grant and David Niven.

Grace Kelly‘s wedding dress, designed by Helen Rose, is still considered one of the most beautiful ever and has inspired brides worldwide, including Kate Middleton, who chose a very similar design for her big day.

Here we take a closer look at all the details.

The wedding dress

Truly fit for a princess, Grace’s wedding gown was a gift from the MGM film studios and was designed by Helen Rose who worked on it for six weeks with three dozen seamstresses. The dress, featuring a high collar and long sleeves, had a fitted bodice and voluminous skirt.

The bodice was made of reassembled rose point lace over silk net which had been re-embroidered by two seamstresses who worked on it for a month. Thousands of seed pearls were added to accentuate the patterns in the lace.

Bridal headpiece

Grace decided against the customary tiara and instead opted for a Juliet cap decorated with orange blossoms and a veil that was reportedly 90 yards long. The circular veil was edged with lace motifs, but the majority was left sheer, so that the princess’s face would be visible through it.

Wedding Bouquet

Grace’s bridal bouquet was made from Lily of the Valley and the ribbons of her bouquet had small sprigs attached to them. She left the bouquet on the altar of the Chapel of St. Dévote after the wedding.

Meanwhile, Grace’s matron of honour, her sister Peggy, and six bridesmaids carried bouquets of tea roses, whilst the flower girls carried white daisies.

Wedding Shoes and Bible

The shoes paired with Grace’s wedding dress were from Evins, New York, and were designed by David Evins. At the bride’s request, a copper penny was built into the right shoe for good luck.

Grace carried Rev. J.M. Lelen’s Bride’s Manual: A Manual of Catholic Devotion with Mass for the Marriage Ceremony and the Nuptial Blessing during her wedding to Prince Rainier. The book was a gift from family friend and was decorated by MGM’s wardrobe department.

Engagement ring

Rainier originally proposed to Grace with a Cartier eternity band of rubies and diamonds. When he saw other leading ladies in Hollywood were flashing bigger rings, he quickly ordered a 10.47-carat emerald-cut diamond ring with two baguette diamonds mounted in platinum. Grace can be seen wearing it in the aptly named film High Society – her final screen performance before becoming a princess.

Wedding dress sketch

This sketch of the gown was drawn by Helen Rose herself. The design of the dress was carefully guarded in the two months leading up to the wedding. It never left the fitting room,  the workspace was enclosed in partitions so no-one could catch a glimpse, and the dress was locked away every night.

According to historian Stephen Englund, who had access to MGM’s archives, the dress cost £4,500 (£36,000 today) in materials and manufacture, not including Helen Rose’s salary.  MGM stated that 23 metres of heavy taffeta, 23 metres of silk taffeta, 91 metres of silk net and 274 metres of lace were used, but the finished dress used only about a quarter of these amounts.

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04
Nov 12

The do’s and don’ts of buying an engagement ring

Following my previous post about beautiful engagement rings I spoke to diamond expert Vashi Dominguez, founder and CEO of DiamondManufacturers.co.uk, who has given me some guidance about the do’s and don’ts of buying an engagement ring.

His main advice? Well, a very simple one, “take your time” and ”save up”, he says.

“Some people let their girlfriend select her own favourite engagement ring. If you prefer to surprise her, however, you just need to follow the following do’s and don’ts to get it right!”

 

DO’S

  • Do shop around and browse online jewellery websites to get a good idea of what styles are available and what you could afford. Seeing what is available and at what price will also make you more aware of how to spot a great deal, ensuring you get the most sparkle for your money.
  • Do ask her mother, sister, friend or colleague for advice. They’re likely to know what style of jewellery she likes even more than you do. They may also be able to help find out what her ring size is, for example by casually asking if they could try on one of her rings.
  • Do take a closer look at what jewellery she already wears. The style and materials used will give you a better idea of what engagement ring she will love. Does she like big, bold jewellery or intricate, subtle rings and earrings? Is her preference for yellow gold, silver or platinum jewellery?
  • Do take her shopping. You’re pretty much guaranteed to come across a jewellery store or stall and your girlfriend will be only too pleased to point out which rings she likes. That doesn’t mean that she suspects you’re planning to propose to her; most women simply love jewellery.
  • Do decide how much you can afford to spend on an engagement ring. There’s no point in getting into debt for your engagement. Take time to save up as much as possible and only use your credit card if you really need it.

DON’T

  • Don’t buy a diamond engagement ring because everyone tells you it’s a tradition. If you feel your girlfriend really, wouldn’t like a diamond engagement ring, feel free to buy her a different engagement ring altogether. Sapphires and rubies are a popular choice with women who don’t like diamonds.
  • Don’t buy a ring with a wide band if your partner has short fingers. A diamond engagement ring should be proportional to the dimensions of her hands. A wide band can make short fingers appear even shorter, while an elongated diamond – such as an oval, pear or marquise shape – can make her fingers appear slightly longer. If your other half has large hands, a delicate engagement ring could look really small on them and merely emphasise the size of her hands.
  • Don’t buy any ring just because you have given up on finding the perfect one. DiamondManufacturers.co.uk can work with you to make a complete bespoke piece. Whatever your preference or budget, everything is possible.
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02
Nov 12

Ten breathtaking engagement rings

The most popular month to get engaged is just around the corner, that being December of course.

Some boyfriends choose Christmas Eve for the special moment while others pick Christmas Day and I think either one is a wonderful choice for bringing family and friends together to share in your joy.

But don’t worry if by Christmas Day your future fiancé hasn’t popped the question, the second most popular day is New Year’s Eve!

With the help of diamond engagement and wedding ring specialist DiamondManufacturers.co.uk, I have picked ten amazing engagement rings to choose from, so you may want to discreetly forward a link to this blog post to your partner!

And he need not worry about prices, these fabulous rings range from £500 to £4,000, perfect to suit all budgets.

1. A 0.75 carat halo engagement ring with side stones  - £2,299

2. A delightfully elegant design sculpted from gleaming 18k white gold and set with sparkling diamonds - £599

3. A stunning 0.95 carat halo engagement ring with side stones in 18k white gold - £2,199

4. Dazzling round cut 0.55 carat side stones engagement ring - £1,499

5. This delightfully elegant design is sculpted from gleaming 18k white gold and set with sparkling diamonds - £3,999

6. A 0.65 carat side stones engagement ring - £1,799

7. An elegant design made from 18k yellow gold  - £1,100

8. Round cut 0.65 carat side stones engagement ring in platinum – £1,899

9. Round cut 0.63 carat colour side stones in 18k white gold – £1,699 (above)

10. Round Cut 0.65 carat three stone engagement ring in platinum- £1,899 (above)

What ring would you love your partner to choose for you? Do you have a favourite from these top ten?

Keep an eye out for my next post filled with tips of the do’s and dont’s of buying an engagement ring (another one to forward to your boyfriend!)

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31
Oct 12

Top ten tips for a winter wedding

With the summer being taken over by the Jubilee and the Olympics, winter weddings have been forecast to be more popular than ever this year. These tips from Snapdragonparties.com will help to ensure you have a spectacular and magical wintry day:


Winter Wedding Shots by Joe Short

1. Wrap up warm: Avoid being photographed with a red nose, chapped lips and goose bumps with a stunning faux fur wrap and soft pashminas for the bridesmaids.

2. Think about your guests’ comfort: If you are having a church ceremony put some blankets in the pews. Churches are always colder than you think! After the service greet your guests with warm coffee and hot chocolate.

3. Transport: Classic cars and cold weather don’t go well, so why not opt for a horse and carriage filled with warm, wintry rugs.

4. Photographs: If you are having photographs taken outside, make sure that you and the photographer know exactly what the plan is and what the situation will be regarding lighting. You can also use the darkness to create atmosphere by floodlighting the outside of the church, for example.

5. Move away from convention: Serving cold champagne to an already chilled gathering isn’t great, so warm everyone up with hot toddies, mulled cider with calvados, eggnogs or warm brandy and winter fruits.

6. Warm banquet: To warm up, nothing better than a good meal, full of hot and delicious dishes, such as creamy mushroom soup and truffles as appetisers, beef tenderloin or roast duck for main course, and a fine selection of liquors and coffees.

7. Style and colour: If either of you have any Scottish blood, beautiful tartans and checks, heathers and feathers work really well. Alternatively, keep things classic and simple and go for white, silver and gold.

8. Contingency: The one thing you can’t control is the weather so you need to plan for all eventualities. If there is going to be any amount of walking around outside, you should tell your guests to bring their wellies. As long as everything is well organised, the whole ritual of putting them on and taking them off can be rather fun. If you can’t beat the bad weather, join it – apart from plenty of large umbrellas, have a pair of stunning pink or gold wellies on standby – ready for a few outrageous photos!

9. Centrepieces: A winter wedding is all about atmosphere and your centrepieces should excite all the senses. Beautiful candles, set amidst holly and fragrant spruce, hand-decorated chocolates and crystal decorations to reflect the candlelight will create a beautiful setting.

10. Ice-bars / ice-sculptures: Embrace the winter with ice bars and sculptures. With good lighting they can look amazing and really help to add to the atmosphere.

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30
Oct 12

DIY: Film Roll Wedding Invitations

Whilst looking for wedding invitations I came across a very original idea that I really loved, a film roll wedding invitation.

Inspired by Trevor and Larissa, the first couple to share their idea with everyone, I have created a simple invitation to show you how you can do it at home.

It is really easy, and once you get the hang of it, you can complete a film roll in less than five minutes!

Firstly, you need to get hold of empty film roll canisters. I rang up my local photography shop and asked if they could keep them for me instead of throwing them away, they happily obliged. By the end of the week, they had gathered a total of 40 for me.

Once you have the empty canisters, and you know what design you would like for the invitation, you need to think about the packaging.

I thought of various different packages, one of them being a nice organza bag with rice inside, but as an alternative (more personalised) option I decided to go for a cute homemade box instead.

Making a small box is not as difficult as you may think, especially with the help of a Cricut crafts machine (my new best friend!), which is used for cutting paper, vinyl and fabric. The Cricut machine does it all for you, it’s like a printer but instead of printing it perforates shapes on the paper, ready to be easily popped out to use.

Once you set up the Cricut and download the required software, you are all set to go. I chose a gift box from the wide range of designs they offer, and once it had cut it out for me, all I needed to do was fold the parts and stick them together with glue.

After finishing the packaging of my invitation, I began working on the film roll canister.

As I mentioned before, I decided to create a really simple design for the outside of my roll. All I needed was white address labels and a long strip of paper with the details of “my wedding” wedding written on it, such as who is getting married, where the ceremony is taking place and where I will celebrate.

Once you have your strip of paper cut out, all you need to do is tape the inside end of the it to the film spool.

Then you wind the paper into the canister and leave a tab for the recipient to unfurl the message, I chose the word PULL.

You can choose to leave the exterior of the film roll as it is or decorate it with an address label with text on it or any other personal decorative touch you may think of.

I went for the second option and included text on the outside of the roll.

To complete the invitation, I put the film roll inside my lovely box, filled the inside of it with rice and wrapped it with a bow.

Et voilà, wedding invitation done!

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24
Oct 12

Recreating Jessica Biel’s wedding look

Since Jessica Biel‘s wedding look has been such a hit, I have decided to recreate a less expensive version for all of you.

I have searched far and wide to make it as similar as possible, but it is very difficult to find wedding dresses with touches of pink. But seeing as both Anne Hathaway and Jessica have both opted for white dresses featuring the rose colour, I can imagine that next year’s gowns will have the romantic shade splashed all over them.

 

Out of all the dresses I have seen, Rosa Clara‘s 125/Dehesa design is the most similar one to the actress’. The dress, featuring lace and beading, is available from their website, and it’s a cheaper version of the custom, petal pink Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown that Jessica wore for her nuptials.

For the veil, I have also chosen a design by Spanish designer Rosa Clara. Made up of tulle, it is very elegant and simple.

 

As for the bouquet, the blushing bride chose a very rustic design made up of camomile flowers. A very similar option is this gorgeous, classic scented freesia bouquet from Wild At Heart. They offer wonderful bouquets at a reasonable price, this one in particular is just £60.

 

Jessica finished off her look with natural, minimal make-up and hair. Her make-up was very soft and included light pink lip gloss, blusher and nail polish, perfectly matching the tones in her dress.

Her hair was pinned up in a chic chignon, and her fringe was reminiscent of iconic Hollywood beauty Audrey Hepburn.

MB xxx

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24
Oct 12

Jessica Biel’s wedding dress designer

Yesterday morning, thinking about Jessica Biel’s wedding dress, a light bulb suddenly lit in my head.

I remembered I had seen pictures of the newlywed actress attending the Giambattista Valli Paris Fashion show back in October, and it suddenly hit me!

My suspicions were soon confirmed when HELLO! Magazine posted the first stunning picture of Jessica and Justin’s wedding this morning.

The 30-year-old star dazzled on her big day in a non-traditional white bridal dress with touches of pink designed by Giambattista himself.

She went for a natural and minimal look for hair and make-up, and her bouquet was made out of camomiles.

The designer, who was behind Margherita Missoni‘s gypsy-inspired wedding look, also dressed Jessica’s bridesmaids and mother.

But it doesn’t stop there, once the couple had exchanged vows, the bride apparently changed into a second dress to celebrate her nuptials, which we will be able to see in next week’s HELLO! issue.

Jessica has long been friends with the designer and has chosen his stunning gowns for premieres and award shows.

Most recently at the Total Recall premiere in London (above left), where she dazzled in a white lace tuxedo shirt and a feathered floral appliqué pencil skirt.

But Jessica isn’t the only celeb that favours Giambattista for special occasions.

Last year, Charlotte Casiraghi stunned at the Monaco Royal Wedding with her Couture ball gown created in a very special colour, ‘Princess Grace’ blue, in honour of her grandmother.

Emma Stone and Diane Kruger chose the designer to attend the Oscar’s and Cannes Festival, respectively.

Emma in a sticking red gown and Diane in a silk mint-green creation which totally took my breath away.

And last year, the designer attended the Met Ball with model Doutzen Kroes, who shined in a red tulle gown, a dress perfect for any A-List wedding.

What do you think of Jessica’s wedding dress? Would you have preferred any of the above?

MB xxx

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21
Oct 12

Royal weddings: Princess Stephanie of Luxembourg

After wearing a tweed cream Chanel suit for her civil ceremony, the new Princess of Luxembourg, Stephanie, left the world speechless, including me, with her stunning custom made Elie Saab wedding dress.

The glitzy affair included stylish princes and princesses from Europe, fireworks and a concert.

But all eyes were on the blushing bride and here we take a closer look at all the details.

The Dress

The bride walked down the aisle in an beautiful Elie Saab dress making her look exactly what she was about to become, a princess.
The A line ivory lace gown, designed personally by the Lebanese designer, took a total of 3,900 hours to make, 3,200 for embroidery and 700 of seamstress.
It featured a 13ft train embroidered with a silver leaf motif, three-quarter length sleeves and a silk tulle veil, decorated with silver thread, beads and pearls.

The Veil

The 15 metre silk tulle veil, attached to her chignon, complemented her tiara with its leaf motifs.

Hair and Makeup

The Princess’ stylish chignon was created by Tom Marcineau of the House of Carita in Paris. Makeup artist Bouzouk was responsible for Stephanie’s simple but feminine makeup.

Bouquet

Stephanie chose a lovely cascading bouquet made out of white orchids created by the prestigious Maison Lachaume in Paris.

Family Tiara

She followed her family’s tradition by wearing a Lannoy family tiara worn previously by her sisters on their wedding day.
Designed by the renowned Althenloh from Belgium, the tiara is made up of 270 diamonds inserted in platinum and crowned in the middle by a pear shaped diamond.

Rings

Honouring her late mother, the bride wore her mother’s engagement ring (below) on her left hand whilst wearing her own on her right hand. For their wedding rings the couple chose fair-trade gold, showing their humanitarian side.

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