YOU’RE ENGAGED! CONGRATULATIONS!!

….and now you have the (hopefully) fun task of planning your wedding!

Many brides start their wedding planning with booking in a hair and makeup artist, or booking the venue. There are 1000’s of amazing hair and makeup artists all over the country so it can be a very daunting task!

Using my experience over the years, I decided to write a blog post on how to choose a great bridal hair and makeup artist, and also how to make the most of your bridal trial, should you want to have one. Enjoy!

1. Many artists are super flattered when a bride books them without a trial, however – to be honest I think a trial is very important regardless of how sure you are of the persons work. Firstly, at a trial you are able to check whether you have a good rapport with your bridal stylist, who is usually the person who will be with you the most just before your entrance! Also, at a trial you’re able to try out different looks that may suit your eye colour / face shape / hair colour that you never thought to try. Lastly, there may be products that do not work well with your skin type, and its much better to find out at the trial than it is on the wedding day!

2. You can book the trial whenever you feel comfortable, most brides book the trial in as soon as possible in order to secure the date for her wedding day. Some brides book a trial 3-6 months before the day once they know what they will be wearing. Some brides have two trials, one before booking, and one closer to the time. I always take detailed photos and notes on the trial day to ensure that I am able to recreate the chosen look effectively.
3. Wear a top (if you can) that is a similar shade to your dress. The colour of your dress will effect how your makeup will look. You want everything to tie together as much as possible for you to really be able to visualise the final look. That being said – on the day of the wedding, it is entirely possible to tweak colours to match your wedding dress.
   

   Photo Credits:- Manisha The London Beauty Stylist

4. Ensure that you have collected some photos of looks that you like, ideally of women who are of a similar skin tone and bone structure got you, or women that have similar hair length and texture to you. In particular, pay attention to the eye shapes on the looks you choose. This is a huge help, as it gives the artist an idea of the level of intensity of the makeup. In my earlier years, brides would come to me and say “Oh, I don’t know, do whatever”, my “whatever” was totally different to their expectation of what “whatever” was. From now on, if the bride has not prepared any photos for me to refer to, I’ll ask her to find some for me before I begin applying any makeup.
5. Bring some photographs of you from a special occasion, where you really love the way your makeup turned out. Again, this is a huge help and helps artists see the level of intensity of makeup you would wear on a regular basis. If someone shows me their regular photos and their makeup is pretty glam, I’ll know that I can go a bit more on the side of glam makeup, if someone tells me they never wear makeup, I’ll know that I may want to soften it down (unless they ask me to glam it up!). At the end of the day, the artist wants you to feel your very best, many times this will be something close to your usual makeup style, everyone has their things that they are particular about, don’t be afraid to let your artist know of these. For example, I will only line my own lips, I prefer the way I do it!
6. Be realistic, don’t come to your trial with photos that are heavily edited, filtered or photo shopped. Remember, the makeup application has to look great in person, as well as in photos and video, heavy contour could look great in photos but look overwhelming in person. Your artist should be able to advise on how to get a balance of both looking amazing in person, as well as via your professional photographs. Personally, having had some training as a photographer, I’m able to do this pretty easily.
7. If you want a heavily made up look, don’t go for a trial with someone who specialises in very light makeup and vice versa. All artists have their specialities. For example, I feel that my style is: flawless base without looking too made up & very blended glam eye makeup. Someone else’s style may be super simple eye makeup and a heavily made up flawless matte base. Look through the artists galleries, would you want to look like some of their clients?
8. Sometimes at the end of the trial, once you look in the mirror, it can be a little bit of a shock. You’re sitting in a makeup chair, probably in a comfy jumper and some jeans, and you’ve got this gorgeous glam face on! It can be hard to visualise how it will look when it all comes together. Please bear in mind that on the day of your wedding, you’ll be in a gorgeous wedding location, with a beautiful dress on, your hair done, your jewellery on, surrounded by your guests, loved ones, who are all dressed up for your big day. Your surroundings, and your clothing will effect how your makeup appears.

9. 

   Photo Credits:- Manisha The London Beauty Stylist

   9. Consider choosing a separate hair stylist and makeup artist. There are a couple of advantages to this: usually they are both super talented and specialist in what they do and can concentrate on their job rather than juggling both, it can save time on the day, as some parts of the hair styling can be done at the same time as some parts of the makeup application. If you have other people in the bridal party such as your mum and sister who also require their hair and makeup done, this can also help as the makeup artist and hairstylist can both work on one person each. I personally work with some amazing specialist hairstylists and help to match one up to my brides requirements and budget, where possible.
   10. 10. Usually a makeup trial will take around 2 hours, and a hair trial will take 3 hours, so will be priced accordingly. I personally try out around 2 different looks on each side of the face for a makeup trial, we will then discuss the overall looks and adjust where required.
       11. If you’re having a hair trial, ensure that your hair is washed (ideally the night before otherwise it’s a little too silky), and dried before arrival. Bring any hair accessories and hair jewellery you may already have, if you have your blouse that also helps!
       12. Do not underestimate the job of a great hair / makeup artist! I know I may be being biased here, but the way you feel about the way you look on the day has a massive effect on how much you will enjoy your day. You could have the most amazing dress and jewellery and then ruin the entire look with less than perfect makeup.
       13. Due to the wonders of YouTube and Social Media, everyone has a little bit of a MUA in them these
           

           Photo Credits:- Manisha The London Beauty Stylist

           days, often the artist will have had years of training and be highly qualified, respect that and trust them to make you look and feel beautiful. I have been on bookings – again in my earlier days – where I have felt like a puppet with a makeup brush, and the overall result has not been as amazing as if I had been trusted to just do my thing.

Finally, enjoy yourself! I absolutely love having trials with my brides, I really feel like it gives us a chance to get to know each other – after all, you’ll be spending a considerable amount of time with your chosen artists and you want to be comfortable with them.
I strongly advise you to take account of all of the above advice in order for you to have an enjoyable and effective trial, weddings can be extensive and there’s usually a significant cost involved in having a bridal trial, so make the most it!

All of the photos in this article are previous clients of mine.

Contact me here to book your bridal trial.

HAPPY WEDDING PLANNING! 

Manisha x

Blog Credits: Manisha – The London Beauty Stylist

Hi Brides-to-be,

Hope you’re having a lovely day! Today’s blog is all about knowing how to wear your jewellery, in particular necklaces! Indian culture includes many different types of accessories and necklaces especially, come in a wide range of lengths and styles. This blog is about the different necklaces available to wear, when and how to wear them including on your wedding day!

There are 6 main styles often worn by a bride, these are:

• Collar- Tightly around the neck
• Choker- Tightly against the base of the throat
• Princess- On the collarbone
• Matinee- Between the collarbone and the bust
• Opera- On the bust or an inch/two below
• Rope/Lariat- Wrapped to sit on or just below the centre of the bust

A collar or choker tends to work much better with a high neckline. A choker will work beautifully on a long, thin neck, however if you a shorter neck it can make the neck appear wider than it really is.

If you are of tall or average height than a necklace of any length will most likely suit you depending on your face shape and neckline. If you are shorter in height, long necklaces can sometimes be overwhelming and in chunky designs.

If you have a round face shape, a longer necklace with a pendant attached to it, makes the face appear slimmer and portrays a slimming “V” around the base of the face as it glides away. If you have a heart-shaped face then shorter necklaces are a better option as it shows a smoother look.

A quick way to figure out the best necklace length for you is to, measure the extended length of the necklace you wear most often. It is likely this is the most flattering length for you.

Photo Credits:- Pinterest

Photo Credits:- @Kundanbride

Hope this helped ladies, don’t forget to choose what you love best!

Rohita X

Hi brides-to-be,

I hope you’re having a fab week! One of the most important things for a bride is what she’ll be wearing on her wedding day. Traditionally, a red lengha is the most commonly worn to the morning ceremony. However, more and more  brides are opting for different colours and different designs. Here are some pros and cons to help you decide what you feel is best for you!

Pros of wearing red

• Colours hold an important position in Indian culture; each hue and shade signifies some aspect of your life. The colour red is often associated with love and passion
• Red is often worn by Indian women, as the colour enhances beauty and skin complexion. The red is usually seen to look striking against brown skin tones
• The colour red is deeply rooted into Indian culture, therefore wearing red on your wedding day sticks to tradition from many years ago

Photo credits:- Pinterest

Photo credits:- Pinterest

Pros of wearing different colours

• Red might not be the colour for you and many designers now offer suits, saree’s and lengha’s in a variety of colours. This means you can play around with colours, choose what suits you best and search for an outfit in the perfect colour for you!
• Wearing a bold colour will definitely set you apart from the crowd, so you’ll always be remembered for how you looked even after your big day
• Even after your wedding day, you can wear your outfit many times over! Wedding dresses are often worn once and left in the cupboard, by wearing a different colour you can choose to wear your lengha/saree/suit to other functions without clashing with a bride who might wear red!

Cons of wearing red

• More people now wear red to weddings as it is a colour that sometimes cannot be avoided! This can potentially take the attention away from the bright, bold red colour of just the bride
• As red is often traditionally worn, outfits that are predominantly red are usually very expensive

Photo credits:- Mo baigs

Photo credit:- Kreative Klicks

Cons of wearing different colours 

• Wearing a different colour strays from the heart of Indian culture and tradition that had been carried for a long period of time
• Wearing a different colour might create conflict between you and your loved ones who wish for you to wear red on your wedding day, this might especially be the older generations in your family

Hope this helped brides, have fun choosing!

Rohita x

Everybody loves a good holiday, relaxing on the beach under the sun by the clear blue sea. For some brides and grooms, this in fact is the perfect setting for their big day, yes ladies and gentleman I’m talking about a destination wedding!! However, some couples prefer a traditional ceremony in their hometown, so to help you decide we’ve put together a list of the positives and negatives.

Pros- Destination Wedding

• Resorts abroad help greatly to create a simpler and stress-free environment for your wedding, as a part of the package some even offer complimentary services.
•  Destination weddings often include a smaller invitation list. This means you are able to spend your special day with the people you truly love at an intimate gathering.
• Having less people, means you’ll spend less money on a grand hall for an extravagant reception.

Cons- Destination Wedding 

• Having a destination wedding offers some risks, as there are often complications with trying to get a marriage license in order to marry abroad.
• A location far and uneasy to get to means, some of the guests you really want on your big day may not be able to attend due to expenses or difficulty getting time off work.
• Unfortunately, we do not have the power to control the weather! Therefore, a con with destination weddings is the risk of natural disasters.

Pros- Hometown Wedding 

• Having lived and grown up in your hometown, it is likely that you’ve established connections and made friends. This means you’ll already have your choice of beauticians, rental companies and people that you can trust.
• Wedding stress is something every bride or even groom cannot avoid! You may find that getting married in your hometown is the comfort and calm you need. You know the place like the back of your hand, take a stroll round the park or head to your local ice cream shop to calm those nerves, it’s  very nostalgic.
• They say “never forget where you come from”, so what better way than to blend your past and future in the very place that is central to your life.

Cons- Hometown Wedding 

• If you and your groom are not from the same town, this might cause some conflict if you both have strong ties to your hometowns.
• It might just be that you do not like your hometown! Perhaps it’s the people or just the place itself and you want to hold this memorable day at a different location.
• Extended family who live near you, may want to include loads of ideas for your wedding day if it’s taking place in your hometown,and this often creates stress and tension.

Hope this little list of pro’s and con’s helps you to make the decision that fits right with you and your spouse!

But if you have fallen for a destination wedding, take a look at how the beautiful Sherelle & Raj did there Civil & Reception in the stunning location of Lake Como earlier this year!

Catering & Event Management:- Maharaja London

Photo Credit:- Didarvirdi

Film: Cineture 

DJ: Kudo’s Music 

Decor: Phoenixwed 

Rohita x

Hello brides-to-be, as your big day is arriving quickly important decisions must be made all the time, and with social media becoming a large part of people’s daily lives, another decision must be made! INVITES!! Should they be paper or online? We’ve put together some pros and cons to help you make the deciding vote.

Pros- E-Invites

• Social media is ever growing and more people use a smart device
• Saves money! It’s very cheap and usually free
• They can be updated easily and fast! Date or time change? You can edit these little bits of information yourself

“image Credit:- Pinterest”

“image Credit:- Pinterest”

Cons-E-invites

• Some electronic invitations can be dismissed. Some people might not receive your message to begin with and others might miss your important information
• If you choose to upload your invite on a public forum, your guests will be able to see who else has been invited and sometimes this mightn’t be a good thing

Pros- Paper Invites

• Nothing beats style! A classy, elegant paper invitation is sure to draw people in

• Everybody has an address, but not everyone has social media or an email

• It’s more private, which makes it personal to your guests

• There is a nostalgic feel about keeping your invitation as a momentum of your special day

“image Credit:-Dove and Peacocks”

“image Credit:-Dove and Peacocks”

Cons-Paper Invites

• Sometimes they are thrown away and create waste which is not eco – friendly 

• The purpose of a wedding invitation is solely to inform, which makes it single event only. It doesn’t allow for communication between the guests and hosts continuously.

• They are costly as there are many to purchase!

Have Fun!

Rohita x