Yesterday was my 6 year anniversary. To celebrate we went shopping for our wedding rings.
We both went with a clear idea of what we wanted. I wanted a white gold wedding band quite plain and engraved. My Fiancé also wanted a plain wedding band engraved.
I really liked the idea of matching rings and I wanted mine to be quite classic.
We went to a large town centre that had a wide range of jewellery shops so we could have a look at as many different options as possible. We decided not to rule anywhere out and to just wonder into every jewellers that we passed.
We started by going to F Hinds. The majority of the stock was displayed in the window so you had to shop from outside.
We walked into the store and asked to take a look at the wedding rings as we had trouble spotting them. The response from the sales assistant was welcoming but lacking any kind of service. She explained that the rings were on the bottom row... We gave up and moved onto the next jewellery shop.
The next Jewellery shop was Goldsmiths. We had a warm welcome and the team member gave us her full attention. She encouraged us to try on different styles and suggested different rings that would sit nicely with my engagement ring. They had a really good product range on display and catered for a wide range of budgets.I enjoyed the experience but wanted to visit other places so we said thank you and went carried on shopping.
The next shop we went to was H Samuel. A team member introduced herself and showed us the range of rings on offer. They had a good selection from lower budget to premium rings, which is something that I was not expecting. I used to visit H Samuel for little stud earrings when I first got my ears pierced and wrongly associated it with just that.
The service was very informative and I liked that the team member had enough confidence and product knowledge to give her own opinions. This was my favourite experience so far and we both left feeling really happy.
On to the next shop... Ernst Jones. My approach was delayed and the service I received was very minimal... I feel that even if my dream ring was there I would of thought twice about buying it as the experience and care was not what I expected...
We looked across the way and there was another H Samuel which was a lot larger than the other one so we popped in to take a look at the product range. We were greeted and given a warm welcome. The lady took us over to the wedding rings and asked lots of questions to try and see what it was that we wanted. She was full of suggestions and ideas and you could tell she really enjoyed her job and the products. We tried on a lot more rings on and finalised our ideals. The lady was really friendly and the whole process was a really happy experience.. I would recommend them to anyone looking for wedding rings as they really do cater for all budgets from the very small to premium and the personal touches can be introduced along the way.
When you are shopping for rings be sure to set your budget before you go and stick to it.. It is very easy to get caught up in the moment and over spend.
We had a 10 minute break after visiting each store to make sure that we discussing our options and had some time to reflect.
Consider what look you are going for, what metal your engagement ring is, what shape your engagement ring is and any engravings or personal touches you would like to add.
Have a look at each retailer on-line so that you have an idea of what each store stocks and the price ranges they cover.
Do not panic if the ring you want in your mind doesn't look right in reality... I wanted a plain white gold band and ended up getting a completely different ring which is also the exact opposite to my fiancés. I would compare the feeling to wedding dress shopping... you will try on a ring, fall in love and then you will stop looking!! Just keep looking until you get that feeling.
Make a day out of ring shopping. It's a personal day and should just be about the two of you.
Please share you wedding ring experience below. It would be lovely to hear a few more stories.
Have a nice day
The Wedding Assistant x
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
Wednesday, 5 February 2014
Product Review - Benefit - They're Real Mascara
I have used a few benefit mascara's before. My favourite being Bad Girl Bad Lash mascara.
I have oily lashes and I find that a lot of mascara's glide off of my lashes and onto my face creating a not so glamourous black eye look. For this reason I tend to choose waterproof mascara's as they tend to have a stronger staying power.
Whilst purchasing my normal Bad Girl mascara the assistant recommended that I try the new They're Real Mascara. I was a bit unsure as it is not waterproof but as it is smudge proof I thought I should give it a go.
The packaging is really informative and explains how the mascara should be applied to achieve the best result and also shows a before and after photo.
I really like the silver mirror effect mascara tube. It makes a nice change from the regular black tubes and makes it nice and easy to find in the depths of your make-up bag.
The brush is a good size although the bristles were shorter than I expected. The head of the brush is flexible which was different to the mascara's I normally use. Both of these features allowed me to coat my lashes close to the lid and gave me greater control of curling and separating my lashes.
The mascara was a nice texture. My lashes felt thick and full of volume. This feeling lasted throughout the day.
4 hours after application I took a photo of my eyes and the mascara had stayed in place - No black eyes!
I would recommend this mascara to someone that wants a dramatic lash effect that will last all day. It now has a perminant home in my make-up bag.
Monday, 3 February 2014
Stylish ways to keep warm / dry / cool on your wedding day
1) keep warm - If you are having a Autumn / winter wedding here are a few ideas on how to keep warm.
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I Love this cape by Gilly Gray. I the feather detail is beautiful.
£160 from Notonthehighstreet.com
Samples Worn Once or New
this shrug is a brand new real feather discounted shrug priced at £99
http://swoonweddinggowns.co.uk/feather-bolero-i3444.html
BHS Have a wonderful selection for affordable items.
This shrug is priced at just £39.99
http://www.bhs.co.uk/
This long sleeve shrug is from Etsy which is a great place to pick up unique pieces and one off bits and bobs. Priced at £62.59http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/62215970
2) keeping dry
There are lots of pretty umbrellas about. You can get personalised one's, lace, and all different colours and styles.
Here's a few of my favourite picks...
Ivory Victorian lace umbrella £18.95 from http://www.umbrellas4life.com/
Personalised umbrella £13 from http://www.tiptopweddingshop.co.uk/3) Keeping cool
Fan Ebay £4.99 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ivory-Handmade
Feather Fan Amazon £3.99 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pams-Feather-FanMonday, 27 January 2014
On the road - White Horse Weddings Tea Green
The Wedding Assistant On The Road..
Location: Tea Green
Capacity: Holds up to 120 guests for dining
price range: Packages start from £3995
As I drove to visit The White Horse I couldn't help but notice how picturesque the journey was. Little county roads, fields and trees. I could imagine how lovely it would be travelling from a wedding to the reception venue.
There are fields surrounding the venue which would create a lovely backdrop for photos and there are great facilities including a children's play area, parking and a marquee which can be decorated to make your wedding day experience unique to you.
I love how the marquee is decorated in this photo. The colour range and the mixture of fabrics make the marquee feel extra special and unique.
The venue is very well loved and you can see that a lot of care goes into the business. There are range of packages on offer that can be tailored to suit your needs and requirements.
When I was looking for a venue the flexibility factor was very important to me. I wanted to create a personal wedding and add details that would make the day my own and this venue allows you to do just that :)
I also like that there are no hidden costs... There is nothing worse than finding a venue that fits your requirements and your budget and then being told that there are extra charges.
You can take a look at the packages on offer by clicking on the links below.
I had a wonderful time viewing the venue and meeting Jon who owns White Horse Weddings. I have even been invited back to the venue to meet the team and see how they set up and prepare for a wedding and the attention to detail that goes in to making the day run smoothly.
I cant wait to go and see first hand how a big day is put together. If you have any questions you can contact the venue directly by calling 01582 722855 - or you can email INFO@WHITEHORSETEAGREEN.CO.UK
If you have any questions please comment below and I can take them with me to be answered.
Have a nice day - The Wedding Assistant
Sunday, 19 January 2014
Wedding Dress Shopping
Wedding Dress Shopping can be the nicest experience where it all goes perfectly or the most frustrating experience where you are left feeling as though finding 'the' dress is just not going to happen!! But don't worry.. YOU WILL.
I would say that my experience was a mixture of both....
The first time I went dress shopping was 15 months before the wedding.... It was more of just an ideas shop than a serious hunt for the perfect dress.
The first shop I went to was Expressions Bridal in Hitchin. The shop was recommended to me by a few friends.
The shop had a lovely feel to it and the owner of the shop was extremely welcoming. We were given white gloves to wear which I found fantastic as it showed how much the store cared about the dresses. I was given discs to pop over every dress that I wanted to try. I gave a few to family members as I wanted to try a variety of styles as it was more for ideas.
The owner (Carole) was so helpful suggesting fits and styles to fit my shape and had a selection of shoes to try so that you could see how the dresses hung.
I really enjoyed my experience at expressions and would recommend the service that they provide.
After my first wedding dress experience I realised that the task of finding 'the dress may be a slightly longer process than I thought, but I was excited to get started and began doing my research...
I looked at what style of dress suited my shape, What material I wanted, the colour, and the size of the train.
I've worked in fashion retail for a long time so feel that I knew exactly the shape that I wanted but still visited websites for inspiration as I wanted to keep an open mind.
There's lots of information on-line and lots of pictures to give you guidance but overall you need to go with a style that you feel happy and comfortable with.
(image from Pineterest)
I knew the material I wanted and decided on the colour.. So now the hunt for 'the dress' was on.
I put my ideal dress description into Google images and Pinterest and browsed for hours. I found that the dresses that caught my eye were all by the same designer so I narrowed down my search by looking at the designers websites. I was left with two dresses that I really liked and saved the images and the product details on my phone.
Later that day I met up with my friends for tea and cake and showed them the pictures of the dresses that I liked. Louise (one of my Bridesmaids) had seen the dress in the window of the wedding shop near where she lived so the next day without an appointment my Mother and I went to the shop to see if it was 'the dress'
IT WAS!! The owner at Hammonds invited me in and allowed me to try on dresses without an appointment. The ladies must have spent a good hour and a half with me and again we tried on a variety of styles.. I then tried on 'the dress'. Before I looked in the mirror I looked down and just knew it was the one. I remember popping my head out of the changing room curtain and saying to my mum "I think this is the one'
I really loved the dress but felt it was too early to buy..
The dress was a sample as the dress had been discontinued, and It fitted... but I left empty handed.
I then stopped looking 3 months but didn't stop thinking about the dress that id tried. My mum and I went to sample sales, shops in different counties and to other bridal shops that stocked the range.
My highlights were
http://www.bradgatebrides.com/sale-gowns-bridal-sale-gowns-c-48_5.html
A wonderful shop that specialises in discounted dresses, really friendly staff and they hold dresses in a wide range of styles and sizes. I even got a follow up call from them a few months after when they had received something similar to what I wanted.
http://www.mignonette.com/
A Stunning shop where the owner was extremely helpful. The shop is beautiful and they hold a great selection of dresses. I could have easily spent all day there.
It was whilst I was trying on dresses in this store that the owner explained to me that I had already picked my dress in my heart and that I just had to go and buy it.
SO that's exactly what I did!!
The bad bits.
We went to one 'discount wedding store' that I will not name. The owner claimed that she could get me the dress that I wanted, in the size that I wanted without any trouble...
I knew that the dress that I had chosen was the last one in the country so I was a bit confused that she said she could get it.
Looking back... the quality of the gowns was not up to scratch. The materials were thin, The lace was not like I had seen in other stores and they didn't take much care over the gowns.
Its easy to get caught up in the moment of wedding dress shopping so if you feel that something is not right or too good to be true then you are probably right.
The work that goes into a wedding dress, the structure of the bodice and the fit can not be copied. Fakes will never come close to an original. Do not waste your money on cheap copies unless your happy to throw money away.
If you want to save money on a dress then going to a Sample sale or a discount store is the way to go.
If you want to check the authenticity of a bridal shop, most designers list every shop they stock on their website.
Also please make sure when you go dress shopping that you remove fake tan and make up. Treat every dress as if its the one that you are buying.
I am buying my dress hoop and veil elsewhere. I will let you know how I get on.
If you would like any help on checking the authenticity of dresses or what sample sales / stores to visit then please comment below.
Please click on the follow button below to keep up to date with my posts.
Happy dress shopping
The Wedding Assistant x
I would say that my experience was a mixture of both....
The first time I went dress shopping was 15 months before the wedding.... It was more of just an ideas shop than a serious hunt for the perfect dress.
The first shop I went to was Expressions Bridal in Hitchin. The shop was recommended to me by a few friends.
The shop had a lovely feel to it and the owner of the shop was extremely welcoming. We were given white gloves to wear which I found fantastic as it showed how much the store cared about the dresses. I was given discs to pop over every dress that I wanted to try. I gave a few to family members as I wanted to try a variety of styles as it was more for ideas.
The owner (Carole) was so helpful suggesting fits and styles to fit my shape and had a selection of shoes to try so that you could see how the dresses hung.
I really enjoyed my experience at expressions and would recommend the service that they provide.
After my first wedding dress experience I realised that the task of finding 'the dress may be a slightly longer process than I thought, but I was excited to get started and began doing my research...
I looked at what style of dress suited my shape, What material I wanted, the colour, and the size of the train.
I've worked in fashion retail for a long time so feel that I knew exactly the shape that I wanted but still visited websites for inspiration as I wanted to keep an open mind.
There's lots of information on-line and lots of pictures to give you guidance but overall you need to go with a style that you feel happy and comfortable with.
(image from Pineterest)I knew the material I wanted and decided on the colour.. So now the hunt for 'the dress' was on.
I put my ideal dress description into Google images and Pinterest and browsed for hours. I found that the dresses that caught my eye were all by the same designer so I narrowed down my search by looking at the designers websites. I was left with two dresses that I really liked and saved the images and the product details on my phone.
Later that day I met up with my friends for tea and cake and showed them the pictures of the dresses that I liked. Louise (one of my Bridesmaids) had seen the dress in the window of the wedding shop near where she lived so the next day without an appointment my Mother and I went to the shop to see if it was 'the dress'
IT WAS!! The owner at Hammonds invited me in and allowed me to try on dresses without an appointment. The ladies must have spent a good hour and a half with me and again we tried on a variety of styles.. I then tried on 'the dress'. Before I looked in the mirror I looked down and just knew it was the one. I remember popping my head out of the changing room curtain and saying to my mum "I think this is the one'
I really loved the dress but felt it was too early to buy..
The dress was a sample as the dress had been discontinued, and It fitted... but I left empty handed.
I then stopped looking 3 months but didn't stop thinking about the dress that id tried. My mum and I went to sample sales, shops in different counties and to other bridal shops that stocked the range.
My highlights were
http://www.bradgatebrides.com/sale-gowns-bridal-sale-gowns-c-48_5.html
A wonderful shop that specialises in discounted dresses, really friendly staff and they hold dresses in a wide range of styles and sizes. I even got a follow up call from them a few months after when they had received something similar to what I wanted.
http://www.mignonette.com/
A Stunning shop where the owner was extremely helpful. The shop is beautiful and they hold a great selection of dresses. I could have easily spent all day there.
It was whilst I was trying on dresses in this store that the owner explained to me that I had already picked my dress in my heart and that I just had to go and buy it.
SO that's exactly what I did!!
The bad bits.
We went to one 'discount wedding store' that I will not name. The owner claimed that she could get me the dress that I wanted, in the size that I wanted without any trouble...
I knew that the dress that I had chosen was the last one in the country so I was a bit confused that she said she could get it.
Looking back... the quality of the gowns was not up to scratch. The materials were thin, The lace was not like I had seen in other stores and they didn't take much care over the gowns.
Its easy to get caught up in the moment of wedding dress shopping so if you feel that something is not right or too good to be true then you are probably right.
The work that goes into a wedding dress, the structure of the bodice and the fit can not be copied. Fakes will never come close to an original. Do not waste your money on cheap copies unless your happy to throw money away.
If you want to save money on a dress then going to a Sample sale or a discount store is the way to go.
If you want to check the authenticity of a bridal shop, most designers list every shop they stock on their website.
Also please make sure when you go dress shopping that you remove fake tan and make up. Treat every dress as if its the one that you are buying.
I am buying my dress hoop and veil elsewhere. I will let you know how I get on.
If you would like any help on checking the authenticity of dresses or what sample sales / stores to visit then please comment below.
Please click on the follow button below to keep up to date with my posts.
Happy dress shopping
The Wedding Assistant x
Thursday, 16 January 2014
Mini Post
Just a mini mini post to remind every bride 2 be to remember that Pinterest is a great place to create mood boards and gain inspiration.
I have spent the last 20 minutes looking through DIY pew ideas.
I love looking through the imagination that has gone in to DIY wedding projects-
Remember : Grow your own - Sew your own - Collect your own
If it goes wrong the first time try again :)
Thank you for all for taking the time to read my posts.
The Wedding Assistant
.
I have spent the last 20 minutes looking through DIY pew ideas.
I love looking through the imagination that has gone in to DIY wedding projects-
Remember : Grow your own - Sew your own - Collect your own
If it goes wrong the first time try again :)
Thank you for all for taking the time to read my posts.
The Wedding Assistant
.
Monday, 13 January 2014
Task 3 continued - Reception venue ideas
I just wanted to take some time to share with you some affordable venues around the Beds and Herts area.
When your looking at venues you should view them as a blank canvas. Most wedding venues are a big empty room and its the decoration that gives them the WOW factor.
You can make an empty space beautiful with just a little imagination. If you put Village Hall wedding into google you will see exactly what I mean.
A lot of the venues below are in lovely grounds and even if you wanted to extend a venue you could always enquire to see if the grounds are suitable for a Marquee, or you could use party tents and gazebos to host the welcome drinks and give people and extra space to use.
This image is from google images.
Venue: Woburn Village Hall
Capacity:120
Cost: £300
http://www.woburnvillagehall.org.uk/Hire%20the%20Hall.html
Venue: Unity Hall
Capacity: 80
Cost: £15 per hour
We Went to view Unity Hall and I instantly fell in love with it.
It had such a welcoming feel and it was all nicely enclosed with grounds outside. It has a Kitchen, cloakroom and lots of parking.
As soon as I walked into the main hall I instantly decorated it in my mind.
http://bartonunityhall.wix.com/home
Venue: Stanbridge and Tilsworth community hall
Capacity: 150
Cost: on application
http://www.iloveleightonbuzzard.com/community/venues-for-functions/function-venues/756-stanbridge-and-tilsworth-community-hall.html
Venue: Millbrook Village Hall
Capacity: 80
Cost: price on application
http://www.millbrookvillagehall.co.uk/Millbrook_Village_Hall/Welcome.html
Venue Pirton Village Hall
Capacity 120
Cost on application
http://www.pirton.org.uk/VH%20Brochure%20aug07%20zigzag.pdf
We wanted to have an empty space from the start. Somewhere that we could make ours and the freedom aspect was really important.
We have hired our hall for 3 days so that we had a full day to set up, a day for the wedding, then the next morning to clear up.
I hope this gives you a bit of inspiration.
The Wedding Assistant
When your looking at venues you should view them as a blank canvas. Most wedding venues are a big empty room and its the decoration that gives them the WOW factor.
You can make an empty space beautiful with just a little imagination. If you put Village Hall wedding into google you will see exactly what I mean.
A lot of the venues below are in lovely grounds and even if you wanted to extend a venue you could always enquire to see if the grounds are suitable for a Marquee, or you could use party tents and gazebos to host the welcome drinks and give people and extra space to use.
This image is from google images.
Venue: Woburn Village Hall
Capacity:120
Cost: £300
http://www.woburnvillagehall.org.uk/Hire%20the%20Hall.html
Venue: Unity Hall
Capacity: 80
Cost: £15 per hour
We Went to view Unity Hall and I instantly fell in love with it.
It had such a welcoming feel and it was all nicely enclosed with grounds outside. It has a Kitchen, cloakroom and lots of parking.
As soon as I walked into the main hall I instantly decorated it in my mind.
http://bartonunityhall.wix.com/home
Venue: Stanbridge and Tilsworth community hall
Capacity: 150
Cost: on application
http://www.iloveleightonbuzzard.com/community/venues-for-functions/function-venues/756-stanbridge-and-tilsworth-community-hall.html
Venue: Millbrook Village Hall
Capacity: 80
Cost: price on application
http://www.millbrookvillagehall.co.uk/Millbrook_Village_Hall/Welcome.html
Venue Pirton Village Hall
Capacity 120
Cost on application
http://www.pirton.org.uk/VH%20Brochure%20aug07%20zigzag.pdf
We wanted to have an empty space from the start. Somewhere that we could make ours and the freedom aspect was really important.
We have hired our hall for 3 days so that we had a full day to set up, a day for the wedding, then the next morning to clear up.
I hope this gives you a bit of inspiration.
The Wedding Assistant
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