Special Announcement

They have closed all betting on Harry and Meghan's getting engaged!!

 

Oh the poor souls can you imagine, please give them peace and time to work out the future of their relationship. 

Yes she had arrived in London and if the pair have any sense they will take their time and not be pressured into any such announcement. After all Meghan has been married before & surely should take time to get used to all the rigors of royal rigmaroles. 

Ok so her role as Rachel Zane means she has been trying wedding dresses but Bridal Designers from around the world have been creating wedding dress designs for her. 

Chelsea's flagship atelier Sassi Holford says Meghan would be easy to dress and would be honoured and humbled to make her wedding dress.  The sketch above is Sassi's idea, with fine tulle, hand- appliquéd on to a semi-opaque duchess organza to give it lightness & movement. 

While Ines Di Santo from Toronto says she would deem it the highlight of her career to create a wedding gown for the stunning Suits star. The dress Ines is figure hugging made of ivory Lyon lace embroidered with crystals and pearls with a train of tulle and raised silk organza flowers and a soft blush underlay. As you can see from the sketch it's an off the shoulder design with a low cut back to show case her statuesque physique. 

Meanwhile Dennis Basso, a New York couturier who has dressed Melania Trump and Catherine Zeta-Jones says designing a dress for fellow American Meghan Markle would be a dream come true. 

A traditional yet regal, also modern and contemporary dress in a subtle shell white, soft duchess satin, with deep pleated folds from the waistline, pearl and Swarovski crystals across the shoulder line, swirling on the train and on the cuffs of 3/4 length sleeves. 

Below is Jacques Azagury's design. 

It would be made from tulle over white organza decorated with 3di appliqué flowers in silver and white, which would also cover transparent upper body, arms and back. This design by Ben De Lisi is one of three that he did. Feminine and flouncy with bell-shaped sleeves with beads and seed pearls around the neckline. The finishing touch is the gathered georgette train, to give the dress grandeur. 

With his flare for smooth, flowing lines, striking silhouettes and use of sumptuous fabrics, the Danish fashion Designer Uffe Frank has designed Meghan a white organza,scoop- neck gown, with little embroidered silk flowers, butterflies and fresh water pearls. 

This design by Frenchman Stephane Rolland is in a white crepe with a cape of gazar. After he took into account all the things he feels Meghan likes and what suits her shape he wanted to emphasise her stunning figure and confidence. To add a Royal touch he has added appliquéd lace on the train which comes from the middle of the back. He hopes the Queen would have a vintage brooch on the side to highlight the shoulders. 

Nikki Yassemi also wants to show off Meghans long legs and fabulous figure and so envisages a combination of a fitted dress with a flowing train, the best of both worlds. Nikki has chosen a shade between ivory and white, the fitted part of the dress is lace embellished with beading. The billowing train at the back would be in a heavy silk organza. The sleeves and upper body are tulle decorated with lace. 

Well now out of all of these which would you choose??

Congratulations to the Royal Couple.

Wow!!  When Britain's 21-year-old Princess Elizabeth married 26-year-old Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey in 1947, the wedding sparked joy and celebration in a country just recovering from World War II.

Norman Hartnell designed her dress. He said " I helped make the Queens wedding dress and I loved it so much"

Her wedding dress featured a fitted bodice, a heart-shaped neckline with scalloped edge and an intricate 13ft star-patterned train. With stars being so on trend at the moment you could say the Queens dress is still inspiring wedding dresses today. But I have to admit I see them more as daffodils, what do you think?

The gown featured the rose of York and was hand-embroidered with more than 10,000 seed pearls and crystals.

 The Princess was given 200 extra clothing coupons from the Government towards her wedding trousseau as was the custom for all brides during the time of rationing after the Second World War.

 Women across the UK, keen to ensure Princess Elizabeth would have the dress of her dreams, sent their own coupons to the young royal to help out. But it was illegal to give coupons away and the gifts had to be returned.

Seven decades on, the couple who would become Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip -- now 91 and 96, respectively -- are still going strong, their marriage a bedrock in British public life amid a world of change.

The pair wed at Westminster Abbey in London on Nov. 20, 1947. On the day of the wedding Prince Phillip is said to have promised his new bride he would give up smoking. 

The Queen started her day with a cup of good English tea while the Duke is said to have supped a gun and tonic before the ceremony. 

At the time, Winston Churchill summed up the occasion in 1947 as "a flash of colour on the hard road we travel," according to BBC News.

Like today the Queen had plenty of bridesmaids 8 in total. Princess Elizabeth's eight bridesmaids wore wreaths in their hair of miniature white sheaves of lilies and London Pride, modelled in white satin and silver lame.  One of her bridesmaids was her sister Princess Margaret. 

There were two pages - the Princess's five-year-old cousins Prince William of Gloucester and Prince Michael of Kent, who were dressed in Royal Stewart tartan kilts and frilled white shirts.

Today Prince Phillip can still fit into his Royal Navy uniform he wore that day. ( how many people could say that today!)

Not many of us will celebrate 70 yrs of marriage!!

Could this be our next Royal Couple to be married??

Speculation is growing and already bridal designers have been saying what they would suggest for Meghan. 

What would you choose if you could design the Dress of Your Dreams??

Bridal lingerie for every dress.

The Best Bridal Backless Body, it's ivory, it has beautiful embroidery detail, you can even have your initials and the date of your wedding put in it if you would like. 

With most brides picking backless or illusion embroidery detailed dress it not until you start having your fitting that you realise the importance of your foundation garments for your Big Day. 

So if you have a beautiful dress that needs extra special  beautiful underwear then let us help you make the right choice. 

This low back body has good structured and padded cups with straps that can be adjusted accordingly. You have the choice of wearing suspender straps for stockings or not. It is so good and such good value. 

This ivory boned bodice is not just as low in the back but nearly and it is all about support for you bust and your waistline. 

There are lots of beautiful and brilliant pieces of lingerie which can be adapted to suit your needs. 

Probably best for a private consultation to get help and advice as to what you prefer. Phone or message for an appointment. 

2018 Bridal Trends

Bridal fashion week for 2018 has been and gone, but we are still dreaming over the debut looks on the catwalks. 

2018 bridal fashion is bursting with inspiring collections, striking styles, and dreamy trends and although traditional bridal beauty and fashion will always be a firm favourite, its clear that for 2018 bridal trends are decidedly fashion-forward. 

Embroidery is everywhere. 

Having gotten used to the traditional pastel tones of all things weddings, designers decided to shake things up and introduce a bold and chic new palette for 2018: Monochrome. 

Featuring bright, optical white dresses and contrasting them with striking black accessories was a hot trend on the catwalks for 2018. Perfect for an ultra-chic and modern bride, take inspiration from Vera Wang’s enlarged black flowers, opt for long black gloves that can be removed like Reem Acra or strip it back and opt for a ballet-style slimline black belt to highlight your waist or to wear as a necklace.

 We have all the new 2018trends covered for you make an appointment to discuss your ideas for your dress.

Sleeves are popular,I'm loving these sleeves, what do you think?

Shoes well this is the shape of shoes for next year, we have plenty of shoes for your to choose from. 

Bad news turns to good news.

One poor bride collected her dress from a shop and never thought to check inside the bag as she presumed it would be perfect. She got home to find a yellow mark across it and then the shop didn't want to know anything nor help her sort the matter.

Always check your dress before leaving any shop. 

To cut a long story short the bride ended up having to buy another dress just in time for her wedding day. But this brave bride decided take this shop to the small claims court for justice and  to hopefully make sure this might not happen to another bride from the same shop.

Today I have good news the bride won her case, she was awarded full damages and court fees. So the lesson of this story is if someone does an injustice to you don't be frightened to take the to the small claims court and argue your case. & Please please please girls use all your senses when it comes to things to do with your wedding so that you never have to go through that experience.

Autumn 2017, the latest update.

We have had our summer weddings and I hope everyone enjoyed every minute. It's very Autumnal now & the nights are getting darker. 

I'm working away on ideas for dresses, two pieces, embroidery, headpieces, veils and photos of all the ideas to show you and keep you up to date. As well as all of that I keep in contact with other designers and hear their latest thoughts and ideas. More & more of you shop online. 

Something that has been troubling us over recent months has been the rise of wedding scammers. With many of you turning to online forums to find your wedding suppliers we implore you to do the necessary checks to ensure the people you are speaking to are credible and trustworthy.

 It seems everyone wants your business and whilst they may be extremely good with an array of fabulous images and testimonials please investigate further before handing over your hard-earned pennies. This is your special day and we would hate it to be ruined by a less than a scrupulous supplier. The industry is full of fabulous suppliers all wanting the best for you, don't let the less than moral ones take you for a ride.

If you are in any doubt, speak to previous couples who have booked them, check their reviews, due diligence to ensure your perfect day is just that!

One poor bride collected her dress from a shop and never thought to check inside the bag as she presumed it would be perfect. She got home to find a yellow mark across it and then the shop didn't want to know anything nor help her sort the matter. She ended up buying another dress just in time for her wedding day. Please please girls use all your senses when it comes to things to do with your wedding. Not everyone is as trustworthy as you and me. 

Enjoy every second of planning and having your Big Day. 

The joys of working for yourself.

 Running a business can be exhausting - there is no such thing as 9-5! If you’ve cracked that, then hats off to you - but for the vast majority of small biz owners, the idea of a 9-5 will forever be  the elusive dream. 

We battle to find a balance and set boundaries - which is even harder if like me you live sleep and breathe work. It can feel truly relentless at times when you’re busting a gut to try to earn enough income to pay your team, never mind cover your own bills.  

And if you have an off day or come down with a genuine illness, taking restful time off to recover and come back stronger is no easy thing - for some, it’s frankly impossible.

I wanted to share something positive that someone passed on to me earlier this week; if you’re going through a challenging time running your own biz, then stop. Stop, breath and trust in life. There are forces at work in the universe taking care of you - things *will* be OK.

That client might not have paid on time - they might not end up paying at all - but there'll be another new client soon who will. That potential customer might not get the value of what you do and make you feel like you’re offering something inferior. Walk away. Don’t waste a moment worrying about them. There will be other individuals who will value and appreciate all the effort and energy you pour into the job you love.

It’s also perfectly OK to say ‘no’ when people are asking you for more. Discounts, freebies. Trust in life, trust in yourself - you don’t need to justify your fees or the way you do things to anyone.

In my experience, the more of a positive and accepting attitude I have when things get a little tough, the more things work out for the better in the end. Trust that they will for you too.

 "Or even starting any business at all. It means finding the challenges you have in your life, and determining creative ways to overcome those challenges."

Entrepreneurs choose to forego the security and familiarity of a 'regular job' to live an uncertain and insecure lifestyle. It takes a lot of bravery to make that tradeoff, but for icons like Walt Disney, the potential reward is worth it.

Entrepreneurs are rarely out to seek fame for themselves. Instead, they're more concerned with the people they want to help or the problem they want to solve. This infuses their task with a layer of meaning that can be the difference between success and failure when things get tough. 

Since they're in the business of creating new products and inventing new ways of doing things, much of what entrepreneurs do can't be taught in a classroom. They know that the most important lessons are learned through living, so throughout their lives, they remain open, flexible, and curious in order to absorb as much as possible.

They never give up. For most of us, the fear of failure is entirely paralyzing, but for entrepreneurs, failure is something to embrace. It's an indication of pushing the limits, and inevitable when one is constantly trying new things.

Entrepreneurs want to do more than indulge their own interests -- they want to solve a problem or create a product that satisfies a need and pleases their customer. 

Entrepreneurs execute when for many others, an idea simply fades into the past. They are masters of turning the abstract into the concrete. This seemingly simple action is one of the great challenges of life and in the end, it's what defines an entrepreneur.