If you are anything like me then most of your treasured photos are either in a box at the back of a cupboard or on a memory card in a drawer. Well a new contemporary design company has come up with a thoughtful means of cherishing special events in your life so that rather than being tucked away in a dusty album or shoe box the special photographs of your wedding can be proudly displayed on the wall of your home.

All you need to do is send them a collection of your favourite photos and their skilled design team will create a beautifully personalised montage that tells the story of your special day. You can choose from a range of montage designs in contemporary and stunning shabby chic frames or on canvas, with anything up to 200 photos.

Wonderwalls come in all sizes and fall under three categories: The Little Wonderwall charts a child’s early years, The Love Wonderwall is an artistic montage of relationships and weddings and The Life Wonderwall presents a special opportunity to record a life history.

Following an initial consultation where individual preferences on style, event, possible wording and colour are discussed, Your Wonderwall produces a design and layout to suit your home in just three weeks. Each bespoke creation is individually designed to suit your home, your style and your occasion, with prices ranging from £140 – £400.

For more information contact Your Wonerwalls on 07973 943232 or visit www.yourwonderwall.com

Once a month I will be sitting down with some of the countries top wedding planners to pick their brains, asking them to spill the beans on all their tips and secrets. This week I interviewed the fabulous Julie Dawson of www.theweddinggenie.co.uk

What are the first things a bride should think about when starting to plan her wedding?
•    Set your priorities. Successful weddings are ones that truly reflect a couples style and personality. Decide what is really important on your wedding day, what you both absolutely want and won’t compromise on. Make a list of 3 -5 main areas and carry it wherever you go. It may be the venue, the photographer, the dress. Whatever they are, they are laying the foundation of your wedding plans.
•    Choose the Style of Wedding and Set the Date. Decide on a church or civil service, modern or traditional style for example.
•    Set A Budget!! Most important. If not you will run up your own national debt. You can apportion your priorities to it so that out of the money you have you should definitely spend on the areas that are most important to you. Everything can be moved around. Remember it’s your money and you can spend it how you like.
•    Make a guest list – Your guests make your wedding special so think about who you really want to be there. The numbers will also impact on your budget.
•    Choose a venue – do this early many popular venues can be booked up a year or so in advance.
•    Choose a photographer – this is really important, your photographs are what’s left of your day when everything is over. Good photographers get booked early too.
If you put these big rocks in place you will be well on the way to a great plan. Remember, planning is easier if you cut it up into bite sized chunks. Making too many lists is overwhelming and confusing. Most of all have the wedding you want and not the one everyone else wants you to have.
Read on…

I am very excited about the launch of the ‘State of Grace’ website www.thestateofgrace.com, London’s only bridal destination for wedding dress design, bespoke styling and personalised hair and make-up all under one roof.

The site offers a rare insight into the magical world of Founder and Creative Director, Lucia Silver who has been transforming the head to toe looks of the great, the good and the famous for over 10 years, whether for their weddings or for red carpet and other special occasion wear needs.

Using a top team of experts usually the reserve of red carpet celebrities, State of Grace is a fully integrated design, styling and beauty service that has the ability to transform women into the best they can be for their big day.

Wedding dress design & styling services are priced from £1200 for wedding dress and from £250 for bridesmaids’ dresses. There is also a beautiful selection of garments and accessories for mothers’ of the bride and groom and wedding guests.
Read on…

Lets be honest girls, after the dress the wedding cake has to be one of the most important parts of your big day! But the cost of wedding cakes seems to be getting out of control, so lucky for us Kenwood, the UK’s leading kitchen appliance maker, along with Eric Lanlard, award-winning patisserie and dessert chef have put together some top tips for making your own wedding cake. Yay!!

1.    One of the most important things you can do if you are going to make your own wedding cake is practise. Practise and practise again. Make sure you do this well ahead of the big day, too, you don’t want to realise the weekend before your wedding that you can’t make it.

2.    For the best icing results pop to any cake decorating shop, or specialised bakery, and get hold of a polystyrene dummy cake. You can then try icing it over and over again until you are happy with the results.

3.    If you aren’t convinced about your icing skills after all, you can still make your cake but then take it to a cake decorators, who will be happy to complete the icing for you.

Read on…

Stoke Park’s Palladian Mansion, set amongst 350 acres of outstanding beauty, is truly one of the most breathtaking wedding venues in Buckinghamshire and for the fifth consecutive year it will be holding it’s very own Wedding Open Day on the 31st of October.

An array of the finest wedding specialists will be on hand to guide you through and help plan every aspect of your special day to the finest detail. Dressmakers, florists, photographers, wedding cake designers and Stoke Park’s very own dedicated Wedding Co-ordinator will all be present to provide an extremely high standard of service.

On Sunday 31st October 2010, you will also be able to learn about the fully inclusive wedding packages that Stoke Park provides. With dining facilities for up to 120 guests, 13 SPA SPC treatment rooms situated in the award winning spa and 49 luxurious bedrooms to choose from, each individually decorated with fine antiques and all offer breathtaking views across historic gardens and landscaped parkland, Stoke Park will truly make your day a memorable occasion.

The Wedding Open Day will commence at 11.00am and finish at 4.00pm. Complimentary admission and a welcome drink will be given upon arrival.

The Sassi Holford Summer Sale starts on Saturday 3rd July and will be running through to Saturday 17th July. There will be amazing reductions of up to 75% on selected sample gowns from both the 2009 and 2010 collections.

In the Fulham Road, London boutique it will be first come, first served on the opening Saturday but by appointment thereafter, call 020 7584 1532 to book in your appointment.

The Taunton, Somerset boutique will also be offering huge discounts on sample gowns by Kate Sherford, Constantina and Blue by Enzoani: 01823 256308.
Both shops will also be giving a 10% discount on all new orders for 2010/11 winter weddings taken during the sale period.

For more information and dress details visit their website www.sassiholford.com

Luxury wedding dress designer Jenny Packham has designed a limited edition pin badge exclusively for Cancer Research UK’s wedding favours range.

The pretty pink and silver pin badge, in the shape of a cupcake and decorated with diamanté crystals, is in keeping with Jenny’s art-deco look and would be a stylish addition to any couple’s big day.

Couples planning to tie the knot can order a pin badge for every guest along with personalised favour cards incorporating the bride and groom’s names and wedding date.  The badges can be pinned to the cards or can complement more traditional favours.

All the charity asks is that couples ordering the favours make a suggested donation of £2.50 per pin badge, which goes towards Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work.
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This week was very exciting for The Wedding Girl’s SOS as Look magazine ran a feature on successful bloggers and yours truly was aked to be part of it!

We had a wonderful photo shoot at Luella’s Boudoir in Wimbledon, a treasure trove of vintage dresses and accessories to-die for! The boutique made the perfect back-drop for the shoot.

I was a bag of nerves when I arrived but the stylist, hair & make-up artist and photographer were all fantastic and made me feel completely at ease, we spent all morning having a great laugh and hopefully getting some good pictures in the process.

You can pick up a copy of the issue in stores now or you can read the article by clicking here.

Thanks so much to the fab photographer Sam Jones of www.samjonesphotographer.com for letting me share the pics on my blog and to Rachel Atwell of www.luellasboudoir.co.uk for closing up her gorgeous boutique so we could hold the shoot there.

As most of you know I am a huge Freya Rose fan, I simply adore her gorgeous wedding shoes! So obviously I am very excited about the The new collection, the ‘Duchess Collection’ incorporates hand made flowers made from beautiful duchess silk, offering a chic and sophisticated look. The Mother of pearl collection is also stunning and beautifully compliments both bridal and special occasion attire. Using mother of pearl shell trims and their signature heels with hand mosaic mother of pearl. Also keep in mind that the shell also compliments any colour if shoes are to be dyed.

The new collection will be available at the end of June on the Freya Rose website www.freyarose.co.uk

If you’re looking for a glamorous and unusual way to throw a hen party then look no further than the exclusive new experience with Cake Boy, the cake emporium and cookery school owned by sexy French Pâtissier, Eric Lanlard, who has baked cakes for Madonna, Claudia Schiffer, Liz Hurley and Elton John.  Launched by Red Letter Days The Cupcake Decorating master class with Eric, is available now at only £49 per person.

You and your hens will be taught skills that you can replicate at home, using simple cake decorating tools. This hands on experience takes place in Eric’s gorgeous Cake Boy boutique, a unique cake emporium which looks like it’s straight out of a scene from Sex and The City! You’ll all learn to spread and pipe buttercream icing like a pro, use subtle and vibrant paste colours, roll and cut icing to create decorative shapes and adorn your cakes with glitter, sprinkles and more. All materials are provided, including plenty of unadorned cupcakes and everyone will get to take home 12 of their very own gorgeous cupcakes.

Also be in with a chance of wining £1000 for baking a cake…

If you fancy yourself as the next Eric Lanlard, Red Letter Days is also launching a national baking competition to celebrate its 21st birthday. Red Letter Days are inviting the public to bake it a birthday cake for the chance to win prizes, including an all expenses paid trip for 2 to Sri Lanka from Advantage Luxury Specialist, a cake making master class with Eric, and £1000 worth of Red Letter Days.   Cup cakes, fairy cakes, celebration cakes, any type of cake – there is no restriction on size, shape, colour or recipe, and entries can be submitted as photos or videos to social.redletterdays.co.uk, the brand’s new online community. Launching on 31st May 2010 and open to ages 12 and up, the competition will culminate in a birthday cake-off in London between 8 finalists on July 5th (the brand’s birthday), to be judged by Eric himself.

Let the cake-off games begin!

On Saturday  the of 19th June from 10 am – 5pm, the Bloomsbury hotel will be hosting their first wedding showcase. The Bloomsbury Hotel is one of London’s most desirable and elegant wedding venues. From the grand stone steps to the enviable range of chic suites and event spaces alongside a stunning alfresco terrace, this listed neo-Georgian building, designed by Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, blends original period features with modern and memorable luxury.

Hosting a Wedding Showcase for the very first time, The Bloomsbury Hotel invites brides, grooms and wedding parties to explore the wide range of rooms whilst meeting the accomplished wedding team over a glass of cool Pimm’s.

Dressed for the occasion, discover the breathtaking Queen Mary Hall and smaller, book-lined Library, both set up for ceremonies as each room has its own marriage and civil partnership license. Walk through the Grade II listed George V Hall to appreciate how this room becomes a lavish dinner and dance venue for up to 180, and take a moment to pause on the wonderfully rare alfresco terrace, perfect for summer receptions. With a stunning Chapel room completing the collection, The Bloomsbury Hotel is a truly unique wedding destination.

To reserve an a place at The Bloomsbury Hotel Wedding Showcase contact: Janaina Crane on 020 7347 1208, e: janaina_crane@doylecollection.com

The Bloomsbury Hotel
16-22 Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3NN

To find out more visit www.doylecollection.com/bloomsbury

What if I told you that you could avoid the hassle and expense of a traditional wedding at home and say ‘I Do’ in a sun drenched paradise for FREE!!  Well it’s true, Breezes Resorts are offering couple a free wedding, with the choice of an intimate exchange of vows at Breezes Grand Negril and Breezes Rio Bueno in Jamaica or a traditional family friendly occasion at other Breezes resorts.

With a dedicated wedding planner at each of its 13 all-inclusive resorts around the Caribbean and Latin America, couples can sit back and relax, as their tailor-made ceremony is created specifically for them, safe in the knowledge that the location will be stunning and all the essentials will be included.  Breezes Resorts are located in Jamaica, Bahamas, Cuba, Curacao, Panama and Brazil.
Read on…

Not only can getting married be a costly affair for the bride and groom but also for the wedding guests as a new outfit, a wedding gift, time off work, baby sitters, and the cost of attending a hen or stag party are all part of the bill.  Hen and Stag parties have seen a shift from an evening celebration to long weekend breaks and even week long holidays in the sun. Whilst it’s an exciting time for those involved the event shouldn’t be marred with the stress of spiralling costs. So if you have been appointed the all important Hen Party Planner role, here are some top tips from our friends at GoHen.com….

Hen parties for the most part appear slightly different from stag groups in their approach to booking events. Typically a hen will be concerned about being exposed in any capacity to the group, she will worry more than stags but in most cases she will plan in more detail to mitigate any shortfall in preparation. Hens also book less as they fear being ripped off and will often attempt to organise various activities on a one-to-one basis as opposed to booking complete packages with a service provider. The key is to book with a reputable, recommended and reliable company like GoHen.com who provide excellent value for money packages, professional assurances, not to mention saving money in time, calls, confirmations, hassle, pressure, to do lists etc.
Read on…

Internationally renowned designer of luxurious bridal gowns Caroline Castigliano has unveiled her new website www.carolinecastigliano.co.uk

The new website introduces a fresh visual style, revolving around the bridal 2010/11 collection to inspire brides-to-be, you can enjoy watching clips from recent collection showcases as well as interviews with Caroline and behind the scenes footage from photo shoots.  The new site also enables you to share their ‘wish list’ dresses with friends directly and via social networking platforms and to join the Castigliano Exclusives membership clubs.

Check out the gorgeous new website at www.carolinecastigliano.co.uk