Choosing your Wedding Dress

Hannah Michael offers an unrivalled styling experience for the Bride, Groom and the rest of the wedding party. We help you source or plan your outfits if you so desire, we get involved to ensure they coordinate the entire theme, colour, mood, texture and ambience of the wedding. We are meticulously detailed.

Below are some of our tips for shopping and picking that perfect wedding dress.

• First of all, it is important that you shop with an open mind. There are so many dresses in different styles out there to suit all different body shapes and sizes, and remember everything looks different on than it does on a hanger.
• Start looking for your dress approximately six months before your wedding. This will allow time for dress fittings and alterations.
• Do not go to more then 4-5 shops otherwise confusion will take over! Plus you want to be able to enjoy the whole shopping experience. Go to a shop that stocks a variety of designers and styles. Remember your dress should match the theme of your wedding – for a Vintage themed wedding, get a vintage styled dress and accessories, for a beach wedding, it might be very tricky to walk on high heels!
• Bring along an honest family member or friend who you know you can trust to tell you the truth, last thing you want is for someone to tell you everything looks great when in actual fact it is unflattering or you don’t even feel comfortable in it yourself.
• Do not forget to shop for the right undergarment - Ardyss Body Magic products are fantastic body shapers should you need one for that perfect fit (for more information on this product, please contact us or visit www.ardysslife.com/hannahmichael).
• Finally, finding the right dress for you is like finding your groom, you’ll know when it is ‘the one’!

Choosing your Photographer

At Hannah Michael, we refer vendors because we believe in the quality of their products and the quality of service these companies provide. We try very hard to guide our clients to the people who will provide them the best possible service at an outstanding value, but some clients book vendors who are not on our preferred vendor list. So this is our guide to picking the right Photographer for your special event.

Photography is an all encompassing term used for all types of image capture but there are in fact distinct variations in the manner in which photography is approached in different genres. Different genres of photography require a different style and perspective. The techniques used by photographers vary based on the subject, the situation and the end use of the image or scene.

• Identify the style and print of photography that appeal to you most. Identify your budget and the size of your party. Identifying the key things will help you narrow down your options e.g. if you are planning a big event and you will like both Traditional and Reportage shots, it will be wise to engage a company that can provide more than one photographer on site for proper coverage, this will invariably cost more.
• Based on your identified needs, narrow down your options to the best three (3) companies that meet ALL your criteria. To avoid getting overwhelmed and confused, limit your options!
• Check out the photographer’s online portfolio as well as the finished products included in the package they are offering. There are many types of albums available and you want to be sure of the quality of the photography, as well as the quality of the design and make of the album they produce.
• The best photographers are capable of consistently producing great results in all types of lighting situations from the morning to evening celebrations so ask if it is possible to see a full wedding shoot from start to finish. This is better than seeing the 'best of' portfolio.
• Preparation is important – ask your photographer to have a site visit of your venue, to run through the schedule and plan the formal family group shots. The more time spent planning this with your photographer, the less chaos there will be on the day...ensuring a swift and smooth family photo session.
• Arrange to meet with your photographer before your big day. The success of the photos depend on how relaxed and confident you feel with the person, and considering they will be with you for most of the day, it's important you feel comfortable with them.
• Relax and enjoy the photography experience - your photographer will give you some direction to get the best from you on the day with some helpful hints and advice. Take all these suggestions on board...one good tip is to remember to smile with your eyes not just your mouth - a genuine feeling of happiness shows in the photos!
• Finally, remember only your photos will capture and store memories of your special event. Only the best will do!

A £2million bill for Bill!

Lovely caption by the London Metro Newspaper of Wednesday, July 28, 2010 regarding the upcoming, highly anticipated wedding of Chelsea Clinton, 30 to her Wall Street financier fiancé Marc Mezvinsky, 32. It’s no surprise that the wedding is being kept super-secret. Chelsea who never gives interviews, we hear, has sown everyone to secrecy. Having such famous and high-powered parents – former US President, Bill Clinton and former First Lady and current Senator Hillary Clinton, details about the super-bash are slowly starting to leak out. According to London Metro, the estimated 400 wedding invites will include Tony Blair, Steven Spielberg, Sting and Barbara Streisand. Boston-based Bryan Rafanelli is the Wedding Planner.

Included in the wedding bill is a Glass-walled air-conditioned tents and £10,000 mobile toilets. No expense is being spared for the wedding of the year of this only child. Dad better find his chequebook! We are looking so looking forward to the details of this wedding extraordinaire. Watch out for our future posting on this.

Choosing your Venue

Following the response we have received on our tips for picking a wedding cake, we will be offering more tips to help you make the right decisions regarding different aspects of your celebrations. Here are some tips on picking that ‘perfect’ venue.

• Firstly, don’t be in a hurry to choose a venue. Your venue should match your style, fit the number of guests you are hosting, fit the sort of entertainment you want for your celebration, have the right access you want for your vendors, fit the flow of your day amongst others. Before deciding on a venue, you need to sit down and make a checklist of what sort of venue is appropriate for your celebration. If you choose the wrong venue, it might cost you more to design it to your style.
• Don’t get lost in choosing something to impress or out do your guests. A wedding or special event is personal and should reflect you.
• Don’t choose a venue, especially within the UK, simply for its outside grounds. The weather is the one thing you cannot control or plan for even with the best weather forecast. If you choose a venue because of its grounds and it does rain, you will be stuck inside!
• Check for restrictions! Most venues will not allow anything on their walls, dancing with high heels or external vendors. Some venues have sound meters, bar restrictions – really, the list goes on. You need to read the small prints and ensure that the venue fits perfectly with the type of celebration you are planning.
• Remember your budget. Do not forget that other elements add on such as flowers, linens, draping, lighting, sound, staging etc to the final cost to the final production. For example if you choose a historic Palace with high ceilings you’ll need to fill the space with something and that will eat into your budget.
• Also consider logistics. This is very important. You want your guest to have an overall enjoyable experience. If you are expecting out of town guests, consider a venue with accommodation or nearby hotels and offer different accommodation types and budgets. Also ensure you provide little bits that they will need. If your ceremony will be off site make sure it’s no longer than 20 minutes away by car… no one really wants to travel too long from a ceremony – especially if it’s a hot summer’s day!
• Ensure no renovation or construction will be going on during your event.
• Book your venue on time; the best venues really don’t wait around especially if you are planning your event during peak season and over the weekend.
• Do not forget to check and test the ventilation system. You do not want your Ice Sculpture melting or your guests fanning themselves because the air conditioning system is not functioning or guest freezing due to little or no heating. Check that these systems can be regulated to suit your room especially where a central system exist.
• This might sound obvious but check and test that the ovens work properly especially if you are planning to hire outdoor caterers. You do not want your dinner cooking forever!

Tips on Picking a Wedding Cake

• You can never have a big enough cake, the bigger the more grand. Big is beautiful in wedding cake world. The cake should always stand out during your reception. You can add height through dummy tiers, columns or even flowers in between each tier. Make a statement with the size of your cake, your cake has to be very visible. However, if you really want something not so big, it needs to be a little bit dramatic. Your wedding cake has to be seen and remembered.

• Sounds basic but arrange a tasting. The look of the cake is important especially the finishing but don’t just go on how your cake looks – how does it taste? A cake tasting session is a great way to explore the many different options and flavours available, the choice and varieties are huge. Each tier can be a different flavour, something for everyone.

• Nothing is grander than a shinning cake stand. As well as adding height it should also complement your cake style – a wow cake needs a gold cake stand, white for a more contemporary English feel and silver for all round class. Don’t forget to get a matching cake knife, the little details matter!

• Cupcakes are everywhere. However, I’m not tired of them (just yet). Nothing could be prettier then a fabulous cake stand filled with various colours and designs of cupcakes. They can also double up as gift favours for your guests!

• Striking colours and stylish monograms are a huge trend for cakes in 2010. Whether its edible painted ruffles, lace or flowers –the details matter!