Wednesday 30 November 2011

VENUE'S FOR HIRE IN MANCHESTER


Manchester is a party city. We love nothing more than a good knee’s up. There are events going on in this massive city every single day. Whatever your event I am sure there is a venue out there to suit your event, budget and to match your guest list. I will show venue’s from all around Manchester and surrounding areas.

BUDGET
AMBLEHURST HOTEL, 
44 Washway Road, Sale, Manchester, Cheshire, M33 7QZ
amblehurst@aol.com
reception@theamblehurst.com
0161 973 8800
www.theamblehurst.com



FLIXTON HOUSE
Flixton Road, 
Flixton, 
Manchester, 
M41 5GJ
flixtonhousebookings@hotmail.com
0161 912 3001
0161 748 9283
www.trafford.gov.uk/communityandliving/functionroomhire/
URMSTON MASONIC HALL
15 Westbourne Road, 
Urmston, 
Manchester, 
M41 0XQ
0161 278 9776
www.urmstonmasonichall.co.uk

FLIXTON GOLF CLUB

Church Road,
Flixton,
Manchester, 
M41 6EP


MID RANGE

CORTHORNE HOTEL, SALFORD QUAYS

Clippers Quay 
Salford Quays 
Manchester 
M50 3SN 

0161 877 8110


WORSLEY COURT HOUSE

The Court House
Barton Road
Worsley
Salford
M28 2PB
0161 737 6277
MANCHESTER CONFERENCE CENTER

Weston Building, 
Sackville Street  
Manchester 
M1 3BB
0161 955 8000
HARD ROCK CAFE

The Printworks, 
Corporation street. 
Manchester, M4 2B
0161 831 6700

EXTRAVEGANT


THE MIDLAND HOTEL

16 Peter Street,  
Manchester 
M60 2DS
0161 236 3333




THE MONASRERY
Gorton Lane, 
Manchester, 
M12 5WF
0161 233 3211


THE PALACE HOTEL
Oxford Street, 
Manchester, 
M60 7HA
0161 208 1111
www.palace-hotel-manchester.co.uk/


STOCK RESTURANT
The Stock Exchange
4 Norfolk Street
Manchester
M2 1DW
0161 839 6644
info@stockresturant.co.uk
www.stockresturant.co.uk

Sunday 27 November 2011

WEDDING DRESS STYLE GUIDE AND WHAT'S IN STORE FOR 2012

The wedding dress… all us women ever dream about when we were little girls is getting married in a Cinderella style dress, to our prince charming, with a ball gown style dress, covered in jewels, and intricate details, and possibly with the white gloves. However, in reality, not everyone nowadays wants the big ball gown dress, it all depends on your body shape, the style you are after, and what you feel comfortable with. For instance, if you don’t like your tummy you wouldn’t want to choose a dress that is tight around this area would you? So follow my style guide and happy shopping.



Back in October, I attended the Manchester Wedding Show, where I got to see the wedding dress fashions of 2012. Dress shops from all over Manchester from such as The Confetti Box in Eccles, Fairytale Brides of Sale, strutted their latest collects from the likes of Maggie Sottorio, and Alfred Angelo to name but a few. The following images were just some of the gorgeous dresses shown. As you can see there are many different styles to suit all body types, and I am sure you will find a style that suits you best. 
MERMAID
This style suits the hour glass figure, as the dress hugs the body tightly and flairs out at the knee or mid thigh like a trumpet or mermaid’s tails, hence the name, mermaid. This is a great style for those who want to show off their sexy curves, or who have an evenly proportioned figure. Think Marilyn Monroe or Hollywood glamour.
However if your curves are more around your bottom area, have an apple shaped figure, or straight, boyish figure, then it is best to avoid this style otherwise this will draw attention emphasis problem areas.  


COLUMN
The fabric of this style of dress tends to be lightweight and easy to wear. Usually there is a fitted bodice with a long straight skirt. It hugs the body and is very flattering on tall or petite women.
This style doesn’t work so well for women who have fuller hips, as the dress would emphasize this. Also the fabric is quite figure hugging; therefore if you don’t have a slim line figure, this will show off all of your lumps and bumps. 


A LINE
This is the most popular dress as it suits most body types. The bodice it fitted, and the skirt is shaped like an ‘A’, hence the name ‘A Line’. This is great for those women who want to hide their hips. However if you have narrow hips this will give you some shape.
However it’s best to avoid this style if you have a smaller chest as this dress will emphasize this. This can be fixed though with padding.



EMPIRE
There were no Empire Line Dresses on this particular catwalk this year, though if that is the dress you would like to wear on your big day, wear whatever makes you comfortable. This was the style I wore on my big day. The hemline is right under the bust, and floats straight down straight to the floor.
For those looking to hide their hips, take it from experience this is a great dress to wear. It can also make petite brides look taller!
If you have a large chest and want to avoid attention, it is best to avoid this style. 


BALLGOWN
Otherwise known as the Princess o Ballerina dress. If you want the ultimate wow factor dress, with the big, full skirt, and too look like a princess, then this is the one for you.
This is a great way to balance those figures who are a little un balanced. For instance, if you have a larger chest, but small hips, this dress, just like the A Line, will balance you out.
However it is best to avoid this style if you are smaller chested as it will emphasize this and make them look smaller, have large hips as this will draw attention to them, or are petite as you may get lost in the dress. 

BALLGOWN WITH SWEETHEART NECKLINE



·         Spaghetti Straps – Minimizes large shoulders and shows off pretty necklines. Great to show off well toned arms

·         Strapless – Very in the moment. If you plan on wearing beautiful jewelry this is a great opportunity to show it off. If you are larger in the best, this option may not give you the best support

·         Short Sleeves – Great if you want to cover your shoulders. Great to show off toned arms

·         Long or short sleeves – You can wear these as part of the dress or worn as a jacket. Usually worm to conceal arms, if this is an area you want to avoid, or to draw attention away from your hips

·         Halter neck – Great for well toned arms and shoulders, If you are petite this style will make you look taller. Great support for those with a larger chest. If you have larger hips, this style will emphasize this

·         V Neck – Great if you want to show a little cleavage and for showing off jewelry

·         Bateau – If you have a sexy collarbone, this style will show this off

·         Sweetheart – Very romantic neckline, as it looks like the top of a heart, also great it you are larger chested and want to show off some cleavage

MOTHER OF THE BRIDE
We can’t forget your gorgeous mother of the bride now, can we. The catwalk show certainly didn’t disappoint this year, with some stunning creations. I know it, is your big day, but you want your mum to look amazing and feel gorgeous as well. After all, she deserves a little pampering, and to look amazing in all of your photographs, doesn’t she.  

GROOM
I have to admit, groom wear doesn’t really excite me so such. It does seem like the norm, that the man must wear a morning suit. This is completely untrue, if your man would like to wear a stylish suit, let him, be different and stand out from the crowd! And if you want to vary the colours a little, such as grey, or brown, navy blue, go for it! Also do not have to wear a white dress. Nowadays you can wear whatever you like!

So just remember this is just a guide. It is yours and your partners big day so wear what makes you feel comfortable. On my big day, I wore a cocktail, empire line dress, where as when I renew my vows next year, I will be wearing a white dress, but which style at the moment… I have no idea. 


Wednesday 16 November 2011

HOW TO PLAN A WEDDING IN 7 WEEKS!


It is not an ideal situation, but you can plan a wedding in 7 weeks. Like with any wedding, you must have a plan of action. Otherwise it’s a recipe for disaster. The earlier you start planning your wedding the better, however we do sometimes get caught up in the romance and want to get married sooner rather than later. That is what my husband and I did. I enjoyed not having all the stress and the long build up to our big day, and our day turned out great.

Back in the summer, a friend of mine told me of her flatmate that was getting married. The problem was, she was getting married in 7 weeks! And she had nothing arranged, but the church and the reception venue. Luckily a family member of hers agreed to do the catering, so we almost had a reception planned… well not quite. Now it was time to concentrate on the smaller things.

I decided to offer my services as it would be great experience to help out at such short notice. Another challenge was the budget. The whole wedding had to be done for under £3000! This is not an easy task. After talking with the bride, there was very little that had been done. She had found a place to do her invitations in her theme colour’s of red and gold, and they looked really lovely. So I set about looking for suppliers for her and every few days I would e-mail her with the cheapest but best value suppliers I could find.

A friend of the couple agreed to DJ at the reception, and also the photography was done by a friend of theirs, who stayed for the whole day, and offered his services at a heavily discounted price.


About a month before the big day, the bride was still without a dress! This was a huge worry for me, as you can’t get married if you do not have a dress! So one weekend she went into a store which I suggested she tried in the centre of Manchester. If you walked past it, it really is one of those places which doesn’t look all that nice, and I can understand why people would think that. But when you walk inside, and walk to the back of the store, you will see where they keep all the nice dresses. I don’t know why you wouldn’t show off your nicest dresses as the front, though? In the end she picked a dress from here and she looked beautiful.

As the bride and groom were both French, their family and friends were flying over, so accomadation needed to be arranged. However, the only downside is that, they were not willing to negotiate the room rates any lower unless we could book a block of 10 rooms. So a tip for the future, if you do have a lot of family and friends coming up for the wedding, if you need more than 10 rooms, more than likely they will organize a discount. However, if you go through an event planner you might get an even  bigger discount.  
On the day of the wedding, the bride had her hair done by her make-up artist, but she hated it! This is a very risky mistake. You should always practice with your hair and make-up stylist first before the big day, as if you don’t like it, then you are not going to feel or look your best on the day, and that is not how you want to feel on your wedding day, is it? To make matters worse the make-up artist arrived late and as a result mean the bride got ready late. So they arrived at the registry office late and missed their slot, which was at 1:30pm. They were devastated, and were very upset. Though luckily, they were able to get married but they had to wait around for 3 hours, until 4:30pm to get married.

The reception was held at the Christ family church in Hulme, Manchester. The church itself is small but has a modern interior with wooden flooring and white walls. There was also a dressing room area, and a smaller room, which if you were to get married there also, you could use this room for your ceremony. The room was done up to look really beautiful. To keep within budget, white spandex chair covers were used and I have to admit they looked lovely. They had burgundy bows tied on the side, which looked very stylish. I wasn’t too keen about the spandex covers at first, but after seeing pictures of them and especially if you are on a budget, throw on a sash, and they are actually really pretty, not to mention cost effective. Also the rectangular tables were covered with matching white table cloths and burgundy table runners, and jewels and silk petals scattered across the table. The centerpieces consisted of tall thin vases with white roses, foliage and a red ribbon tied around the top.

At the back of the room the wall was covered starlight backdrop cloth, and the top table had beautiful gold and burgundy swagging. As the room was in an ‘L’ shape, the smaller are of the room was set up as the catering area. Later on, the bride went to get changed into her evening dress and made a grand entrance with her 6 or 7 bridesmaids, who all adorned different floor length dresses.


Regardless of how close your wedding day is, you can still have an amazing and personal celebration. The only downside is that certain venue’s and suppliers may not be available. Remember you will have plenty and family and friends who will be willing to lend a hand.Start delegating tasks for them to do and make it and family affair! If your aunt is great at making cakes, I am sure she would over to bake your wedding cake. Is your sibling or friend a graphic designer? Get them to design the stationary and seating plan. 


If you set yourself a timeline and stick to it you will be on track to have a great wedding or celebration. If you are getting married and need help with planning your big day, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Check out our prices and see how we can help you.