The big day can be so stressful that having a bad skin day may just be the final straw. For brides wishing to avoid the potential meltdown, here are some top tips from celebrity make up artist Jemma Kidd.

• Don’t have intensive beauty treatments the day before, as skin can react to, and is more sensitive in, the heat. Have a skin microdermabrasion facial about a month beforehand – then pedicures and manicures the day before.
• Well-groomed eyebrows are essential. Invest in a professional to shape them – done properly they can transform your face.
• You could try my Jemma Kidd Make Up School “Lash Tint” instead of mascara. This lasts for 24 hours with no smudge, no smear, so even if you cry you won’t end up looking like a panda eyes.
• Keep it natural. Daylight can be quite unflattering if you pile on make-up, especially powder. What you really want is flawless skin – try to get a slight base tan ahead of the day without burning so it evens out your skin tones.
• Use cream products that aren’t too greasy – you don’t want to look melted in the sun. Creamy textured concealers, blushes and eye creams are much more hydrating on the skin and they are also easier to blend.
• To achieve a flawless-looking complexion, don’t apply loads of foundation. Instead, use a cream concealer to build up coverage where your skin really needs it – and blend, blend, blend. Finish with a light dusting of translucent powder to remove shine and help make-up stay put.
• Invest in a great skin illuminator – most brands do them and they will transform your skin and make it glow. Apply before foundation and then use on cheekbones to highlight. Becca does a great skin illuminator which can also be used all over the body to make skin shimmer (stockists: 020 7225 2501).
• Finally – don’t kiss too many people. Foundation rubs off and men with stubble will give you red cheeks.

If all else fails smile, there is always photoshop! See Cutting Wedding Costs for more tips.

Chameleon Fridays

Weddings are big business in the UK, but with a few tips and tricks you can save some money to make your big day even bigger.

• The dress can be a huge expense. See Wedding Dress Savings and High Street Brides.
• It is not cheap for the guests either, with the average cost of travel, accommodation, gift and new outfit totting up to about £300. Be considerate by and help out by agreeing discounts on the reception accommodation for your party and providing coaches etc. You’ll have more guests attend, and that means more presents for you!
• The venues for receptions are often more expensive than at weekends, try going midweek (make sure you give guests plenty of time to book the day off of work).
• Catering is a major cost, so limit the official reception to a few people and then have a party in the evening for the others.
• Firms which hire out chauffeur-driven limousines usually charge much more if they know they are being booked for a wedding. First agree a fee and then let them know it’s for a wedding.
• If you are planning a cross-Channel trip to buy the wine or champagne for your reception don’t forget that many venues charge ‘corkage’ for allowing you to bring your own booze.
• Consider choosing dresses that the bridesmaids can wear again at other formal occasions; which would give better value.
• Hire a photographer just for the formal photographs. Let your guests do all the photography work for you at the reception.

If you have managed to keep the bills low enough, it could be worth spending a little extra on wedding insurance. There are real risks of ruined dresses, damaged suits, cars that turn up late, lost photographs and even, dare we say it, cancellation. Full article

Chameleon Fridays

Monsoon: Wiston Wedding Dress

As the sound of belts tightening across the country, signals cut backs to the retail industry. Brides-to-be are benefiting from a clever twist on the traditional wedding industry. Whereas Berketex Bride previously ruled the budget end of the industry, now brides have ‘designer’ high street ranges at their fingertips.

Even better is the quality of the dresses, with silk, lace and chiffon all being readily available on the high street. Brides no longer have to compromise when on a budget by having a higher man-made material content. It’s now possible to save money and not have to wear nylon taffeta.

Here are the current high street choices;

• Marks and Spencers kicked off their launch with executive Stuart Rose stating: “We dress hundreds of thousands of girls every day, so why not for their wedding day, too? This is a good, affordable offer for our customers.” The collection includes five wedding dresses to suit a range of budgets, tiaras and veils, outfits for the groom and bridesmaid’s dresses. Prices for the dresses start at £59.99 and M&S also have a dedicated bridal lingerie range to further ensure more spending in their store.
• H&M recently launched their designer dress collection from the Dutch duo Viktor and Rolf. The dresses priced at £219.99 were so popular with fashion concious shoppers that the available stock appeared on Ebay for double the price within 24 hours.
• George at Asda launched with Angela Spindler, George’s global managing director saying: “You’ve heard of fairytale weddings well we think that most wedding dresses are being sold with a fairytale price tag. With the introduction of our new bridal collection all that is set to change.”For the truly budget conscious, Asda claim they can dress both the bride and groom for £200. Dresses start at £60, with the addition of bridesmaids and pageboy outfits to complete the collection.
• BHS launched at the end of 2007. They have a range of both dresses and separates, with bodices starting at £30. This range was given furthur coverage as it was championed for the wedding show episode of The Apprentice this year, by runner up Claire Young.
• Monsoon have launched their range at the top of the high street market with dresses from £135. What the extra money will buy you is vintage styling and luxurious fabrics. Their range comes complete with bridesmaids dresses and utilizes its Accessorize department by proving a full range of accessories.
• Debenhams use their top designers, like Julien Macdonald, Jasper Conran and Pearce II Fionda , to design dresses with a starting price of £65. They also have a dedicated wedding service which enables their clients to get everything they need in store, from the dress through to the wedding gift list.

• Gap have yet to launch, but their selection of bridal dresses are rumored to be by British designer Roland Mouret.

Fashion designer Jeff Banks however, doesn’t share the same enthusiasm, when he was quoted saying (when viewing the Asda collection), “Brides spend years planning their weddings these days and the dress is the central part.” This may be true, the question all brides need to ask is just how much they want the cost of the dress to feature on the big day. See also Wedding Dress Savings.

Chameleon Fridays

As the credit crunch steps up a gear and the threat of a recession looms, how can a bride-to-be cut costs on the big day.

The average UK wedding now costs £15, 244., with women being 28 and men age 30 for the ‘I do’s’. Taking into account that the average first time buyer is 34, requiring a deposit of £18,000, (this is approximately 5 years of saving), do we have our priorities wrong?

By no means am I saying that marriage is not important but , can this love keep us so warm we are now forgoing a property to cement it?

What can be a significant cost on the day is the wedding dress. There is a huge industry just surrounding this one item of clothing, with a price tag of £1000 upwards being commonplace.

Here are some alternatives to save you money;

• Why not consider hiring a dress. You will have a large choice at a fraction of the price for a purchase. You can add savings to a honeymoon of a lifetime or some fabulous shoes you will get more future wear from.

• Give your dress a new lease of life by dying it or tailoring it differently. Some women want to have a special dress that is only theirs, but many brides who purchase, simply pack the dress away in a box and rarely look at it. The question you need to ask is what is your social life like, will a dyed wedding dress, be something you can make use of (black tie functions etc)? If so, maybe buying a dress is a good investment.

• How about profiteering from the decline in the US economy. Internet savvy brides are ordering gowns they’ve tried on in the UK from the States. Even with shipping, many dresses still work out significantly cheaper.

• Buy from the high street, many stores now have dedicated Bridal ranges, starting from £60 at Asda and M&S. See High Street Brides for more.

• Try buying your chosen dress directly from the manufacturer. Shops have to add a premium to cover their overheads such as premises and staff etc and you may be able to avoid paying this by going straight to the source.

Chameleon Fridays