Posts Tagged ‘photos’

As a new member of the Bridal Soup team I wanted my first blog to make a statement and boy oh boy did I find just the thing!  Oh So Boudoir recently got in contact to let us know about their new luxury boutique boudoir shoots and I think it’s safe to say….we’d all LOVE to have some gorgeous shots of ourselves looking beautiful and down right sexy!

Oh So Boudoir have teamed up with the Radisson Blu Hotel and Crowne Plaza in Birmingham to offer us ladies boudoir shoots in a stylised, luxurious, boutique setting with the option to really pamper yourself.  Not only do you get your own photo shoot with a professional hair and makeover, you can also have lunch or dinner in the hotel or pop over to the mailbox for some retail therapy!

Jo says ‘I think our images have a softer, more sensual, feminine feel to them than a lot of boudoir that’s out there at the moment and the stylised hotel settings adds greatly to the finished effect, boosting the air of glamour surrounding the experience. All images are professionally airbrushed to make our ladies look even more fabulous.

Clients are all offered a free consultation as part of their Boudoir experience, where we offer styling advice and suggest outfits for the day, we discuss any body hang ups (we’ve all got them - right) and reassure clients that we have poses that will flatter every different body shapes.’

They have a range of packages including overnight stays for that extra treat and girlfriend packages designed for two people, each getting their own private shoot.

Of course boudoir isn’t just for the brides to be, girlfriends can get in on the action too with their hen weekend packages. This is available for up to 10 ladies, each getting a professional makeover, 30 minute boudoir shoot with full posing direction and a professionally retouched image in a presentation folder, along with 2 nights accommodation in the Radisson or Crowne Plaza.

The images can be used as a unique and personal gift for your groom on the morning of your wedding (he will LOVE them), a valentines or birthday gift or simply just for yourself!

If you would like to get in contact then you can visit their website www.ohsoboudoir.com

Thanks Oh So Boudoir!  So when can you fit me in?

Hello everyone!

My name is Emma Case and I would just like to introduce myself as the newest member of the Bridal Soup team and to say that I am so so excited and cannot wait to share all the delicious things that come our way!  As a ‘not yet married but engaged to a gorgeous guy’ lady I am really looking forward to finding all sorts of wonderful things that I would want to book for my own wedding and to share them with all of you!

So who am I?  Well I am a photographer who loves anything vintage and a girl who likes fake moustaches, photo booths, cupcakes and good music.  You can find me at www.emmacasephotography.co.uk

When I’m not taking photographs I do a bit of acting, sign language (which is my other passion), spend time with my fiance Pete, attempt to decorate my house and look after my two cats, Maximo and Nanna.

I hope you all enjoy my future posts and it’s an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance,

Emma x

If you have something that you would love us to feature or you simply want to say hello then email me at emma@bridalsoup.com

Wedding photographer Marianne Taylor sent us this beautiful London wedding. Check out more of Marianne’s superb images on her website.

Stephanie and Rob got married at The Andaz Hotel in London. From the street you would never guess what a huge and gorgeous place it is. There are cool shapes everywhere, and the spaces flow between the old and the new in a dizzying manner.

The ceremony took place in the Fenchurch room and it really was a gorgeous setting, with rose pedals and candle light creating a romantic atmosphere. After the ceremony, there was a champagne reception at the Gallery, which is a stunning modern space with an enormous glass roof and that funky circular atrium.

It’s a bit of a shock to the system to move through the different areas of the Andaz, it’s like jumping back and forth through time. The space for the evening party was something pretty special. The hotel boasts a century old Masonic Temple, now thought to be grandest in England, with Grade II listed marble and mahogany.

When the hotel was sold for refurbishment it was so run-down the previous owners had never discovered the temple, as it was boarded behind a fake wall. Some believe Jack the Ripper was a Mason and would have attended this temple as it was closest to his hunting ground. As gorgeous as the Temple is, it does make for a tricky place to take pictures in, with walls made out of dark marble, no windows, no artificial light sources, just candles. I could hardly see anything through the viewfinder! My assistant did an awesome job running around with an off camera flash, without her I don’t think there would be any pictures to show.

Photography by Marianne Taylor

Kelly Chandler is Director of the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners and, as such, knows a thing or two about how to plan a successful wedding. So who better to offer some advice on the often tricky subject of who should be on your guest list and where to put them when they arrive? Kelly asked some of her friends and fellow wedding professionals to chip in with some ideas…

Guest List
1. When compiling your evening guest list, take into account how far guests will need to travel. If guests need to travel hundreds of miles, they’ll need to book at least one night of accommodation and this can be a lot to ask of guests invited to an evening reception only. Quote by Zoe Lingard

2. Don’t make any promises about who will and won’t be invited to your wedding before distributing your invitations. You might find that you lose touch with some people over the course of your planning (e.g. colleagues who move on) but feel obliged to invite them because you mentioned they’d get an invite at the outset. Quote by Zoe Lingard

3. Too many cooks spoil the broth - when arranging the guest list and seating plan we would advise only one person from each side of the family to be involved, you know your guests so with only a small amount of help this should make things a lot easier! Quote by Peggie Anne Savage - www.vowperfections.com

4. Create an A & B list, that way if anyone from the A list declines you can invite someone from the B list. Make sure you order approx. 15 extra invitations to save time. Think about family, friends and work colleagues. Quote by Bernadette Chapman

Seating Plan

1. A table plan is displayed at the entrance of the Reception  showing  guests to their relevant tables. At each table a list of those guests is written onto a pretty tag and attached to each chair with a  ribbon.  Each guest name is highlighted together with a sentence about each of them, for example: ‘Astrid Tompson, sister in law of the bride – made the flowergirlsdresses, Margareta Johns – old school friend of the bride’ etc’. This creates a starting point for conversation and is a lovely way to introduce guests who are strangers to each other. Quote by Carrie Watkins - www.todayandforever.co.uk

2. To ensure the right people can see you on the top table, my tip is to think of each table as a clock face, with 1 o’clock having the best view of the top table and then 4,5 or 6 o’clock (depending on how many guests you have per table) with the worst, as they would have their back to you (ideal place for children!). Number the guests from 1 to 8,10 or 12 and then you can easily identify where they are to sit. This also provides useful information for your venue or caterer as they can readily see where dietary requirements are sat too”  Quote by Andrea Swift - www.fabulousday.co.uk

3. Middle is the New Top - long are the days of everyone sticking to the top table being at the top of the room at the wedding breakfast, we find our couples much prefer to feel part of the room with a centred bridal party table, this not only makes them feel like they can mingle more with their guests, it also means no guests feel like they are at the back of the room! Quote by Peggie Anne Savage - www.vowperfections.com

4. Start with using an A1 piece of paper and ‘post it’ notes so you can easily move family members around before you finalise your plans. Quote by Kay Carey

5. Keep an open mind, an innovative seating plan can often be the talking point of the day. The use of escort cards helps to generate people’s interest in the theme and allows for last minute changes to be managed. Quote by Kay Carey

6. If some tables need to be taken down after dinner to make room for dancing, make sure that you do not seat elderly relatives on the tables that will need to be removed.  Quote by Carrie Watkins - www.todayandforever.co.uk

All photos - Steve Gerrard Photography

Say hi to Rosie Parsons, our friend and fantastic wedding photographer, who suggests that capturing great images doesn’t have to end just because your wedding day is over… Over to you Rosie…

As a photographer, I know that sometimes there isn’t time to do a huge amount of arty photographs of the bride and groom on an actual wedding day, so I love the idea of getting the bride and groom back into their wedding outfits (whether it be a day or even a year after the event) for a special shoot solely devoted to getting amazing and artistic shots of just the couple.

You don’t have to worry about the dress getting damaged, or elderly relatives standing around in the sun while you’re having your picture taken. You can afford the photographer of your dreams because you won’t be commissioning them to cover an entire wedding, just the equivalent of a portrait session and you can go to locations that you’d never have had time to do on your actual wedding day. What’s not to love?! 

Yesterday I got together for one of these shoots with the fabulous Helen Ward, an amazingly talented Bristol based illustrator (check out her blog at www.birdface.net ) and her hubby, fantastic graphic designer Tim Ward. They got married a year and a half ago at the very cool Paintworks in Bristol. Helen’s a really creative person, and her wedding really reflected that. I loved Helen’s gorgeous lime green wedding dress by Bristol based designer Daniela Benson. and bright red shoes!

For the shoot we revisted Paintworks’ event space (with permission!) where Helen and Tim’s actual wedding took place and then headed down to Bristol docks for a vintage railway theme. Here Helen wore a stunning white dress by another Bristol based designer Gilly Woo Couture and husband Tim looked brilliant in his top hat and tails! Multi-skilled Laila Hoegseth Pettersen did a great job with Helen’s hair and makeup on the day and the beautiful flowers were provided by Eco-friendly florists Bella & Fifi who created two absolutely stunning bridal bouquets for the shoot. 

If artistic images inspire you contact the photographer of your dreams and see if they offer these types of session!

All images: Rosie Parsons 

Guy Collier is a super-talented photographer based in Basingstoke. We love his natural images, full of colour and personality!

Guy contacted Bridal Soup with his thoughts about engagement shoots. Not sure what we’re talking about? Over to you, Guy!

Pre-wedding shoot, e-shoot, e-session.

They’re the same thing – a chance for you to meet up with your photographer and get a feel for how he or she works, to see how they are behind the camera, how they achieve the style you’ve booked them to deliver. My couples usually tell me they’re nervous, don’t know how to act when they have a camera pointed at them, that they worry about how they’ll look. Almost without fail the worry is misplaced. It’s about trying to relax, to feel like the camera isn’t there. That’s our job. To talk to you, guide you, but all the time make sure we don’t lose the essence of you as a couple. It’s all about you and showing the love you have for each other. You’ll know how the photographer works before the wedding day itself and that will help take some of the pressure off.

But it’s more than that – it’s a chance for us photographers to see how you are under the spotlight. I don’t direct any part of a wedding shoot bar the small number of formal group shots, so in many ways the pre-wedding shoot is quite different. It does mean that I can get a good idea of how comfortable brides and grooms are before the day itself.  It’s also a great chance to have a talk about the wedding day again, to calm any nerves, identify any specific requests that might not have been considered at the time of booking.

The ironic thing about the pre-wedding shoot is that you’re in a very different place to the wedding itself. There the bride and groom will be surrounded by friends and family and not so aware of the photographer. That’s obviously not the case when it’s just the three of you but it does really work wonders for the day itself. I love the idea of seeing a couple 4-6 weeks before a wedding. There’s such an air of anticipation and excitement as the months or years of planning near their end. The magic to come, the moments to capture. They’re what make this job so amazing. Every wedding is so different in so many way, and a pre-wedding shoot catches moments as the pace gathers towards those amazing days….