Hen-Break or Honeymoon in Madrid

Madrid is a city that adores a celebration, fiesta or festival.   Suitable for either a romantic honey moon or a stylish hen weekend, Madrid is another ideal location. Spain’s capital city has the reputation for being one of Europe’s most sophisticated Read more

Oh Mum! How not to be THAT mother of the bride!

During the planning of a wedding there will be moments that you will treasure forever.  It will be a time that you can draw closer to your daughter and if you take the time to respect her, her wishes and her groom, in the end, you will have a friend for life.  If not, Read more

Perfect Wedding Shoe Collection At Debenehams

Debenhams always provide the bride on a budget with some great affordable bridal shoes and the Perfect wedding shoe collection is no exception.  Priced at under £50, these gorgeous bridal shoes are completely stylish with classic and elegant styling that won’t break the bank.  Stunning diamante peep toes Read more

50% Off Selected Rainbow Club Bridal Shoes at John Lewis

Save up to 50% on selected bridal shoes at John Lewis from the fabulous Rainbow Club wedding shoe collection.  Originally priced at £75, a variety of stunning wedding shoes are now available at the bargain price tag of only £37.50.  Be quick as sizes are sure to sell out quickly. Read more

30% Off Selected Wedding Fashion At BHS

Save up to 30% on selected wedding fashion at BHS.  This offer includes gorgeous adult and younger bridesmaid dresses as well as page boy and groomsmen fashion.  With some great wedding fashion savings this is a perfect offer for brides on a budget. Read more

Mother of the Bride Fashion

Your baby girl is all grown up, and now she’s getting married. Without taking away from her, you’ll of course want everyone at the wedding to know where she gets her fabulously good taste from!  Mother-of-the-bride (MOTB) dresses have come a long way – mums now look great and feel glamorous on their daughters’ wedding days.

Of course white, ivory, and off-white are not acceptable.  In terms of colour, beige is the traditional shade for the MOTB.  It may fit in with the wedding colour scheme and can be found in a variety of shades this season – from oyster tones to almost blush pinks, champagne, sand ,taupe , and nudes – all are good colours for the MOTB because they can look good by itself or with embellishments. It’s vital if you go for these shades to avoid looking frumpy!

There is, particularly this season, a wider palette available.   Rich jewel tones such as burgundy, plum , green and pretty pastels  such as lavender, aqua  and rose are good choices – as long as they don’t clash with the colours of the wedding or look gaudy, tacky or detract attention from the bride. Black is not usually a colour worn at weddings, particularly for mother-of-the-bride dresses. However, this year’s fashion in bridal styles shows that times are a-changing and black is coming back. It is unlikely to appear on its own on the MOTB (unless you really want people to think you’re in mourning!).  It may appear in combination with that other taboo – white.   Floral patterns and stripes are very in this year so you that would be a stylish combination.  Silver is very popular too and pearl accents make a great choice. The only time when black is a total no-go is when the bridesmaids are also in black: you should stand out, not match!

Whatever you choose, your dress should be formal, comfortable and flattering to your shape.  (See the guide on dressing for your shape).  It’s important that you plan ahead and look for that perfect outfit as early as possible.  Make sure it feels right for you.  You are a vital part of the wedding party and you will be captured in photograph forever.

You could start planning by having tea with the girls from the wedding party – be involved in the planning process.  Look at bridal magazines together and discuss the theme so you know how formal it will be.  Will you wear an elegant ball-gown or a garden party dress; sheath dress or trouser suit?  The time of day and season for the wedding will impact your choices, including the accessories and shoes.

•    Tasteful shorter styles  – tea-length  and knee-length  dresses – will show off great legs. This is a good look for afternoon parties, especially in summer.

•    A cocktail dress or strapless gown, if appropriate and tasteful, can work well.

•    Printed fabrics can be made more formal by wearing it in a smooth, floor-length sheath dress.

•    With a classy suit or a full dress and jacket you can easily go from daywear to evening wear.

•    With a full size ball-gown  you’ll feel like a queen – don’t upstage the princess though!

•    Trousers suits can be as casual or as formal as you like.

•    For a traditional wedding, consider a trumpet skirt or an A-line dress .

•    Keep it classy – keep it covered. Long sleeves are a must during winter.  A bolero, shrug, wrap or pashmina make good options to help hide less-than-toned arms the rest of the year.

Also, it is very important that the mother of the bride makes the groom’s mother fully aware of both the fabric and style of dress she has picked. Her gown should compliments yours and doing this will avoid the potential horror of wearing the same outfit.

Headwear for the mother of the bride is vitally important.  Traditionally, the bride’s mother wears the best hat and tradition also dictates that no one else is allowed to remove their hat until the MOTB does – my own mother had great fun with this!   Hats are great to provide shade on a hot summer’s day or to protect your hair from the wind.  However, they can also be counter-productive to hair-dos, leaving your style flattened.  If you choose the traditional choice, ensure you have a back up hair plan. Other options include fascinators or other hair accessories like hair combs, clips or jewels, pearls or flowers in your hair.

It’s truly a day for you to bask in glow cast from your daughter’s elegance and to be a beautiful, serene hostess.

Wedding Party Roles – Mother of the Bride

In days gone by, the mother of the bride had a hugely important role.  Of course, it still is of course, but now the responsibilities have changed. The mother of the bride was usually the person who did most of the planning and bore the entire cost.  As times Read more

Hen-break or Mini-moon in the Scottish Countryside

The Scottish countryside offers opportunities for the very active or the very relaxing hen or mini-moon in rural Perthshire, Inverness, the Highlands and Islands…

You can hire country houses in Ullapool, Aviemore, Wester Ross, Biggar, Perth, Read more

Viva Las Vegas – Hen, Hitched and Honeymoon All In One Go!

If you’re not working on a budget, why not go all out – visit Sin City:  Las Vegas, Nevada.  The entertainment play centre of the world has plenty to offer any visitor and for a hen trip, it’s a tempting prospect.  You could even take the fiancé and do the job Read more