Q&A Fashion & beauty Local experts offer advice on how to look your big-day best BRIDAL BEAUTY There are so many make-up artists to choose from. How do I find the person who’s right for me? Your make-up artist will spend half of your wedding day with you, so it’s important that you vibe with each other. Of course, the make-up itself is ultimately what matters, but it’s your wedding day and you deserve only the best. Here are some tips on choosing an artist that you align with: Narrow down some make-up artists based on their style. Check out social media, websites and other wedding booking platforms. If you love what you see, save them. It sounds silly, but if you love a natural look, make sure you’re picking an artist who specialises in that style. If you love uberglam, pick somebody who specialises in that. Have a nosey at reviews. This is the best way to see first-hand what service they provide without actually experiencing it. If you have any concerns or worries, let them know and see how they deal with them. Call them! Everybody deserves to be listened to and it’s their job to listen and educate. However silly or small your question may be. Lastly, if you’ve enquired with multiple artists, please let those who you don’t intend on booking know. We never mind! We only want the best for you, but it just means we can offer that date to someone else. Megan Hartley www.meganhartleymakeupartist.com FABULOUS FASHION What are your top tips for buying a wedding dress? Congratulations – you’re engaged! Get ready for the whirlwind of wedding planning and the excitement of choosing all the special parts to make your day perfect! One of the most obvious of these is choosing your wedding dress, so we’ve put together our tips that we recommend every bride consider when choosing their wedding gown: Consider your venue: The first step in wedding planning tends to be booking the date at your chosen venue, and the reason this is important is that the location of your wedding can really help with the type of dress you pick. Beach weddings abroad, and you might rule out heavy lace or sleeves. A small, intimate restaurant might mean you can’t have a full princess style due to the space around the tables. You might want to go boho in a tipi or traditional in a church, but the venue really can have an impact on the look and style of your dress. Try everything: Many times a bride will say, ‘I don’t want strapless’ and what happens? They buy a strapless dress! Shopping for a wedding dress is not the same as shopping on the high street. The styles, fabrics, colours, necklines, size and shape are crafted by designers who know how a dress should fit. This skill means that styles you would normally turn away could actually surprise you, so make sure you try everything. Budget honesty: Talking about money and how much you have to spend can make people a little nervous; however, don’t be shy about discussing it with the assistant in the boutique, as they are there to support you. Rather than pick a budget, consider what you are not comfortable spending. For example, you might have £1,000 to spend but aren’t really comfortable spending over £800; it is a much more reasonable amount in your head. Boutiques will be up front with you and advise you if you pick dresses outside of your comfort zone. Entourage: Always confirm how many guests you would like to bring with the boutique; they may not have room for everyone and you want the experience to be pleasant for the main people. Also, consider who’s opinion really matters to you at this stage. Less noise around who likes which style best can make a difference to how you are feeling at that appointment. You can always bring others to see the dress once the decision is made and you are having fittings. Trust your feelings: You might not cry, you might not get a whoosh of happiness and you might not burst into song like a Disney film when you try on each dress. But once you have narrowed it down and you consider all aspects of your day, from the venue to the time of year and colour scheme, you will truly love your dress and know that it is the right one. Don’t be scared to sleep on it and visit a second time to try on your favourites and narrow it down. Sometimes we all get a bit ‘dress blind’ after putting on 14 ivory dresses. Caroline Crompton www.willowandwildebridal.co.uk Olena by Willowby 76
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