blog

We all love a good handbag!!!

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:33:33 +0100

Most women I know love a good bag and I am no exception. Being a plus size lady I have always had a love for accessories – bags and shoes in particular but also scarves and jewellery. If you struggle to find fashion that suits you or are living on a budget a good accessory can be the key to making you feel special. I’m not sure that I can ever remember being smaller than a size 14 ( obviously I was at some point ) but all of my adult life I have always been about a size 16 – 18 on average although I have also been bigger than this. The high street is a lot better these days at creating fashion for larger ladies but when I was a teenager the majority of shops didn’t go above a size 16 and some didn’t go above a size 12. It is also difficult to follow fashion trends when you a bigger. Mini skirts, hot pants, skinny jeans, cropped tops etc. only tend to suit very slim people. In fact if you are bigger like me you tend to steer clear of anything short or tight. I have always preferred the winter because you can cover up more with jumpers and coats – you don’t have to have your flab on show!! I remember sitting in an office in the summer months feeling very uncomfortable because I would just refuse not to wear tights even in the summer because I just didn’t have the legs to go without!! I feel that this is where my love for accessories came from. It doesn’t matter what you look like or how big or small you are, a fabulous bag, amazing shoes and gorgeous jewellery will suit everyone and anyone. I am tall so I have big feet but you can still find lovely shoes in a size 8 these days. Since having M.E. I have also had problems with leg swelling. I used to live in heels and loved them but these days I can’t wear them – not for any length of time anyway but there are some gorgeous flat shoes available now. I love quirky shoes and bags. I am loving 'Irregular Choice' and 'Ruby Shoo' shoes at the moment. I am like a magpie as well – if something sparkles I will love it!! I love quirky bags that are covered in flowers, sparkle or prints. I even had a 'Gone with the wind' bag once that had a print of a film still on it. My mum is my role model when it comes to accessorising. I think that she honestly has a pair of shoes, a bag, a scarf and jewellery in every colour you could ever imagine so that her outfits always match and are beautifully colour co-ordinated from head to foot!!

Dusky pink clutch bag with black rose.

Detachable metal strap.

£20.99

Price includes postage and packaging.

People assume that here at Rapunzel’s Tower we are all about weddings but that is not the case. A beautiful accessory can transform an outfit and they are perfect for all sorts of occasions. I have been known in the past to simply buy new accessories rather than a whole new outfit for an event. At the moment when times are hard for everyone and people are shopping on a budget buying an entire new outfit for a wedding, christening, party or for a trip to the races can be costly but you really don’t have to because accessories can make an outfit look totally different. If you enter a room with a stunning clutch bag on your arm people will compliment the bag and they won’t care that you are wearing the same dress that you wore to Aunt Violet’s wedding last year!

Bright red clutch bag with diamante love heart.

Detachable metal strap.

£19.99

Price includes postage and packaging.

Here at Rapunzel’s Tower we have a variety of gorgeous evening bags. Many of them are clutch bags but most of them do also come with a detachable metal strap so they can also be worn over the shoulder. In honour of the little old clutch bag I wanted to showcase some of the styles we have and share them with you today. Many of my friends tell me that they don’t like clutch bags because they are too small and you may be thinking the same but I am hoping that by the end of this post I will have changed your mind and proved to you how fabulous a clutch bag can be.

Gold clutch bag with diamante flower / snowflake.

Detachable metal strap.

£24.99

Price includes postage and packaging.

Now I, like many women tend to fill my handbags until they are fit to bursting point!! My husband even told me off a few days ago saying that I really need to sort my bag out as I have so much rubbish in there and am carrying around a lot of extra weight which isn’t good for someone who has M.E. and is fairly weak at the best of times. For this post I started thinking about all of the things that I have often carried around in my handbag over the years and I devised a list - this probably doesn't cover everything and not all of these items are carried all of the time. I wonder how many of you can tick off most of these items:

Purse .

Phone.

Keys.

Inhaler (as I’m asthmatic).

Painkillers ( having m.e. I am usually in pain so if out and about these are a must ).

Tissues ( Because you never know ).

Antibacterial hand gel ( Because places can be very grubby ).

Hand cream ( Because I get dry, sore hands ).

Allergy tablets ( Because I’m allergic to cats and everyone I know seem to have cats and also for hay fever in the summer ).

Pens.

Business cards ( Because I never want to miss an opportunity ).

Lady items!

Cough / sore throat sweets.

Receipts from things I have bought and get chucked in my bag.

Bus / train tickets that get chucked in my bag.

Notes from when I have been on courses or networking events that I have forgotten to remove.

Lip balm.

Various items of make-up, usually lipstick and powder.

Hairbrush.

Perfume.

Deodorant.

Red clutch bag with diamante bow knot.

Detachable metal strap.

£18.99

Price includes postage and packaging.

I’m sure that at various points in my life there have been other items as well. I, like the rest of you do like a decent sized bag especially to take to work or if you are out all day. I also accept that if you are a mum with young children you need a bigger bag than most for nappies, milk, food, baby wipes, bibs, extra clothes etc.

Gold clutch bag with pearls and diamante flowers.

Detachable metal strap.

£19.99

Price includes postage and packaging.

However, a clutch bag or an evening bag is for a special occasion. They are for an evening when you get dressed up and look and feel special. You leave the kids at home and work at the office. For that one evening you are not a mum living in pyjamas and covered in baby sick. You are not a business executive weighed down with papers. You are a woman!! You are off out for a romantic meal with your husband or cocktails with the girls!! You’ve spent three hours getting ready. You’ve shaved your legs, straightened your hair, put make-up on and bought figure sculpting underwear to make that new dress look amazing but then you have to have your good old faithful handbag full of the rubbish from the day!! I say no you don’t!! You deserve to have a beautiful bag and you can make it work!!

Purple and black net clutch bag with diamante centre bow.

Detachable metal strap.

£19.99

Price includes postage and packaging.

Get a taxi to town so there is no need for the car keys. Remove your front door key from that massive bunch of keys so you just have one small key to drop in your bag. Take out one cash / credit card and a bit of cash. Most phones are small and sleek so can fit in your bag. As for the other stuff – do you really need it for a couple of hours or can you do without? You may even being able to fit a lippy in if necessary!! Make your clutch work for you!! If all else fails you can always give certain items to your hubby to look after or if you drive to the event leave things in the car where they are accessible.

Silver satin clutch bag with bow.

Detachable metal strap.

£22.99

Price includes postage and packaging.

Now I accept that if you are invited to a wedding this is a full day affair and can be a little different especially if you are a mum with small children. For this reason at Rapunzel’s Tower we are going to be looking to stock larger bags in the future but that are still beautiful and perfect for a special occasion. Nobody wants a plain old black bag for a wedding. We want flowers and sparkle and colour!! However, if you are staying over and have a hotel room for the day and night just keep everything in there and use your clutch bag for essentials.

Baby pink clutch bag with pearl and diamante flower.

Detachable metal strap.

£19.99

Price includes postage and packaging.

We are hoping to start stocking a larger range of bags in the future but at the moment we have some lovely styles available in a variety of colours. We have roses, sparkle, flowers and ruffles in gold, pink, purple, silver, khaki and red.

Satin clutch bag with bow in khaki.

Detachable metal strap.

£20.99

Price includes postage and packaging.

I hope that you have enjoyed this post and that I have persuaded you to embrace your inner goddess and enjoy the clutch bag!!

Gold flower clutch bag.

Detachable metal strap.

£23.99

Price includes postage and packaging.

Until the next time!!

Elegance by Carbonneau

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:34:04 +0100

We are delighted to announce that Rapunzel's Tower is now an official stockist of the 'Elegance by Carbonneau' range of bridal accessories. This is a luxury brand that we have sourced from America. We currently have a small range of products from this brand that we wanted to trial and see what all of our lovely customers and brides to be out there think of them.

Our aim at Rapunzel's Tower has always been to be able to offer beautiful products at reasonable prices so that everyone can look like a princess on their wedding day or at their prom no matter what their budget is. This new range of products is slightly more expensive than some of our other ranges but I hope that you will agree that they are beautiful pieces. We are one of a handful of UK stockists of this brand so we are hoping that you will like them.

As well as being able to keep our prices reasonable we also want to be able to offer brides products that are a little different to the norm. Vintage themed weddings and styling is still very fashionable at the moment and we wanted to stock a range that would reflect this. On this blog today we would like to introduce you to the Elegance by Carbonneau products that we currently have in stock. We would love to hear your feedback too so please feel free to comment at the end and let us know what you think.

Bridal flower and feather hat headpiece

This bridal hat / headpiece is just simply gorgeous. I am already married but if I ever chose to renew my vows and had a vintage theme I would love to wear this. It would look stunning with a vintage style calf length dress, faux fur shrug and a pair of fabulous heels.

The hat features beautiful flower appliques adorned with sequins and beading. On the back sits a precious fabric flower with matte satin and sheer organza petals, sprigs of sparkling clear rhinestones and dazzling clear Austrian crystal beads, sprays of soft feathers and birdcage veiling.

This is available in white or ivory and we currently have one of each colour in current stock.

The price is £55.70 including postage and packaging.

Bridal flower ribbon / headband

This bridal ribbon is delicate, pretty and feminine. It would look beautiful as a hair accessory or worn as a belt to add detail to a plain dress.

The organza ribbon is ivory and has a hand crafted dainty flower on the side. The detail is made up from beautiful beading, pearls and sparkling rhinestones.

There is 95" of ribbon that can be used in its entirety or neatly shortened to the desired length. Size: 95" long Ribbon x 1" wide. Flower Décor measures 10.5" wide x 4.5" high.

This item is £85.00 including postage and packaging and we currently have two in stock.

Children's tiaras

We have been asked in the past if we have any tiaras for children. Many people get married after having children these days and lots of little girls want to look like a princess just like their mummy when their parents marry. Children often take part in plays and dancing shows where they have to dress up like a princess. Therefore we have two children's tiaras in stock from this new range that we would like to trial.

The first is this gorgeous tiara with crystals and rhinestones.

Size: Band Length: 13'', Height: 1.25'' £59.75 including postage and packaging. Two in stock.

The second is this lovely delicate tiara:

This tiara is £23.50 including postage and packaging. We currently have two in stock.

Both tiaras have holes in the back of the band to enable the tiara to be gripped into place so there should be no problems with it being held securely whilst your little bridesmaids are running around.

Swarovski Crystal

We have two items in the Elegance by Carbonneau range that feature Swarovski crystals.

The first is this stunning bridal comb:

This comb is so elegant and would suit various hairstyles. It has a floral design with Swarovski crystals, rhinestones and several trios of opal rhinestones at the center of the flowers. There is also a long crystal and rhinestone tail that winds above the top of the ornament on the right meaning that the comb can be worn in different ways and provides more decoration in the hair than just a comb stuck in the side of the head. It would look stunning around a bun or an 'up do'.

The comb measures 5" wide and 4-1/2" tall. Size: (Ornament) 5" wide and 4-1/2" tall. It is £87.30 including postage and packaging. We currently only have one of these in stock.

The second swarovski crystal item is this classic and timeless, yet modern tiara. If you want to look like a princess on your wedding day you can't beat a stunning princess style tiara and this certainly fits the bill. If your wedding gown is big and princessy then this is the tiara for you.

This tiara features a display of layered Swarovski crystals and rhinestones. The ornamented portion of the piece stretches along the entire length of the band, measuring 13-3/4" wide and 1-1/4" tall at its center peak. The piece ends with two loops that allow you to fasten it in your hair with grips. Size: 13-3/4" wide and 1-1/4" tall. This tiara is £60.50 including postage and packaging. We currently only have one of these in stock.

Side tiara

Many brides are choosing side tiaras as their hair accessory of choice for their wedding day at the moment. Side tiaras look fabulous either with an 'up do' or a half 'up do'. Side tiaras have become really popular over the past couple of years and they have always been a good seller for us. Therefore, when deciding what stock to buy from the Elegance by Carbonneau range we had to include a side tiara. We decided on this antique silver vintage style tiara with flowers.

This beautiful tiara is an antique silver colour. There is a floral side ornamentation that is adorned with swarovski crystals, rhinestones and bugle beads.

Size: Side ornamentation is 1 3/4" wide. This tiara is £82.60 including postage and packaging. We currently have two in stock.

Ribbon headbands

Our final two products from the Elegance by Carbonneau range are these beautiful ribbon bridal headbands. I love these because I think they are very different to most bridal accessories that I have seen. They are satin ribbons that are adorned with beautiful rhinestone ornamentation. Both designs come in either white or ivory and we currently have one of each colour in each design in stock. These ribbons would be perfect for a vintage inspired look. They go around the head and tie at the back by the neck. Your hairdresser would probably be able to find other interesting ways to incorporate them into your hairstyle as well. You could even tie around the head and then add the spare ribbon into a plait. Personally I think it would look lovely tied around the head and let the ribbon fall down your back - especially if your dress is a low back design so the top of your back will be bare. You could also use these ribbons as a belt to add detail to a plain dress if you wanted to.

This headband is £66.50 including postage and packaging.

This is the second design:

Size: Ribbon Measures 50" Long - Ornament Design Measures 9-3/4" Long x 1" High Available in white or ivory. 1 of each colour in stock. £32.99 including postage and packaging.

So that's it, that is the current collection from the Elegance by Carbonneau range that are currently available to buy from us. We really hope that you love these products as much as we do. We hope to be able to stock more from this collection in the future.

As always we love to interact with our customers and we want to stock the products that you want to buy so please give us your feedback and let us know what you think.

Elegance by Carbonneau

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 13:48:17 +0100

The organza ribbon is ivory and has a hand crafted dainty flower on the side. The detail is made up from beautiful beading, pearls and sparkling rhinestones.

There is 95" of ribbon that can be used in its entirety or neatly shortened to the desired length. Size: 95" long Ribbon x 1" wide. Flower Décor measures 10.5" wide x 4.5" high.

This item is £85.00 including postage and packaging and we currently have two in stock.

Children's tiaras

The first is this gorgeous tiara with crystals and rhinestones.

Size: Band Length: 13'', Height: 1.25'' £59.75 including postage and packaging. Two in stock.

The second is this lovely delicate tiara:

This tiara is £23.50 including postage and packaging. We currently have two in stock.

Swarovski Crystal

We have two items in the Elegance by Carbonneau range that feature Swarovski crystals.

The first is this stunning bridal comb:

The comb measures 5" wide and 4-1/2" tall. Size: (Ornament) 5" wide and 4-1/2" tall. It is £87.30 including postage and packaging. We currently only have one of these in stock.

Side tiara

This beautiful tiara is an antique silver colour. There is a floral side ornamentation that is adorned with swarovski crystals, rhinestones and bugle beads.

Size: Side ornamentation is 1 3/4" wide. This tiara is £82.60 including postage and packaging. We currently have two in stock.

Ribbon headbands

This headband is £66.50 including postage and packaging.

This is the second design:

Size: Ribbon Measures 50" Long - Ornament Design Measures 9-3/4" Long x 1" High Available in white or ivory. 1 of each colour in stock. £32.99 including postage and packaging.

As always we love to interact with our customers and we want to stock the products that you want to buy so please give us your feedback and let us know what you think.

Happy Valentine's Day

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 12:09:24 +0100

Christine and Graham’s story

In the spirit of Valentine’s day I thought that it would be a great idea to celebrate love, engagements and weddings by featuring a very special couple who are currently planning their wedding. Many people get engaged on Valentine’s day. I personally got engaged a few days before but we were away on a surprise Valentine’s break. February is the month of love and the ideal time to celebrate your love for someone else. If you are single you can still celebrate but think of other loved ones within your family and friendships rather than a lover. Now I know that many people will say ‘I don’t need one day to tell my partner that I love them – it is all commercial’. Whilst I agree with this to a certain extent life often gets in the way of relationships. A busy lifestyle of going to work, looking after the kids, cleaning the house, seeing friends, going to the gym, seeing family etc. can often mean that our relationships get forgotten along the way. It is important to take some time out for yourself and your partner without the rest of life getting in the way. Therefore if that one day in February makes you stop and take notice of your partner and re-kindle your love and romance then what is wrong with that?

Photo by http://www.chrischambersphotography.co.uk/

So, in honour of Valentine’s day, love and romance I would like to share with you Christine and Graham’s story.

Christine and Graham live in Doncaster; they met at work and have been together for just over a year. Graham proposed to Christine on the 19^th of January this year so they are newly engaged. They got engaged on the old North Bridge in Doncaster which doesn’t sound like the most romantic of spots to choose top pop the question but it was a spur of the moment proposal. These are sometimes the best and make for the most romantic stories. Christine and Graham were walking along the bridge chatting about their future as they have a three month old baby together. Graham had intended to ask Christine to marry him on Valentine’s day but felt that the moment was right there and then so he popped the question and of course she said yes!! They then went into town together and bought a ring to seal the deal. I asked Christine what the best part of the proposal was and she said the smile on Graham’s face when she said yes was the best bit. I should imagine that asking someone to marry you is one of the most nerve wracking things that a person can do so I should imagine that when your partner says yes you are filled with joy but also relief!! Christine’s top tip for a successful proposal is that you don’t need to plan it – just go with it when it feels right to you.

Christine and Graham are planning to have a civil ceremony in August 2014. They are planning on having a small ceremony and reception and a larger evening do so they can party with all of their friends and family. Their theme is 1950’s vintage and pink – two great themes that will look stunning I’m sure. Christine has even chosen her dress already which is good going as they have only been engaged for a few weeks. Christine has the wedding all planned out in her mind already – she just needs to book everything now. If you need recommendations for suppliers Christine let us know. There are some fabulous suppliers of cakes, flowers, cars, entertainment, dresses, accessories, favours, stationary etc. in Doncaster. Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest and local fayres are great places to find wedding ideas, themes and suppliers. You may be able to find unique, gorgeous and reasonably priced items by looking for local companies and taking recommendations from companies that you already trust. You do not have to spend a fortune on your wedding day, you do not have to stick to the high street and well known stores, you do not have to buy everything from the same place and you do not have to stick to the norm. Be creative, be unique, be personal and make your wedding the day you want.

Christine is planning to make lots of handmade decorations and add some delightful vintage touches to her decor. She has also booked a night at the Mount Pleasant hotel for herself and her husband on their wedding night as a lovely gesture. They are planning a honeymoon to either Cornwall or Filey. Christine said that she has enjoyed planning her wedding very much so far and has found that eBay has been her most useful tool during the planning process. As a seller on eBay myself I can say that there are some fabulous companies out there who sell quality, brand new products at reasonable prices through shops on eBay. Not everything you buy is from auctions or second hand. If like Christine you are planning a vintage theme eBay is also great to source vintage products. Follow vintage wedding mood boards on Pinterest and then source your items on eBay. This way you never even have to leave the house to plan your wedding.

Christine is most looking forward to marrying the man she loves on her wedding day. I am so pleased that she said that as that is after all what weddings are all about. It is very easy to get lost in the planning process and to become stressed by little things. At the end of the day a wedding is about bringing two people together in the union of marriage and celebrating that love in front of friends and family. None of the rest really matters. You are still just as married whether you spend £5k or £50k, whether you marry in a castle or a field and whether you have two bridesmaids or ten so plan the wedding that is perfect for you and your partner and nobody else.

I asked Christine what her partner means to her and why she can’t wait to marry him and this is what she said:

‘My partner means the world to me. I can’t wait to be his wife and to have his name. He has made me happier than I ever thought possible.’

This is lovely Christine and I really wish you and Graham all the best for your wedding day and I hope that you have many happy years together.

Christine and Graham’s story is very similar to most couples out there but it is so lovely to celebrate the love of two people and wish them all of the very best in their journey through life together. I hope to speak to Christine and Graham after their wedding and feature them on the blog again but this time to see how their wedding day went and hopefully to see lots of pictures from the big day. Good luck Christine and Graham and all the best. Enjoy the planning and enjoy the day.

http://www.rapunzelstower.co.uk/

To anyone else out there who is planning to propose this Valentine’s day then good luck – I hope it goes well and I hope they say yes!! Please feel free to contact us and tell us all about it and we will feature you on our blog.

If you are looking for inspiration for a Valentine themed wedding then please take a look at our mood board on Pinterest.

Happy Valentine’s day everyone!!!

My Pinterest obsession

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:42:31 +0100

Now I think it is safe to say that you all know by now how much I love weddings. I love everything about them and I especially love wedding planning. I love researching and looking at all things weddingy.

http://www.rapunzelstower.co.uk/

I have recently been introduced to Pinterest and I have to say that I am totally addicted. I absolutely love it and not just for weddings. It is an amazing tool for you to be able to document and keep anything that you see on the Internet that you love. You can then also re-pin things that other people post too. You can even get an app for your smart phone so you don’t even have to be on the computer to browse what other people have pinned and re-pin the things you love. I can spend hours sitting on the sofa looking through all of the fab photos.

When I planned my wedding a few years ago I had a big wedding planning file. I would cut out photos I loved from magazines or print them out from the Internet, stick them on pieces of paper and add them to my file in sections for each aspect of the wedding. Pinterest is amazing for wedding planning because it means that you don’t need to do this. If you see photos of ideas for your wedding you can pin them. You can create mood boards for different themes and also for different aspects for the wedding. So for example if you follow Rapunzel’s Tower ( http://pinterest.com/rapunzelstwr/ ) on there you will see that we have mood boards for different wedding themes including Halloween, Vintage Christmas, Downtown Abbey, Cinderella, Tiffany blue, English country garden and Hollywood glamour. We also have mood boards for dresses, cakes, centre pieces, hair styles etc. We just add to them as and when we see things. You can then see all of your ideas together and get a picture of how your wedding may look.

Whilst on Pinterest I have noticed that I lot of people not only pin photos they love but also ideas that they love. I have come across some fabulous wedding ideas that I haven’t heard of before or that I just think are great so I wanted to share the top ten that I have found so far with you. To see more and follow the board this is the link: http://pinterest.com/rapunzelstwr/fab-wedding-ideas/

Fabulous wedding ideas

1. On your wedding day have a photo taken with you holding a thank you sign that you can then later use to send thank you cards to all of your guests.

2. To keep children entertained provide them with a blank card, some crayons and some sweets and ask them to create a card for the bride and groom.

3. Buy personalised hangers with the date of your wedding and the names of each of your wedding party on to hang the outfits.

4. After your wedding use a box frame to frame keepsakes from your wedding day such as your bouquet and stationary. I love this idea and am thinking of doing this myself. I no longer have my bouquet but I’m thinking perhaps my garter, an invitation, order of service, perhaps even my tiara. If you have a big house you could even have a see through cupboard for your dress. I would love to display my dress although there would be a danger of it fading.

5. After your wedding have either the words of your first dance or the words from the speeches put over a wedding photo. I love this idea and I may look into this myself as an anniversary present to my hubby.

6. Wrap lace from your mother’s wedding dress around the stems on your bouquet as your something old. After the wedding have the lace from your dress made into a necklace.

7. Have a photo taken on your wedding day at the place where you first met. Obviously this would only work if it was near your venue!!

8. Provide your bridesmaids with cute make-up bags with essentials for the day. For example, painkillers for the morning after, plasters for rubbed feet from dancing, make-up and perfume for touch ups, tissues for tears etc.

9. Have a photo holding photos of your parents on their wedding day.

10. I have seen a photo of a page boy holding a chalkboard that says ‘Uncle Josh, here comes your girl’. He could walk down the aisle first carrying this. I think this is such a cute idea. You could ask a flower girl to do it if you don’t have a page boy.

So I hope that this has given you a few extra ideas for your wedding day and beyond. If you are planning a wedding get yourself signed up to Pinterest and please follow us:

http://pinterest.com/rapunzelstwr/

If you are not planning a wedding Pinterest is still fab for looking at fabulous photos, planning mood boards for home decoration and styling ideas, choosing a new hair style, collecting recipes, fashion etc. It is not just about weddings there is all sorts on there.

So have fun and happy pinning!!!

Remember, remember the 5th of November!!!

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 16:15:48 +0100

Today is bonfire night and everyone up and down the country will be celebrating the failed attempt of Guy Fawkes to blow up parliament in 1605 by lighting bonfires, burning guys and watching fireworks. I’ve always felt that bonfire or Guy Fawkes night is a strange occasion as it is an odd thing to celebrate really – the execution of a man. I guess it is more to celebrate the fact that the gunpowder plot failed and King James the first survived. I am however a fan of fireworks – I do think that they look so pretty lighting up the bright sky and if I could’ve afforded it I would’ve had them at my own Christmas wedding. However a decent fireworks display can be costly. I am not a fan of bangers but I do love the pretty twinkly ones. I really wanted to go to a display this weekend but unfortunately haven’t been well enough.

This time of year had me thinking though about what you could do to incorporate bonfire night into your wedding theme. Obviously if you get married on bonfire night your wedding has to involve fireworks and fire. So these are my ideas for a bonfire night themed wedding:

Carnival / Fairground

A carnival or fairground theme lends itself perfectly to a bonfire night wedding. Fairground rides, a carousel and a bright colour scheme would be perfect. You could also have food stalls so that your guests could eat what they wanted when they wanted – hot dogs, burgers, jacket potatoes, candy floss, popcorn, hog roast sandwiches, toffee apples, chestnuts and hot chocolate are all great ideas. You could even go all out and have fire eaters, clowns, acrobats etc. You could have a big top style marquee with tables and seating for your guests and a dance floor for a disco. Your guests would have a fab time and they would never forget your unique wedding. Of course you would have to finish the night with a firework display.

Barn dance

Nothing suits a bonfire night themed wedding better than a barn dance. Hire a beautiful rustic barn and decorate it with twinkling fairy lights, beautiful chair covers and flowers. Use an Autumnal colour scheme. You can have a formal sit down meal in the barn in the afternoon but then in the evening turn the barn into a fab venue for a hoe down. Place bales of hay around the dance floor for your guests to sit on (maybe cover them in blankets so that they are more comfortable). Personally this wouldn’t work for me as I am allergic to hay so before doing this it may be wise to check that none of your guests have allergies like this as the last thing you want on your wedding night is to be calling an ambulance when one of your guests has an asthma attack!! You could also have a photo booth with cowboy hats and checked shirts for your guests to wear for funny photos to match your theme. Line dancing is a must for a barn dance so maybe hire some local line dancers to get the party started. A local band would also be a great idea. For food a hog roast or a barbeque would be perfect. A small bonfire where your guests can roast marshmallows would also be ideal.

Music festival

Again, I feel that a music festival lends itself to a bonfire theme. Your invites can be ticket stubs. You could hire a variety of yurts and have a few different local bands playing. Again hot dog stands; popcorn and candy floss carts would work really well as would a beer tent serving real ales. If your guests are feeling brave you could even ask them all to camp out in tents under the stars around the bonfire.

These ideas are for the more adventurous brides out there but if you want to incorporate the bonfire theme into a more conventional wedding you still can do so. Hire a company to provide a midnight firework display to wow your guests – set it to music for a spectacular finish. Sparklers are also a great way to finish your wedding. Get your guests to line up with their sparklers and create a walk way for you to run through when you are leaving – this will make a fab photo for your album. For favours give bags of bonfire toffee or beautifully decorated toffee apples.

Don’t forget though that bonfire night is usually fairly cold so think about your guests. Provide blankets and hot drinks if you are having an outdoor reception. Also don’t forget about yourself. There are some beautiful bridal capes, jackets and shrugs available these days so there is no reason for you to be cold. A white or ivory faux fur jacket can look stunning.

To see my bonfire night themed wedding mood board on Pinterest please click this link: http://pinterest.com/rapunzelstwr/bonfire-night-themed-weddings/

If you are off to a firework display this evening or are having your own I hope that you have a great time but please be careful and stay safe. Remember never go back to a lit firework that hasn’t gone off, always wear gloves when using sparklers, stay back from bonfires and fireworks and keep your pets inside. Most of all though have lots and lots of fun!!!

If you are unable to go to a display for whatever reason then here is a little treat for you. This film was taken at Bolsover Castle last year. This was the display that I really wanted to go to on Saturday but my M.E. was too bad. Hopefully I will be able to go next year but please enjoy:

http://youtu.be/GrVeiAU_FD0

And to finish here is Ella Henderson on the X Factor on Saturday singing Firework.

http://youtu.be/fxiaGIQp3Fc

Have yourself a spooktacular wedding day!!!

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 12:33:50 +0100

In the UK we don’t do Halloween like they do in America. Halloween or All Hallows’ Eve is the one night of the year when the souls of the dead roam the earth according to pagan traditions. The tradition of wearing masks at Halloween comes from Christian influences. It was believed that Halloween was the last night in which the souls of the dead could take their revenge and so people wore masks to disguise themselves. The tradition of Trick or Treating hails back to the middle ages when the poor would knock on doors asking for food in return for prayers for the dead. Today Halloween is seen a more light hearted affair. People adorn their homes with pumpkins, witches, black cats, ghosts and skeletons and go trick or treating for sweets dressed up in ghoulish costumes, although these days any costume seems to be acceptable. Now I have to be honest I don’t agree with trick or treating. I was brought up to believe that it is begging and my parents had a lot of trouble with people playing ‘tricks’ on Halloween night – spraying silly string on people’s windows and putting eggs and flour on their car is not fun, it is vandalism. I also personally believe that it is dangerous for children to go knocking on the doors of strangers in the dark. However, Halloween can still be enjoyed. I had a party one year when I was young – all my friends came around dressed up, the house was decorated, we played bobbing apples and watched The Wizard of Oz and I think perhaps The Worst Witch as well. Every year my dad would get the Halloween box down from the loft and decorate the house with hanging ghouls and skeletons. He would carve a pumpkin and we would dress up – usually in homemade costumes that consisted of a black bin bag with holes for the head and arms and decorated with glitter. Add to that a scary mask, a wig, a hat and a broomstick and you are a witch!! We would often have a Halloween themed tea as well that usually involved sausages, mash and beans plus Halloween decorated cakes. My husband is very anti- Halloween but I say it can be fun for all including as a wedding theme. So these are my ideas about how you can incorporate Halloween into your wedding if you should wish to!!

My pumpkin from last Halloween

Venue

For a Halloween themed wedding your venue has to be old and ideally Gothic looking. If there are stories of ghosts then that is even better!! Castles are the perfect choice and Scotland has an abundance of them. Stately homes are also good. I appreciate, however that not everyone has the budget for castles and stately homes but as long as your venue has an interesting history that is all that matters. There are many small pubs around that are really old and have tales to tell especially if you go to a city such as York or Lincoln.

Lincoln Cathedral

Whilst researching this blog I came across two websites that have lists of the most haunted wedding venues around:

http://www.iamstaggered.com/featured/ten-most-haunted-wedding-venues/

http://hauntedisle.hubpages.com/hub/Haunted-Wedding-Venues-UK

For me, Carlton Towers would make a fabulous wedding venue for a Halloween themed weddings as it is an 18^th century stately home in Yorkshire in a Gothic style.

http://www.carltontowers.co.uk/

Dress

A Halloween wedding is the perfect time for you to be able to have fun with your dress. Why not choose a coloured dress – red, orange or even black. Or have a white dress with accents of colour. Black and white dresses can look stunning. For your bridesmaids orange and black dresses look fabulous and fit the Halloween theme perfectly.

For me I do love a gorgeous red dress and Ronald Joyce have a stunning one in their 2013 collection that would make a real statement and look striking in a photo on a long winding staircase.

Beautiful red dress by Ronald Joyce

You can then off course match the men’s ties to your bridesmaids dresses. Black suits and orange ties look fabulous.

Colour schemes

Of course black and orange are the obvious choice for colour schemes for a Halloween themed wedding but if you still want to incorporate the theme but do it in a more subtle way black and white can look stunning. Think white linen and chair covers with black sashes. You could also incorporate other Autumnal colours such as red, gold and brown. Autumnal flowers against white linen would look stunning.

Pumpkin candle holder by Karen's candles

Centre pieces, flowers and decoration

Your table centre pieces is where you can have some real fun with your Halloween theme. Think about Autumnal colours and Autumnal objects such as apples, leaves and nuts. Pumpkins also make great centre pieces and are perfect for Halloween. You can use them as candle holders or you can have them beautifully carved. I have seen pumpkins that have been covered in black lace which makes a classy, beautiful centre piece ideal for a wedding but incorporates the theme. Halloween doesn’t have to mean tacky!! Of course if you want to adorn your venue with cats, witches, skeletons, cobwebs and devils then go for it. All I am saying is that you can incorporate the Halloween theme in a subtle, classy way and create a stunning visionary masterpiece.

Pumpkin candle centre piece by Karen's candles.

Candles create a cosy yet eerie atmosphere that is perfect for Halloween.

For bouquets and buttonholes go for oranges, reds and creams. You could even spray flowers black if you wanted to.

Transport

Vintage cars are perfect for weddings but if you are fully embracing the Halloween theme I would go for a black or a burgundy car rather than white or ivory. The perfect transport for Halloween though would be a black horse drawn carriage with black horses wearing black feather plumes. Now I know what you are thinking that this would make you look like you were going to a funeral rather than a wedding, but hey, isn’t that the point for a Halloween theme?

Favours

You can have so much fun with your favours for Halloween. Halloween themed cake pops or chocolate lollies would be ideal. You could also even give gem stones or tarot cards. For the children how about jellied sweets in the shape of spiders, ghosts and bats etc. Little packets of pumpkin seeds would also work well or you could give all of your guests a scary mask to wear.

Pumpkin chocolate lolly from Sweet Escape, Doncaster

Food

Pumpkins are the main attraction for any Halloween themed wedding but they don’t just have to be used for decoration. Why not use pumpkin in your sit down meal. Think about pumpkin soup, pumpkin risotto, pumpkin gnocchi or pumpkin pie. I would also consider other typical Autumnal fayre – pork with an apple and cider sauce, apple crumble, game etc.

In the evening a hog roast would fit the Halloween theme really well as the hog roasting can sometimes look pretty gruesome although you wouldn’t want to upset your vegetarian guests. Work with the chef at your venue and develop an amazing buffet menu where the food is Halloween themed. Think about using Halloween shapes for sandwiches and pastries. Halloween cupcakes or cake pops would also work well. You could even have toffee apples. Countryliving.com have a fabulous recipe for toffee apples that are black and red.

Halloween themed cake pops from DixiPops, Doncaster.

A white chocolate fountain dyed red, green or orange would be a great yet yummy focus point as well.

Green coloured chocolate fountain from Chocolate Steel, Doncaster

In terms of your wedding cake, have some fun with this. Bakers can do amazing things with icing these days and make some amazing themed cakes. I have seen pumpkins, Tim Burton inspired cakes, cauldrons and all sorts of gruesome designs. Writing ‘Until death do us part’ on the cake in red icing is also a fab idea.

Pumpkin cake by Rosebud cakes

Spooky Halloween themed cocktails are also a must and would be great to give your guests as soon as they arrive at the venue. This site has some great ideas:

http://www.endlesssimmer.com/2010/10/25/top-10-halloween-cocktails/

Entertainment

This is my favourite section for themed weddings because you can really embrace the theme and go to town with it. By the evening all of the formalities are over so you can let your hair down and have some fun.

A Halloween themed disco is a must. Go through your CD collections and include any songs that you can think of that have a ghostly, supernatural, dark and magical theme or title. Some of my favourites include:

· Bat out of hell

· Monster Mash

· Thriller

· Poison

· I put a spell on you

· Bewitched

· Devil Gate Drive

· Black Velvet

· Monster

· Ghostbusters

· Rocky Horror picture show

Photo booths are very popular these days so why not provide a box full of Halloween costumes and scary masks and let your gusts take lots of funny photos in the booth. If you can’t afford to hire the booth why not just have a designated area for funny photos with a camera set up and ask one of your more sober bridesmaids or ushers to look after it.

In the lull between your main meal and the evening disco why not hold a bobbing apple competition or have a magician to entertain your guests. You could also even have a psychic giving palm readings. If your venue has plenty of rooms and grounds to look around as well as a ghoulish history why not organise a ghost walk / tour with a knowledgeable member of staff. Of course you don’t want to scare your guests too much especially the children so whilst the adults are off doing that consider showing a child friendly Halloween theme to the kids. You could also provide the kids with some Halloween fun – colouring in books, make their own masks or carving pumpkins for example.

If you had a big budget you could even arrange to have fairground rides including a ghost train.

I have seen weddings where the bride and groom have asked their guests to dress up in Halloween fancy dress. Personally I wouldn’t want that for the formal part of my wedding day but for the evening do you could have a fancy dress theme. If you wanted a classy dressing up theme why not consider a black and white masquerade ball. You could provide all of your guests with masks as favours and have a black and white theme. Ask your guests to wear black tie and dance the night away.

So those are some of my ideas for a Halloween themed wedding. I hope that you enjoyed reading this blog as much as I enjoyed writing it. I have had a lot of fun with this one. If anyone has any other ideas then please feel free to share.

For more ideas please see my board on Pinterest:

http://pinterest.com/rapunzelstwr/halloween-themed-weddings/

Thank you to the following companies for the use of their photos:

Rosebud Cakes - Rosebud cakes are based in Beverly Hills, California. They make the most amazing themed cakes so take a look at their website.

DixiPops - DixiPops is based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Joanne can make you yummy cakes on a stick in any design you wish.

Chocolate Steel - Chocolate Steel is a chocolate fountain company based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. They have attended many Halloween themed functions and can dye white chocolate various colours to match your theme.

Sweet Escape - Sweet Escape is a sweetie and chocolate shop based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire and is owned by Katy and Sue who also own Chocolate Steel. They have a great selection of sweets and chocolates to match and theme.

Karen's Candles - Karen is a PartyLite consultant covering Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire. She sells beautiful candles.

Autumnal weddings

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 12:38:23 +0100

I love the Autumn. In fact I think it is my favourite time of the year other than Christmas. For me Autumn means my birthday, Halloween, bonfire night, cosy Saturday nights in watching Strictly and X Factor when it is cold and dark outside and of course the build up to Christmas – the shopping, the sparkle, the music and atmosphere. I love it!!. I love sunny Autumn days when the trees are turning. The rich, beautiful colours that you see out of the window and the low sunshine creates the perfect backdrop for photographs. This is why Autumn is a fabulous time of year to get married. I shall write a blog about Halloween themed weddings next week and one about Christmas weddings nearer the time but today I wanted to share with you my ideas for a stunning Autumnal themed wedding.

Walton Hall / Waterton Park Hotel in the Autumn

Photography by Chris Chambers

Colour schemes

Of course the Autumn brings with it an array of different colours that can be incorporated into your wedding theme. Oranges, reds, yellows and browns are the obvious choices but mixed with golds, bronzes, green and cream these colours can look beautiful. You may want to mix an Autumnal colour such as brown with a neutral colour like cream or you may prefer a bright burnt orange colour mixed with greens and browns or why not go all out and incorporate all of these colours into your wedding. You could dress bridesmaids in black and each have a different coloured sash and shoes for example and then have multi-coloured bouquets and table centre pieces. Of course chair covers and sashes are also a great way to incorporate colour.

Beautiful orange colour scheme ideal for an October or November wedding. Tie in bridesmaids dresses, ties, flowers and chair sashes.

Place settings

Place settings don’t just have to be small bits of card with a name on. Have fun with your place settings. Consider spraying leaves or apples in gold and paint names on them.

Pretty chair covers from Apple Blossom Events.

Invitations

Leaves and trees can look stunning on invitations so think about using these as a design for your wedding stationary.

Tree decoration from Apple Blossom Events.

Centre pieces

Table centre pieces are where you can really bring the Autumnal theme to life. Consider a bowl full of apples and pears sprayed in gold and bronze or a bowl of leaves sprinkled with gold glitter with nuts and a beautiful candle in the middle. Also think about flower displays of autumnal colours – orange and hot pink look beautiful together and will make your room look bright and colourful. Pumpkins also make fab centre pieces and there are many different types available.

Beautiful flower centre piece in Autumnal colours.

Food

Food is an important part of any wedding and getting it right is key to making your guests happy. We do get beautiful sunny days in the Autumn but it can also get quite chilly in October and November so consider this when thinking about a menu.

Providing a hot drink with canapés is a good idea – maybe mulled wine or even hot chocolate. Hot chocolate would also be a lovely thing to serve in the evening too especially to older guests who may not drink.

For your sit down meal consider Autumnal foods such as squashes. For a starter think about butternut squash soup, pumpkin gnocchi or squash risotto. For a main consider pork with cider, a warming stew or a roast with green leafy vegetables and parsnips. Game is also in season in the Autumn so consider putting this on your menu. For dessert it has to be apples – consider a warming apple crumble or pie with custard or perhaps a treacle tart or even parkin.

You could give toffee apples to your guests as favours or bags of bonfire or cinder toffee.

Funky, fun wedding cake in Autumnal colours from Amanda's cakes.

Entertainment

The dark nights lend themselves to fireworks and of course we have bonfire night in November so fireworks are a great choice to entertain your guests if your venue allows them. If you can’t afford fireworks consider sparklers. If you are having your reception in a marquee adorn it with twinkly fairy lights and lanterns for a beautiful effect. I have lots of ideas for a Halloween themed wedding but I shall include these in another blog.

Think about your guests though. Your best mate may be happy to dance the night away and keep warm with vodka but your grandma may not be so keen. Consider providing blankets for older guests and ensure that your venue can provide hot drinks. If there is a quiet room with a roaring fire where older guests can sit and have a hot drink then even better.

You could even give out hot chestnuts in the evening along with hot chocolate. Roast pork sandwiches and cider would also be fab for an evening reception.

Beautiful wedding cake with a brown colour scheme from Amanda's cakes.

The main thing to remember is to have fun and go for it. There is no right or wrong way in wedding planning – you have to do what is best for you if you are planning an Autumnal wedding embrace the time of year and the theme and make it extra special.

Pretty orange butterfly favours.

Guests

You can also have fun with an Autumnal wedding theme if you are a guest at an October or November wedding. Think about wearing an outfit in Autumnal colours or if a bright orange dress is too much for you add a splash of colour with your accessories.

Orange feather dome fascinator from Rapunzel's Tower.

Special thanks to Amanda from Amanda's cakes and Sarah from Apple Blossom Events for the use of their photos. Also thanks to my friend Lindsey for allowing me to use her wedding photos.

If you are looking for chair covers in the Doncaster area Apple Blossom have some gorgeous designs so please take a look at their website:

http://www.appleblossomevents.co.uk/

If you are looking for a fabulous wedding cake at a reasonable price in the Doncaster area then take a look at Amanda's cakes.

http://amandascakes.net/

Thank you for reading!!!

Rapunzel's Tower year one!!

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 12:38:59 +0100

Yesterday was Rapunzel’s first birthday. I can’t believe that it has been a year already. Time has certainly flown by!! I have learnt so much in one year and achieved things that I never thought I would be able to achieve. In the past couple of years I have gone from being really ill with the M.E. and fighting a never ending losing battle with the DWP to feeling very dis-heartened that despite having a decent degree and nine years of working experience I couldn’t even manage to get a part time admin job to now being my very own boss and independent business woman. Working part-time alone, from home can sometimes be very lonely and isolating and I often say that I don’t feel like I am working. I used to love going to an office and interacting with people on a daily basis. However for my health being able to work from home and be flexible is the best thing for me. Planning my wedding gave me a passion for weddings and perhaps I don’t feel like I am working because I love what I do.

What started out as a simple eBay shop has now developed and I am hoping that 2013 will lead to even bigger and better things for Rapunzel's Tower. My little website that I designed myself is now an e-commerce site and customers can buy directly from me. I always wanted to achieve this as a goal but it has happened quicker than I thought. With the help of courses through Success Doncaster I learnt about search engine optimisation and about how to build an effective website. My website is no-where near perfect and there are many things that I would like to change but I am proud at what I have managed to achieve especially as IT was never my strong point. The best thing about owning your own business is that you are continually learning. I have learnt new skills and new knowledge as well as learning about myself and my business. Even simple things like buying stock can be a challenge because the things that I think are pretty and I think will sell sometimes don’t and the things that I think may struggle to sell fly. I must say thought that I do love buying things for the business and I love it when customers love my products as much as I do. I have very much enjoyed attending buying fayres such as Autumn Fair Internationalas they are an Aladdin's cave of lovely pretty things to buy!! I missed the British Bridal Exhibitionin Harrogate this year due to my M.E. playing up but I hope to attend next year to find some beautiful bridal products to buy.

In the past year I have attended courses through BusinessLink, Success Doncasterand HMRC. I have really enjoyed learning about setting up a business and also meeting new people on these courses. Some of whom have now become friends who I often see exhibiting at fayres. The courses and also networking sessions that I have attended also gave me my confidence back. After a couple of years of being really very poorly and struggling to leave the house and then not being able to find a job my confidence had hit rock bottom. I attended a women in business networking event at the Keep Moat Stadium in Doncaster on my own which was a nerve wracking experience but listening to inspiring business women and having to speak to strangers gave me the boost I needed to think that I could do this and achieve something in my life despite the M.E. It may not be my chosen profession or career path but if I can make a success of it despite my illness and make my parents, my brothers and my husband proud then that is all that matters, I don’t have children yet but when I do I want to teach them that whatever obstacles life puts in your way you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it and work hard. Now I’m not saying that it is easy because it isn’t. I have taken a big risk financially setting up the business and also I never know how my health is going to be. I know that the day or even up to a week after I have attended a course, an event or exhibited at a fayre I will be very ill and probably bed ridden for a few days but I have learnt to accept that and just try to make sure that I don’t book to do too many things in the same month and that I always have at least one rest day inbetween doing other things. This is easier said than done because I am a ‘get on and do it’ kind of person but I have to try and accept that my body will no longer act in the way that my mind wants it to.

My favourite part of the business is exhibiting at wedding fayres. This was always part of my business plan but I have to say that I did start attending more quickly than I wanted to. I love seeing all the other companies and meeting brides and hearing their ideas. As a seller of tiaras I always get to hear what their dresses are like and the dress is my favourite part of any wedding!! Attending wedding fayres has also been a learning curve as I have discovered that some work for some businesses and some for others. Some cost a great deal to exhibit at so I now need to do some analysis and decide which ones to do next year based on how much we took on the day but also how much brides interacted with us and whether they will come back to us in the future when they are further on with their planning.

A big lesson that I have learnt this year is that you have to spend money to make money. I had always heard this but now I know for sure that it is true. The more stock I have, the more likely it is that it will sell. The more I spend on my website and advertising the more likely it is that I will get more customers etc. People also keep telling me that it takes a few years to make a profit in business and I guess if you are spending everything you make in order to make money that does make sense.

I loved planning my wedding and organising my own summer showcase exhibition was something that I loved but again didn’t think I would do this year, It was a great success but it did affect my health a lot so perhaps I shall leave the event planning for a while but it is something I would love to do again in the future.

I am hoping to go forward next year and put what I have learnt this year into practice. From November I shall be advertising in a local magazine so hopefully that will generate sales, I now have contacts to help with photo shoots so hopefully more professional looking photographs will show the products to their full potential, I am hoping to start selling on Amazon, I want to develop my SEO and shall also evaluate what has sold at what times of the year and which fayres and exhibitions worked best for us. I also have a few other exciting options and projects in the pipeline too which will hopefully help my business to grow but who knows where we will be this time next year.

There are a few people that I have met this year who have been amazing and who I would like to thank for their support and help as well as friends and family. So firstly thank you to my fabulous husband who has supported me emotionally and financially and has given up his weekends to help me at wedding fayres and who has kept me going even when I wanted to give up.

Thanks to my parents and brothers for their support and for all the lifts they have given me to various courses and for giving me a bed for the night when I needed to be in Doncaster early the next day!!

Thanks to the members of my family and to those friends who have been to visit me at exhibitions, who have shared my page on Facebook, who have told their friends and family about me and recommended me and who of course have bought from me.

Thank you to to the following people:

Joanne Dixon from DixiPops who I met on a business link course and who has undertaken this journey at the same time as me and has been so supportive.

Katy Collins from Chocolate Steel for her advice and for giving me lots of information about wedding fayres.

Frederika Roberts from Cini Suppli for having me on her radio show.

Yvonne Walker from Yorkshire Craft Creations, Katie Anderson from Posh party bags by Katie and Julie Poland from Greenfayre homewares who have been very supportive Facebook business buddies.

Michelle Swann from Identities for giving me a chance.

Louise Booth from Elite hair salon, Holly Rose Stones from HollyRose Photography and Charlotte Hall for helping with the photo shoot.

To everyone else who I have met on my travels and to the people from Success Doncaster who have helped along the way.

And last but by no means least to all of my lovely customers who have bought from me this year – I hope that you have been happy with your purchases and with the service I have provided as I could not do this without you.

There are so many great small businesses that are being run by fabulous people so this Christmas why not look to local small businesses to buy your Christmas presents. You might find the perfect present that will be sent to you with passion and love!!

Thankyou!!

Our very first photo shoot!!!

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 12:39:25 +0100

Since starting my little business one thing has always played on my mind and that has been the quality of the photographs I use. I buy my products from suppliers and then take photos of them myself to use on my website and on my eBay shop. I am not allowed to use the photos that the suppliers use so I have to take my own. Now, I live in a small flat and my camera is not the best so I do often struggle to take good photos. Light is always an issue as is space and the camera quality. Plus with my M.E. I often have very shaky hands and my fingers refuse to work properly. They often don’t engage with my brain so taking decent shots can be tricky and it is a miracle if they are not blurred. My photos usually consist of me laying a white satin dressing gown on my foot stool under the living room light and taking photos of my stock on there whilst trying not to get my carpet, TV or ironing pile in the shot!! The mannequin shots are even harder because working with a plastic model is not the easiest thing to do. As much as I love Rapunzel she is not very good at doing as she is told and we have many disasters where her wig comes off, she falls over or she loses her head!! Balancing her on boxes with a white sheet behind is not easy.

Diamante centre jewel tiara £21.99

Rapunzel's Tower

So a professional photo shoot with my products was always something that I wanted to do. I did have a couple of problems however. First of all I don’t have the cash to pay a professional photographer and secondly I was a little worried as I have struggled to find reliable suppliers. A lot of my suppliers change their stock all the time which means that I can’t always get hold of the same items on a rolling basis. Once they are sold they are sold so I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a photo shoot if the photos would be redundant within a few months.

Louise curling Charlotte's hair.

Holly Rose Photography

Luckily my brother’s girlfriend Louise Booth is a fabulous hair stylist who works at Elite hair salon in Bawtry, Doncaster. She not only has experience of cutting and colouring hair as well as styling wedding and prom hair but she has also worked as a stylist on professional photo shoots up and down the country. Louise also knows a great girl called Holly Rose Stones who is an up and coming photographer. Holly is a very talented, self-taught, young photographer who was looking to increase her portfolio range prior to leaving to study for a degree in photographic arts at the university of Westminster in London. We decided to arrange to do a photo shoot where we would all share the photographs afterwards. Louise and Holly would use them to showcase their work and I would use them on my website to help increase sales. The products look so much better on a real life model. We roped in Holly’s friend Charlotte who turned out to be a fabulous model and a brilliant sport.

Louise making some last minute adjustments.

Holly Rose Photography

I was so excited about doing the shoot as I had never done one before and didn’t really know what to expect. Holly has a studio at her home so we decided to take the photos there as the white background would show off the products well. The hardest part was trying to decide which stock to take. We decided to stick to tiaras and fascinators so that we could take head shots only. That way we didn’t have to worry too much about changing outfits. I decided to take a range of the different fascinators that I currently have in stock and took a couple of different colours for each style.

Coral fascinator with veil £23.99 - Rapunzel's Tower

Holly Rose Photography

I was very pleased that the girls loved the products. This has given me more confidence in them. Louise started to work her magic on Charlotte curling her hair and we took some shots with her hair down. We then later moved on to up do’s. We wanted to create a vintage style feel to some of the pictures and with a red lipstick, some false eyelashes, beautiful curls and a faux fur shrug we managed to capture this. The pill box fascinators, button fascinators with quills and 60’s style hat headbands all lend themselves to vintage styling. It also made me realise that these fascinators are not only great to wear to weddings or to the races but that they will also look fab as part of a fancy dress costume. Think 1920’s murder mystery nights or a 1940’s navy nurse – pearl harbor style!! Using this theme we decided to have a little fun and made Charlotte give us a salute whilst wearing the pill box fascinator.

Pill box fascinator £29.99 - Rapunzel's Tower

Holly Rose Photography

Crown band fascinator £27.99 - Rapunzel's Tower

Holly Rose Photography

With the tiaras we also wanted to show that not only can they be used for brides but also for proms. We didn’t want to dress Charlotte in a wedding dress so to give the illusion of a bridal outfit we dressed her instead in a white towel to expose her shoulders and a faux fur shrug!! All very glamorous but the final result looks fabulous.

Vintage style headband tiara £18.99 - Rapunzel's Tower

Holly Rose Photography

The photo shoot also showed me the different ways in which the tiaras, headbands and fascinators can be worn. Louise placed the products in Charlotte’s hair in different ways all of which looked stunning and some that I had not thought of before. For example the headbands can be used as a ‘normal’ headband or can be worn more like a tiara or a brow band. The rose fascinators could be worn with the leaves facing either away from or towards the face. The bridal combs could also be worn straight at the back or could be secured in the side of the hair to give the illusion of a side tiara which are very fashionable at the moment. It proves that if you have a hair stylist who knows what they are doing they can work with your hair, your style and the accessory to give you a beautiful look on your wedding day, for your prom or for the races. Grips and hairspray are a godsend and can secure your comb, tiara or fascinator in many different ways.

Mesh coiled comb fascinator £12.99 - Rapunzel's Tower

Holly Rose Photography

The day flew by and before we knew it five hours had passed and all the products had been photographed. Holly and Louise did an amazing job of taking charge of the shoot and knowing just what to do. They managed to put Charlotte into some great poses. Louise's experience of photo shoots definitely paid off. I just sat back on the settee and watched. I did add a couple of ideas here and there but for most of the day I was just the client!! I was very excited to see the final result. Holly managed to get them edited very quickly and the next day she uploaded some to her Facebook page. I have to say that I was very pleased with the results. Holly has captured some great shots and Louise did a fabulous job with the hair - Charlotte looks beautiful. The photos show the products off to their full potential and I am sure they will give my website a much more professional feel as well as showing customers how they can wear the pieces. I shall be putting the photos onto my Facebook page and onto the website next week. I really hope you like them.

Pearl and diamante comb - £12.99 - Rapunzel's Tower

Holly Rose Photography

If anyone out there is like me and owns a small business that is still in the early stages and can’t afford professional photos consider using photography students who need the experience and shots for their portfolio or people you know. Most of us will have friends who are good at photography or hair and most of us will have an attractive friend or two who can act as a model.

Top hat fascinator with organza roses - £45 - Rapunzel's Tower

Holly Rose Photography

The photo shoot is one of the best things I have done for my business and I am hopeful that it will help sales. Especially as now I have professional images that I can use in advertising. I am very grateful to Louise, Holly and Charlotte for all of their hard work on the day of the shoot and also for arranging it and for giving up their time. Thankyou ladies!! I look forward to working with you again in the future. It was a fab day although very tiring so next time I shall remember to bring the cupcakes to keep energy our levels up!!

Sunburst tiara £22.99 - Rapunzel's Tower

Holly Rose Photography

To view more of Holly’s work please visit her Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/HRosePhotography

Louise can be found at Elite hair Salon in Bawtry, Doncaster.

The team - Me, Charlotte, Holly and Louise

Please let me know what you think of the new photos.