Thursday Throwback – Claire and James wedding at Goodnestone Park

Sometimes, when I get to see the professional images back from a photographer it’s simply too hard to select just five, or six. This was a struggle to cut it down to just 10! These fabulous images were taken by James Richard and they capture the morning I had with Claire just perfectly. Claire herself was one of those girls that you instantly just like. Chatty, warm and not to mention beautiful, she was blessed to have the most wonderful selection of friends and bridesmaids around her – all of whom had ventured to the stunning Goodnestone House for their wedding weekend. 

The morning with this lot was full of laughter and typically everything you would want a ‘wedding morning’ to be. Being at the venue itself meant there was no need to work to the timescale of having to get transport or allow for traffic, and often this plays a big part in helping everything remain relaxed and calm. Obviously the other major thing that helps with this is exactly WHO you decide to have around you on the wedding morning. Claire’s lovely mum joined us, along with her four bridesmaids. Now these girls get 10/10 from me when it comes to the bridesmaid stakes! They were attentive, chilled and funny ( I’d like to tell you that it was me making the bridesmaid laugh in the photo below but I have a feeling it was the other way round! ) oh and they clearly have their priorities in order – ensuring they got the perfect selfie before they head off! 

Claire opted for natural, flawless bridal make up using airbrush to give her that ‘real skin’ finish. Her hair was twisted and woven into a ‘tail’ style, a modern take on a traditional half up, half down style which gives a little more structure and interest. We framed her face with soft waves and added a long veil to compliment her breathtaking gown. The bridesmaids in red were a beautiful contrast, bold and striking – as you can see from the images. I have to also mention the flowers – they really were something else! Louise at East Kent Flower Company produced the most amazing hanging decorative pieces , fixed to the ceiling of their marquee which ‘see-through’ exterior gave 360 views of the outside surroundings. Seriously breathtaking stuff! 

So we’re three months into 2019 now, I’m still eating chocolate for breakfast and still trying to stay on top of  everything admin wise ( I give it another week at best! ) .

I’m definitely one of those people who like to have a goal. I work better when I have a target to strive for and I’m a great believer in the law of attraction too. With that in mind, I’ve started thinking about just what I want to achieve ‘business wise’ over the coming months ( years even! )  so I’ve compiled the list below. Some of them are bigger than others, some perhaps slightly more realistic too (!!) but I’m sure that with a little help I’ll find a way to tick everything off one way or another! Over the past few years, my goals have been to get a front page feature on a bridal magazine (my gorgeous bride, photographed by Kerry Ann Duffy achieved this! ) to win the Kent Wedding Awards (tick!) , and to speak on stage at Salon International. In October last year I presented a bridal hair demo on their New Talent stage with my wonderful red haired model Sam ( you can see some of my snaps below ) and it just goes to show that if you put your mind to it – nothing is out of reach!

So here’s what I have so far…

Dreamland. I’d love to style a retro bride at Dreamland, Margate. It’s a theme park in Kent that’s undergone some extensive renovations over the past few years in order to restore it to at least some of its former glory! The whole place, the history of it, the quirkiness – really appeals to me and I’d love to have some photos that show off this creative side of my bridal work! It’s fairy local to me too so quite achievable. If you haven’t considered it as a venue possibility for your day then be sure to take a look!

Destination Wedding. Italy. It’s so romantic. The type of bride that travels to Italy for their big day is relaxed, elegant and chic. I’d love to opportunity to travel abroad to prepare a bride for her big day. Although the chance has come up a few times over the past few years I’ve never been able to make it work date/time wise so it’s certainly something I’d love to do! If you’re marrying abroad then make sure you get in touch in plenty of time if you’re trying to arrange for your chosen and specific suppliers to be with you! ( obviously if you need me to come to the Maldives on honeymoon with you also then I’ll certainly consider that too! )

Barefoot bride. Think flowers, braids and boho chic. Maybe it’s a forest, possibly even a beach! The kind of bride that is ‘at one’ with nature and surroundings, who’s big day is beautiful, relaxed, simple and a little bit magical.

Fancy dress wedding. This is a total goal! The type of wedding that you’re asked to come in costume or theme. It might be Medieval, it might be 1930’s – who knows! A certain look, a certain vibe – amazing!

Hair that touches the floor. Ok, so maybe this is one of my slightly trickier requests but I would love to style the hair of someone who’s hair is so long that it reaches the floor ( or very close ! ) I’m thinking Rapunzel type locks that take hours to braid. If you have long long long hair , or know anyone who does who might like to model for me – we need to talk!

Disneyland Bride. You can get married at Disneyland. Fact. If you want to fly me over to the American one that’s fine too, but I’m equally as happy to just jump on the Eurostar and head to Paris! ( I’m not fussy! ) I’m a big fan of the ‘Princess meets her handsome Prince’ scene and what better place to experience that than by tying the knot at the ‘happiest place on earth!’.

London Weddings. In the past, I haven’t tended to venture into the big city too much but I have a feeling that might change this year!  Some of the most exclusive, beautiful inner city venues including The Savoy, Kensington Palace and some of the old libraries would make the most perfect backdrop for bridal shots. I’m also a massive fan of the ‘typically London’ big red buses and quaint ‘tea party’ style  weddings that we are seeing so much more of now. If you’re getting married anywhere unusual or special around our lovely London city then I’d love to be a part of that!

Rainbow hair. I love hair that is any kind of un natural colour. I really do. Pink, green, blue- whatever! The more colour combinations the better! It looks amazing twisted into an intricate updo or braided –  I could literally play for hours! Even if it’s just for the purposes of a shoot , or simply with the intention of making me happy – if you fancy giving me free reign on your colourful locks then we need to talk!

I’m sure as the months pass there will be plenty more requests that I could add to this list so I’ll leave it at that for now. If you can help with any of them be sure to drop me a message. Weddings simply don’t have to be traditional anymore. Although there is something really special about a classic, timeless bride – please be warned – if that’s not who you are then don’t try and fit yourself into the mould just for that one day because you feel like it’s what you ‘should’ be doing. Your wedding day should be a reflection of the two of you, the things you love, shared with the people who love you. If that means you’re eating takeaway pizza on picnic rugs– amazing!  If you’re drinking home made cocktails in mums back garden – brilliant! If you have the most amazing champagne reception on one of the worlds tallest buildings – wow! If you make your day personal, and remember that it really is all about the two of you – nothing else- then you simply can’t go wrong! ( And don’t let anyone convince you otherwise! )

I cant wait to hear your ideas! ( I’m off back to my chocolate…! )

Thursday Throwback – The Orangery, Maidstone, Kent 

On Sat 14^thJuly  2018 I had the pleasure of providing wedding hair and make up services for Claire and her mum at the beautiful venue The Orangery, Maidstone.

The venue itself has a separate room, named the Wisteria Suite, which brides are allowed to access from 9am. It’s a large room with plenty of light and space so ideal for getting everyone together, and with plenty of space for everyone to get ready. The bonus of being on site is that you can relax in the knowledge that once you and your bridal party are ready its just a short walk away from the venue, ready for the best day of your life!

Claire has the most beautiful long blonde hair so when she said about how she would like to wear it up in a classic up do I was excited to create that for her. We went for gentle waves and curls twisted into a low chignon with a little height at the crown. We left soft waves down around the front of the face from the hairline to frame her face and make the whole style look soft and ‘undone’. The result was a truly romantic up do  which complimented her features perfectly. 

For Claire’s Wedding make up we kept it soft and fresh, adding a slight cool tone for her eyes to bring out their gorgeous colour. Using airbase airbrush make up we were able to make Claire’s skin flawless , adding a fresh pink blush and golden highlight to finish.  We also used my very favourite lashes , Ardell Demi Wispies to really give the eyes some drama and make them stand out even more.

Claires Mum, like most mums, was keen to look amazing for her daughters big day. We added waves and volume to her hair to compliment her stunning hat! Her make up was kept fresh and light, again using airbrush make up to even out her skin tone to ensure that she too looked flawless for the photographs.

Thankyou to Louisa Dettmer for these stunning photographs.  If you’d like to talk about your big day , the look you’re wanting to create and how we can make it possible then get in touch, I’d love to hear from you

Katie x