All posts in Tips, Tricks & Advice

Top Wedding Skin Care Secrets Every Bride Should Know

Skin care woman putting face cream

Image courtesy of  http://www.mariobadescu.com/

Stressing out can cause serious skin issues. In the months, weeks, and days leading up to your wedding, it’s important to eat right and take the very best care of your skin.

Antioxidants

Vitamins A, C and E and Green Tea are antioxidants, the role of which is to help fight free radical damage and prevent collagen breakdown. When consumed through an abundance of certain foods such as fruits, vegetables and tea as well as when used topically (think serums packed with Vitamin C), you can amp up your skin’s glow factor.

wedding skin care

 Image courtesy of http://www.wavesbarbados.com/

Good Fats

If you’re abstaining from all fats in the name of weight loss, you’re doing your skin and health a disservice. Not only are ‘good’ fats good for your heart, but the consumption of healthy fats such as those in avocados, walnuts, almonds and salmon help skin appear smoother and more supple. A deficiency in good fats can lead to a dull, lackluster complexion.

 

Face Masks

If you think that face masks are limited to the spa or at-home pampering parties, think again. Masks are typically meant to be used on a weekly basis. Depending on your skin type, the mask you choose may offer a variety of benefits to the skin, including:

  • Drawing out impurities;
  • Hydrating;
  • Nourishing; and
  • Balancing the skin’s oil production.

wedding skin care face mask treatment

Image courtesy of http://www.bytom.nl/

The Right Products

As simple as it may sound, it is imperative to use products that are formulated for your skin type. Think about it—if you have oily skin, you may aggravate your oil glands if you use products that are made for dry skin types.

Don’t Skip the Toner

Toners are yet another skin care product that are not widely used. If the benefits of toner were better known, it would be a product that most people would not go without. Face toners help to restore the skin’s pH balance and remove impurities.

Exfoliate

Dull skin is sometimes caused by dead skin cell buildup. The trick to removing that buildup is by exfoliating. There are two ways to exfoliate: mechanically and chemically. Mechanical exfoliation includes face scrubs, face cloths, etc. An example of chemical exfoliation is a cleanser that contains alpha hydroxy acids (which chemically dissolve or loosen and lift away dead skin cells). If you have oily skin, you should exfoliate two to three times a week. If your skin is dry, you should exfoliate once or twice a week. Moreover, if you have inflamed acne, avoid mechanical methods of exfoliation and stick with chemical exfoliation instead (use cleansers that contain salicylic acid or glycolic acid).

wedding skin care treatment

Image courtesy of http://www.insignia-lb.com/

As simple and basic as these tips may sound, they are not put into practice enough. If you implement each one, you will be a beautiful, blushing bride!

 

Author Bio: Lee Ann Buttery is a licensed Esthetician and professional makeup artist that works for Mario Badescu. She is passionate about all things beauty-related.

Involve Your Groom in Wedding Planning? Yes You Should and Here Is Why!

Bride and Groom in Church - Julie Kim Photography

Weddings are about two people and their commitment to each other. The whole day is about telling the world that you are in love and that you are a partnership, great friends, confidantes and support for each other! That should start right at the beginning of your married life. That means the wedding planning too!

Do I hear you disagree? Surely it’s the Bride’s job? Not anymore it’s not. Grooms are involved in weddings from day one! I can speak from experience. Over the last three years I have been planning weddings and I can categorically tell you that my Grooms have a big say in the whole process.

Helping each other plan your wedding will pay off big time. Not only will you have a day that you both want but the journey there will be much more enjoyable. Marriage is all about sharing and compromise so this is a great place to start to lay your foundations for the future.

If you want your Groom to help but you or he are not sure where to start read on.

 Image courtesy of Julie Dawson

Finance and The Voice of Reason

Nowadays many couples pay for their own weddings. They set the budgets and then produce the readies! This tends to focus men’s attention a lot. They are far better at staying on budget. When us girls become completely taken over by the “wedding pretties” and spending another £50 here and £100 there can very soon add up to £1,000’s. I kid you not! Men are great at making us look more objectively and helping give us focus. At the time you won’t like not being able to spend and buy everything you want, but I can guarantee the day after the wedding when your credit card bill is not delivered by a huge articulated lorry you will be pleased your lovely Groom helped you see the light.

Men are also better at talking money with suppliers. They are less emotionally involved when it comes to finance and can often get a better deal or more value for money. I find that with many of my couples I work with, it is the men generally who deal with the finance.

You may not believe this but three of my grooms also suggested using a wedding planner. They realised how hard it can be and expensive so use someone who can help make your money go further and get you better deals.

Image courtesy of http://www.lesleymeredith.co.uk/

Exploit hobbies, interests and logistic ability

Men are fabulous at working out details for travelling. Booking your honeymoon is so exciting but the logistics of when, what and where can be very time consuming and complicated, especially if you are marrying abroad. Let your groom do this, he will make a superb job of it and you can do the things that don’t generally interest him like flowers and décor. You may make joint decisions on these other things but you probably take the lead on organising them.

If your groom has a skill or interest then exploit it. One of my weddings this summer had the most gorgeous table names that were carved out of wood and then painted white. They are going to be used throughout the house after the wedding. The lovely groom, Dave, who did them spent ages making them perfect and the guests really noticed and he loved being so involved. I have another Groom who is quite an expert on sound and music. He has been choosing the DJ and what is to be played in the evening to make sure the dance floor is full. Another groom plays in a tribute band that are playing at the wedding.  Another chose the band and reception entertainment. I can tell you from hours of research that it is hard to find just the right band or DJ that suits. Let them help!

What about getting the men to sort out the gifts for the best man and ushers? That is always tricky. Also choose their own clothes and find out where to hire the groomsmen’s suits.

Food, Drink and Venue

These are the other areas that men are really interested in. Staggered did a survey recently and found out that 61.3 % of grooms are doing half of the work involved in wedding planning. Their favourite areas are choosing their own clothes, the menu and venue. The decision where to have your venue impacts on your whole wedding day and certainly what to eat to please everyone is another big decision.

Planning your wedding is a major time consumer I can’t tell you how fabulous it is to have help and support. Often the Bride can feel quite alone during the planning and feel that the groom has nothing to do but just turn up. Well now you know! They want to help.

So be smart and involve your man in the wedding as much as you can. You won’t be sorry and when you look back at your journey your memories will be joint ones and your wedding will have the meaning for both of you that it’s meant to have.

Have a fabulous Christmas and congratulations if you are getting engaged over the festive period.

 

Author Bio: Wedding Planner –  Julie Dawson – The Wedding Genie

Top Tips For A Magical Christmas Wedding Day!

Image courtesy of www.thestateofgrace.com

Baby, it may be cold outside, but we have 5 tops tips to inspire your magical winter wedding day.

With our love affair of long-sleeved wedding dresses, vintage lace and natural décor continuing to trend, winter weddings have never been so popular!  Having Christmas a wedding day will mean colder temperatures but also the chance to wear beautiful long sleeve gowns.

 

1. Festive Invites

Be creative with your invitations and try a little DIY! These cute ‘Love Bird’ and ‘All our love’ stampers are easy-peasy to use and you can add a spray of scent for added festivity. We like the Mandarin, Clove and Cinnamon room spray by M&S.

Image courtesy of www.rubyanddiva.com

Love vintage chic? Then check out these gorgeous hand-made vintage wedding invitations with snow-flake like doilies. So pretty and unique!

Image courtesy of www.rubyanddiva.com

2. The Christmas Bride

Christmas is THE best time to channel maximum glamour! Christmas brides look beautiful in long-sleeved, full-length dresses while staying toasty warm.

We love this gorgeous silk vintage-inspired dress by Zoe Lem. Add some sprigs of holly and berries for a unique winter flower headband.

Image courtesy of www.rubyanddiva.com

Or this stunning original vintage lace dress with full sleeves by Heavenly Vintage.

Image courtesy of www.rubyanddiva.com

Add a touch of winter sparkle with the Art Deco inspired Beatrix Wedding Headband complemented by the ‘Belle’ Lariat that can be worn as a necklace or belt!

 

Image courtesy of www.rubyanddiva.com 

 

Image courtesy of www.rubyanddiva.com

For a unique wedding bouquet, commission a vintage brooch bouquet by Debbie Carlisle made from your joint family heirlooms.

Or, for a wintry alternative to a bouquet, we adore this opulent ivory, ostrich feather fan – Jessie.

 Image courtesy of www.rubyanddiva.com

4. Staying toasty!

Serve little cups of hot chocolate at the entrance to warm your guests up. We found this cute recipe for hot cocoa on a stick on the Intimate Weddings blog so give it a go – yum!

Image courtesy of www.intimateweddings.com

Or, if your venue is super-big, very old and potentially chilly, place cosy blankets on each chair – a thoughtful little wedding favour that will keep your guests warm at the same time!

We like the Irma blue throw from Ikea – just £1.60 – or the Tesco White blanket for £4.47, easy to decorate with some velvet ribbon and sprigs of mistletoe. For smaller wedding parties you could even sew on your initials and wedding date!

5. Winter Décor

Hang a Scarlet Red Rose Christmas wreath at the entrance to your venue and decorate the windows and mantelpieces with fairy lights. Place t-lights in snow-white holders at the tables along with bowls full of nuts and oranges, pines or cups with sparklers.

Image courtesy of www.rubyanddiva.com 

 

Image courtesy of www.rubyanddiva.com

 

Be creative with a sweet table and treat your guests to candied almonds, snowflake-shaped cookies and mini cakes with marshmallows. For a truly unique wedding cake, commission a copy of your very own gingerbread house!

Image courtesy of www.rubyanddiva.com

Or keep it simple, choose an elegantly iced cake and add a stylish cake topper. No further decoration needed!

Image courtesy of www.rubyanddiva.com

 

Finally, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. Don’t stress about the weather and take matters into your own hands by hiring a snow machine to create your own ‘Narnia’ then engineer a snow-ball fight for your guests! Check out Snow Business – leaders in providing artificial snow and winter effect for film and events.

We hope you enjoyed our tips and, for a little more winter inspiration, you can check out our  lovely Christmas Wedding Pinterest board!

 

We wish you all a very merry Christmas and wonderful wedding day!

The ruby+diva team

What to Consider With December Weddings

winter-wedding-snow

Image courtesy of elizabethannedesigns.com

These days, weddings are not only popular in June, but the whole year through. In fact, many women today opt to tie the knot on “off season” months such as December.

If you think a blanket of snow is the most romantic setting for the day you say “I do,” then go ahead and plan a white wedding! But before finally deciding on being a winter bride, here are important things you should know and potential winter problems you may encounter.

 

Dressing

Since one of the major pitfalls of a December wedding is the chilly temperature in most areas of the country, you must make sure to dress weather-appropriate. You wouldn’t want to shiver all throughout your wedding day, right?

However, dressing weather-appropriate doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style, either. The frigid weather can’t stop you from wearing shoulder-baring strapless dresses – for as long as you incorporate accenting cashmere wraps, faux fur stoles, or other accessories that’s appropriate for winter.

 

Flowers

The thing about winter weddings is that you may not be able to get the flowers you want because some flowers only bloom in spring. Yes, a florist can get every type of flower anytime of the year by ordering them from warmer parts, but you would still have to pay extra for shipping.

If you look around though, you may still find winter blooms that you’d like. Examples of which include red roses, amaryllis, calla lilies, white hydrangeas and boutonnieres. Make your bouquet extra special by wrapping the stems in a crystal-studded ribbon.

 

Decor

Love the winter ambience but hate the cold outdoors? Don’t worry. You can always bring the beauty of the season indoors with wonderful decors and centerpieces. You can hang garlands of icicle-like crystals to highlight the dance floor, and incorporate pine cones, branches, boughs, and glittery details into the centerpieces.

To keep your guests warm, put candles on the table as part of the centerpiece. Aside from giving warmth, the illumination from the candles heightens drama and creates a romantic glow that is both cozy and inviting.

 

Colors

Silver and white with crystal accents can be a glamorous motif for a winter wedding. Whether it’s white satin ribbons or white velvet carpet, a less-is-more approach can actually create an elegant and beautiful atmosphere for your wedding.

However, you are also free to choose bold and bright colors for the affair. Orange, green, yellows can also create a fun and unexpected setting. One suggestion though, stay away from red-and-green combos if you don’t want to get more of a holiday feel than intimate one.

 

Honeymoon

After a snow-filled wedding ceremony, why not whisk off to a tropical paradise for a hot, exciting and sandy honeymoon? Hit the beaches in warmer parts of the country, or better yet, fly to the Caribbean for a warmer escape. Take advantage of exceptional honeymoon packages to make your trip hassle-free.

 

Are you ready for your winter wedding? Tell us about it!

 

About the author: Melissa Page is a passionate blogger and social media contributor who works with Couples Resorts, the perfect Caribbean honeymoon destination. When she’s not busy writing about weddings and romantic vacations, she’s out bowling with her close friends.

 

Wedding Planning Advice From The Reflective Bride Continued

pale blue wedding theme

Image courtesy of greenweddingshoes.com

Here is the second part in the series of wedding planning advice from the Reflective Bride and this time she is talking about how to decide on a colour scheme. 

 

One wedding planning task that will definitely keep you up at night is deciding on the theme and colors for your big day. It’s not nearly as high on the list as marrying the person of your dreams or being surrounded by family and friends, but the theme is important because so many other wedding decisions will flow on from it. Not sure where to start? Here’s one bride’s experience to help inspire your own decision making!

 

Part 2: The Color Scheme

Let me start with a disclaimer: we didn’t pick our colors in the most correct way, whoops! We only got the process half-right. We knew we wanted two colors, one main color and one more neutral color, to avoid our big day being completely RED! or overwhelmingly YELLOW! for our guests. The bit we did get right was choosing our main color. My groom and I had read that the best place to start is with favorite colors, or looking at what colors you use in your home (because obviously you picked colors that you already find pleasing as décor). Both of us have blue as a favourite color, and that’s the color scheme in our kitchen and bathroom, so blue was quickly confirmed as our main shade. Tick!

 

Secondary Color

The secondary color is the one we went about in the wrong way. Because many of our guests would travel long distance for our nuptials and needed advance notice, we had to start making a wedding website before we had settled on a second color. I combed through many wedding website services for site designs in blue, or any neutral color. As we did throughout wedding planning, I made a shortlist of my favorites and then let my groom make the final decision… and the design he chose was not blue, but one with a beige damask background. And, with that, beige became our secondary color! A few weeks later it dawned on me that beige and blue were extra perfect as colors, because it matched the sand and sea of our beach wedding, and more than covered me for my “something blue”. Like I said, we decided backwards, but it worked out well in the end!

 

Tastes Change Over Time  

Our colors also evolved over time. Obviously you can’t write wedding invitations in beige or a light shade of blue and hope for it to be readable… but also it would be difficult to find flowers in a dark blue shade. What to do? Our color scheme developed into beige, light blue and dark blue to suit whatever we needed, and – whenever we had to be really specific – these upgraded to powder blue and royal blue.

 

Bringing the Color theme to Life

So how did we incorporate those colors? Our stationery featured pale blue ribbons and a royal blue font, the bridesmaids wore dark blue gowns, my father worse a light blue tie, light blue petals were scattered on our reception tables, our bouquets featured light blue orchids and what the florist called “copper” rosebuds, our wedding cake had the same flowers and beige ribbons, and our chair sashes were in a shade our decorator termed “latte”. The damask from the website also became a motif: we used the same background on our wedding invitations and also as a textured design on the side of our wedding cake.

 

 The Early Bird Catches The Worm 

My advice? As with the broader theme, choose your colors early, so it can guide your wedding decisions and give the day a consistent look and feel. Also similar to the theme, follow the color scheme where you can but don’t stress if you can’t match it exactly – no one will look down on you if the bridesmaid dresses are puce but your chair sashes are cranberry. Remember, too, that if your particular colors aren’t working for making a particular decision, white goes with everything at a wedding!

Happy theming and color scheming!

 

Author Bio:The Reflective Bride is a real-life bride writing a start-to-finish look at how they approached different decisions and a review how it all goes – with 20-20 hindsight! Check out the Reflective Bride blog , like on Facebook, or follow on Twitter .