Fabulous freebies: magazines

Fabulous freebies: magazines.

Alternatives to a veil

Whilst a veil may be traditional they are certainly not compulsory. It all depends on the style of your dress and how formal/informal your wedding is.

Just because you dont go for a veil, doesn’t mean you need to miss out on headgear all together though. There are some great alternative (and budget!) options

Dahlia fashion in london have some gorgeous vintage headbands that would set off an informal boho/retro dress beautifully

gorgeous headbands from http://www.dahliafashion.co.uk

Or, for a more informal trendy wedding, why not try a birdcage veil, like these from Lily Bella (starting at a very reasonable £14.99)

gorgeously stylish- from http://www.lilybella.co.uk

Personally, my dress had enough detail, so I just went for a combination of flowers

Sometimes a few flowers or a clip is just right

Lovely locks by ‘hair romance’

A few weeks ago, I blogged about how to look a million dollars on a budget. I mentioned there that I had a talented friend to do my hair- but, bride or not, what if you want  to get a stunning look yourself for free?

I’ve found this fabulous blog for any girls (brides or otherwise) wanting to get the perfect twist and pin look for a special occasion.

From http://www.hairromance.com

Aussie, Christina takes you through hundreds of chic styles step by step in her easy to access ‘hairromance’ blog. Even if you dont fancy doing it yourself there is tonnes to inspire any bride to be- especially as it doesn’t major on ‘wedding hair’ and just covers simple, beautiful styles.

I can’t wait to try some of them out!

Can you look a million dollars on a budget?

I’ve already blogged about my lovely gown and homemade bouquet, but what about the rest of it? Bridal hair and make up can add hundreds more onto the budget, so what to do if you’re trying to cut costs?

I have never had very good experiences of make up done by other people, so I wasn’t keen on the idea of getting someone in on my big day. The main thing I wanted was to look myself (but the best version of myself I could be!). 

Although I used to be a bit of a make-up-o-holic in my teens and early twenties, my look has mellowed over time and since my other half prefers the natural look I very often wear no make up at all, or just a splash of vaseline rosy or gloss on my lips. I’m also a BIG fan of Benetint, as it gives a really natural flush of colour and is very durable.

My make-up loving days gave me the confidence to decide to do my own bridal look, and I am really glad I did. I spent a bit of money on some quality products- and made use of some deals on magazines* and freebies from No.7 at Boots.

I am fortunate to have a number of friends who are a dab hand at hairdressing, so I enlisted the help of my old flatmate Marianne (a physio in real life) and entrusted her with my locks on the big day. After some discussions and even buying a cheap veil just in case, I decided for simplicity and went for just lovely hair and no veil. Marianne did an amazing job and my hair not only lasted to the end of the night but looked awesome for the first few days of honeymoon too!

Getting the look

My ‘natural bride’ look consisted of:

• No.7 tinted moisturiser
• Benetint (cheeks and lip stain) by Benefit. This was a gift, but canny brides could recently have got a free sample sufficient for wedding and honeymoon with Glamour magazine*
• Benefit ‘Primpcess’ eye kit (with eye pencil, mascara, brow definer, eyeshadow and highlighter) I got this at cut price on an easyjet flight for £20
• Jemma Kidd lipgloss ‘Candy’ (free with glamour mag*)

* Budget brides to be should keep a look out from free magazine make up deals. In the UK, Glamour are particularly good at these- especially my fave brand of Benefit.

the finished look