Blog Entries for magicdust

Friday November 21st - A fabulous photographer, some beautiful stationery and some very organised br

magicdust

Wow, this week has been a busy one!

I discovered a couple of new suppliers that I want to share with you. Kieran Doherty is a photographer with 15 years of experience as a war and sports photographer. He knows exactly how to capture a fleeting moment and his experience is such that you can totally trust him to make the first edit of your photos.

Earlier this week I spoke to two of his recent weddi [...]

Friday November 14th - Helping couples to enjoy a wedding planning-free Christmas, venue decorations

magicdust

November is one of my favourite months of the year as it invites you to look forward to Christmas and to the start of a new year with fresh goals and an invigorated outlook. But whoah there, I hear you cry, there's still 6 weeks until 2009!

True, but those 6 weeks will fly by so now is the time to decide what wedding planning tasks you want to complete before the end of the year so that you can start 2009 on top of ev [...]

Friday 7th November - Grazia style tips & a fabulous new beauty secret...

magicdust

You can take the girl out of Grazia but you just can't take Grazia out of the girl, which is why I jumped at the invitation to join the team down at Westfield shopping centre earlier this week!

I'll let you make your own minds up about the biggest shopping mall in Europe because I was much more interested in catching up with the Grazia fashion team and picking upsome insider tips for Christmas party dressing (navy and black is the chic-est combination, and if [...]

Friday October 31st - A fabulous frock discovery, wines to lay down and the seal of approval...

magicdust

Let's say you've already found your dream wedding dress... does that mean you stop looking at, wanting, or sometimes even needing(!), a new dress for another occasion?

Of course it doesn't and that's why I am delighted to have discovered, and spent time getting to know Rachel, the brainsbehind Frock Online. They stock little known in the UK, but fabulous, brands like Rene Derhy, Bekaloo and Numph, which almost certainly gua [...]

Friday October 24th - A 'fabulous supplier' filled week...

magicdust

This week has literally flown by - must have been all those lovely sunny, but cold, days putting a spring in my step!

I managed to find time this week to meet up with a few suppliers. If you're a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that we don't have 'preferred suppliers' who incentivise us to recommend them (where's the integrity in that?).

What we do have are suppliers that we prefer! [...]

Friday October 17th - Beautiful wedding stationery, timings and an exciting phone call...

magicdust

For a stationery addict like me there's nothing quite like seeing stunning wedding invitations!

This week I've been doing some work for a couple I first met earlier in the year when they booked a 'Girls Night In' planning session. I had mentioned to them at our first meeting that Emily & Jo make the most beautiful invitations and, sure enough, they have done just that for Kim & Emma.

I have [...]

Friday 10th October - Perfect weather, working with old friends & a cake made of cheese...

magicdust

Actually, it's Sunday already and I'm just back from working at a fantastic wedding near Warwick yesterday! The whole celebration had been planned to within an inch of its life - but we had a lot of fun doing it and it was definitely worth it just to know that everything would happen when it was supposed to, and with the minimum of stress for the bride andgroom.

The day always seems to fly past for me but I'm sure that's b [...]

Friday 3rd October - Bake your own wedding favours, gift ideas from an old faithful & an ...

magicdust

About a year ago I was introduced to a lovely lady called Lindy Smith, who is an absolute wizard when it comes to designing, making and decorating cakes. I bumped in to Lindy again last week and was delighted to discover that she's about to have her 8th book published - and I've had a sneak preview.

It's all about cookies and there's an entire chapter that shows you how to create fabulous wedding favour ones. From a wedding cake-shaped cookie to heart- [...]

Friday September 26th - Shopping for boots is just like wedding planning and a fantastic place for a

magicdust

I really do love my job which is why I often find myself thinking about it in the strangest places!

Recently, on a flying visit to Moscow (long story!) I decided to forego more sightseeing in favour of a spot of retail therapy. I needed (well, it was more of a want if I'm being totally honest) a new pair of boots and, in a city where temperatures stay well below freezing for at least 4 months of the year, I knew I'd find lots and lots of boots to choose from.

I wasn&# [...]

Friday 19th September - a hidden gem of a hotel, another great photographer and the perfect place fo

magicdust

This week I was lucky enough to be invited to a 'Mad Hatter's Tea Party' at The Goring Hotel in central London. A stone's throw from Victoria station - and Buckingham Palace - this hotel completely won me over. I certainly wasn't expecting such a beautiful, quiet garden in the heart of London and when I found outthat some of the rooms in the hotel have balconies that look out over this garden... well I was ready to move in!

Perfect for a stylish, in [...]

Friday 29th August - On The Day and your venue...

magicdust

It's actually Monday already but I make no apologies for being late with this blog! This is the first chance I've had to put fingers to keyboard since working at Katherine & Stephen's stunning wedding at St Paul's Cathedral and The Caledonian Club in Belgravia, London on Saturday.

The weather was gorgeous (as I type this the rain is pouring down so itonly highlights how lucky we were on Saturday!), and thanks to a meticulously organised bride and ma [...]

Friday 22nd August - Two hours to wedding planning heaven and it's all about 'Me Me Me'...

magicdust

It's been a week of 'Girls Night In' planning sessions and 'On The Day' co-ordination preparation - 2 of our most popular, and valuable, services - and I've thoroughly enjoyed myself!

One of the most daunting things for couples planning their celebrations is knowing exactly where to start. It's easy to feel overwhelmed when you're bombarded by magazines, websites and friends offering a million and one different ideas. Because we're pa [...]

Friday 15th August - 60 minutes to wedding planning heaven...

magicdust

This week our 'Power Hours' have literally been flying off the shelves (well, if we had shelves of 'Power Hours' they would have been!). I love Power Hour work as it's a great opportunity to work with lots of different couples, all of whom are planning unique celebrationsand looking for an objective, experienced point of view to guide them through the maze that is wedding planning !

Power Hours are also a brilliant way of dipping your toes, as it wer [...]

Friday 8th August - A refreshing approach to venue-hunting, WrapIt's demise & from small ...

magicdust

I was talking to someone this week about how they found their wedding venue and I just had to share it with you. It's an enormously important decision, one that will not only set the tone and atmosphere for your whole celebration, but one that's likely to eat up a significant chunk of your already stretched budget.

So, how about investigating charity-owned venues? It's a win-win because lots of charities own spectacular buildings so you won't have to com [...]

Friday 1st August - time flies when you're having fun & a couple of old favourites...

magicdust

Can you believe it's August already? It seems like yesterday that I started writing Magic Dust's blog on a cold, wet January morning but it's seven months ago!

So much has happened at Magic Dust this year that I wanted to mark the blog's 'Seven Month Anniversary' (any excuse for a celebration!) by saying a big thank you to all the wonderful couples, as well as the fabulous (and less than fabulous...) suppliers we've worked with so far this ye [...]

Friday 25th July - attention to detail, a perfect wedding day & taking control of your ...

magicdust

I confess, I'm actually writing this on Sunday evening as it's the first time I've stopped and put my feet up all week!

After a fortnight of last minute preparation - no disasters mainly due to one of the most fantastically organised brides I've ever worked with - the sun shone brightly over Norfolk on Saturday and the wedding was perfect! There were a coupleof things that happened before the bride & groom arrived that we had to deal with but it' [...]

Friday 18th July - a fantastic boutique, the perfect hideaway & lots of planning...

magicdust

It's been a busy week of 'On The Day' wedding coordination preparations which has included visits to venues, numerous conversations with suppliers and updates for the couples we're working with over the summer months.

I often have brides warn me that when they've told some of their suppliers that they're using a wedding planner , there's been a sharp intake of breath! It seems that lots of venues, caterers, florists and photographers have h [...]

Friday 11th July - say it with flowers & the gift of time & experience...

magicdust

My plan is to keep this blog entry short but, as always, there's so much I want to tell you that I can't promise it will be!

You know I'm a big fan of not spending money you don't have to (or want to) spend, on your wedding and you'll have read my ideas for saving money on real flowers by considering hiring silk ones or foregoing flowers altogether infavour of candles and greenery. But, I don't want you to think that I don't love real flowe [...]

Friday 4th July - it's all about independence...

magicdust

I've always wanted to hold a '4th July' party but as it falls smack bang in the middle of wedding season, it'll have to go on hold for at least another year!

That said, there's nothing wrong with embracing the spirit of independence this week and allowing yourself to please just you, and the lucky person you're marrying of course, by planning the wedding you really want.

One of the many challenges I enjoy is working with coup [...]

Friday 27th June - suppliers, suppliers, suppliers...

magicdust

It's been a week of intensive supplier sourcing, just the type of challenge I thrive on! It's not enough as a wedding planner to have a contact book bursting at the seams with suppliers of every different type, catering to every different budget. The most important thing to do is to listen to the couple you're working with, find out exactlywhat they want and - and sometimes it's easier to do this! - what they don't want and then match them with suppliers that they will wo [...]