Press Release from Lomond Beauty

Hen Parties now launched!

Lomond Beauty was established in 2010 to cater for women within the West Dunbartonshire area allowing them to experience their own beauty journey without the need to leave their home.

It is with great excitement that we now launch our bespoke Hen party Packages. Arranging a hen party has never been easier; you choose the venue, invite the guests and chose the treatments then let Lomond Beauty do the rest! Treatments range from 15 minute taster sessions to 45 minutes indulgences.

Together with the Hen pamper parties; we are now available to offer brides to be a range of pre wedding pampering which includes all the beauty treatments you need to help you look your best on your special day.
Details of both of these new packages can be found here:
http://www.lomondbeauty.co.uk/weddinghenpackages.html

Lomond Beauty additionally offers treatments for women including a choice of facials to suit all budgets, wonderfully relaxing or uplifting massages, and waxing using a wonderful unique new system – P.S wax, incorporating lavender wax which is especially suited to sensitive skins due to their calming properties. All this together with manicures, pedicures, reflexology, Indian Head Massage and eye treatments – tinting and shaping, enables clients to be pampered from head to toe!

We are delighted to be listed on various Wedding directories including the fabulous “Your Wedding at Loch Lomond”

Details of all our treatments can be found on our website:
http://www.lomondbeauty.co.uk/
on face book:
https://www.facebook.com/lomondbeauty
and we can be followed on twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/lomondbeauty

About Me

After spending 16 years in various Retail management posts, where the most important consideration to the Companies was how much profit was generated, I decided that I wanted to do something which would help others and create job satisfaction for myself. From here I left the cut throat world of retail and embarked on an HND in Beauty Therapy and Lomond Beauty was ultimately born. This has enabled me to secure the ideal work/life business whilst being there for my two young children.

Having experienced the pleasure of receiving beauty treatments in various salons, the thought of having to make my way home after being in a wonderfully relaxed and tranquil state, disturbed the equilibrium of my mind and body. It is for this reason I initiated Lomond Beauty where clients can experience all the benefits of visiting a salon without leaving their own home resulting in an increased feeling of well being and serenity.

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any queries:
Tel: 07875 367822 or
Email: Lesley@lomondbeauty.co.uk

A scottish themed wedding

If you are planning a wedding in Scotland and/or are hoping to have a Scottish theme throughout your wedding, perhaps our latest collage will help inspire you!

Suppliers:

Dream Day Flowers
Totally Tartan Kiltmakers
Caledonian Piper
Beautifully Wrapped
CIA Photography
Duck Bay Hotel & Marina
The Shepherd’s House B&B
Carrs Loch Lomond
Dub Stitch
Your Wedding Consultant

www.yourweddingatlochlomond.co.uk
Loch Lomond’s FREE wedding directory

Introducing Big Wow Weddings

Big Wow Weddings is THE online Scottish wedding directory to help you find the best wedding suppliers in Scotland.

Big Wow Weddings is now under new management and small changes are being made to the site over the coming months – images, categories etc. However, advertising rates will remain the same!

Whether you reside in the Highlands, in Loch Lomond, in Edinburgh or the Borders, you will find all you need within our directory to give your wedding the WOW factor.

At Big Wow Weddings our aims are simple….

* to offer brides an online one stop shop to plan the biggest Big Wow of a Wedding Day.
* to help make their planning experience stress free, enjoyable and memorable.

Our easily navigated online directory boasts the best of the best wedding suppliers and venues in Scotland. We’ve brought together a directory of Scottish suppliers that brides can only dream of accessing all in one place.

Planning a wedding should be one of the most enjoyable and memorable experiences of a lifetime….but we all know it can be one of the most stressful. Our online directory is run by individuals both experienced in the wedding industry and qualified in wedding & event management. Big Wow Weddings is designed to lend a calming, helping hand; to help make planning your big day a breeze.

Big Wow Weddings lists a wide variety of suppliers including venues, stationery designers, photographers, musicians etc. We also post details of upcoming wedding fairs and other wedding related events.

Coming soon!!! A special offers category – detailing current special offers and discounts our suppliers are offering.

Our aim is to offer the ultimate one stop shop in stress free planning….
…its that simple!

Wedding Photography – how to deal with bad weather

You can plan most things for a wedding with a good degree of certainty but in the UK, and especially in Scotland, you can’t know in advance what the weather will do. Providing your wedding ceremony and reception venue are indoors the weather shouldn’t provide that many problems – but indoor photography can be restrictive and not representative of the day. No doubts about it – there are moments during the big day when you would like to be outside.

Natural light and the charm of your surroundings at that very special venue you hired – at great expense – will be important elements of your wedding photographs. If you have hired a venue in a Scottish castle with views out over mountains and sea or at a country house hotel with its beautifully manicured gardens then you will want to capture them in your photographs.

An experienced photographer will have a “Plan A” and a “Plan B” (bad weather). And (s)he’ll be prepared for both plans to go “out of the window”! Your photographer should have researched the location and know which locations to use in any weather.

On what is merely a grey, cloudy day a skilled wedding photographer will know how to make the best of the light. In fact for outdoor portraits this is the best sort of light – beautiful even light that’s kind to any face. Stormy skies add drama and a professional will know how to balance artificial light but retain that drama in the sky (just one more argument against leaving the job to friends and amateurs, but that’s another wedding photography story!) More problems present themselves when the rain starts to fall and the wind starts to blow, and for the bride, problems for her dress and hairdo in particular.
There are several options available to the wedding couple if the weather should turn against them and their wedding photographer’s best efforts.

One obvious strategy to insure against heavy rain and having to be photographed in interiors indistinguishable from a thousand others wedding venues is to choose a venue where exteriors protected by a high roof are available. Think pergolas, bandstands and canopied doorways. Photographers love doorways; the light falls off quickly and that beautiful soft light is back.

Indoors by a window is the next best thing. Window light makes for dramatic images – a large window with a wood panelled or stone wall and all sorts of possibilities open up. Photography is about light and this setting is wonderful.

In the absence of roofed exteriors it may make sense to have large white umbrellas on hand – I always carry several. Apart from protecting against the rain they diffuse the top light and reflect back the bottom light – soft light again! You may even want to bring your own umbrellas in other colours to match the bridesmaid’s dresses. Plenty of clips and pins for holding hair in place and battening down gowns won’t go amiss either. The wind can be used to our advantage too – with a bit of cover that natural wind machine can be useful!

The employment of umbrellas can dovetail nicely with another important strategy for wedding photograph success in inclement weather. That strategy is, in three words, “Go with it!” Embracing the conditions can not merely save the day – it may make the day. You can’t change the weather but you can change your attitude to it. A strong gale, a refreshing shower or even snow will make your wedding day a memorable one and add to the fun. I’ve seen the Bride arrive in “wellies” and it’s a great photograph. Who knows – perhaps that awful weather will forever be associated with happiness?

Most Romantic First Dance Songs

You want the first dance to be romantic – nothing less than perfect. If you don’t have a couple song you want to use, here are some of the most romantic first dance songs for you to choose from.

You may be looking for the most romantic first dance songs for a number of reasons. Maybe you don’t have a song. Maybe your song isn’t quite right for your wedding. Or maybe you want to pick a new song to represent your new life together.

Music and lyrics can represent so much, and what better way to share your love’s message than with the perfect first dance song? Whatever your reason for searching for song ideas, here are some classic first couple dance songs to spawn some inspiration.

Elvis Presley – I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You

This Elvis Presley song has been on the most romantic first dance songs since it first came out. It is a timeless classic that is perfect for almost any wedding. It can especially complement a vintage wedding. Whether you are an Elvis fan or just like the classics, this may be the perfect song for your first dance.

Frank Sinatra – It Had to Be You

Talk about a classic. This is one of the all-time most romantic first couple dance songs in existence. From formal to traditional to fairy tale, it is also one of the most versatile, romantic first dance songs in history. You can never go wrong with a song from the one and only Mr. Sinatra.

Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars

Want a newer, more recent song for a modern wedding? Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” also happens to be one of the most romantic first couple dance songs. With the wonderful vocals and lyric references to abandoning the craziness of life, it’s no wonder why.

Dave Matthews Band – Steady as We Go

Have a love that you know is meant to last forever? One that will last through even the toughest of times? Then DMB’s “Steady as We Go” is definitely one you should consider when evaluating the most romantic first couple dance songs.

Until next time, happy planning!

Interview with Lorraine from Weddings By LJ

Can you describe your role as a wedding planner?

Being a Wedding Planner can be desc ribed in two words “organized mayhem”, it’s a role that is never dull, never repetitive, no two couples are alike, and never 9-5. I source suppliers, venues, anything to do with a Wedding, organize appointments to see said suppliers, manage budgets, guest and gift lists for engaged couples assisting them with whatever they want to make their Wedding Day the way they want. I do as little or as much as they want for a stress free Wedding from Engagement to Honeymoon and Beyond, whatever their budget.

What makes you different from your competitors?

I don’t really know, if I differ that much from them.

How do you ‘sell’ your services to brides to be?

There is a misconception that wedding planners are only for celebrities, are very expensive, controlling and will blow your budget and spend,spend,spend, whereas it’s the exact opposite, planners are for whoever wants one, you hire a florist for your flowers, a photographer for your pictures etc, why not a planner to plan? With their contacts within the Wedding industry wedding planners, like myself, can in most cases save the couple money, time and stress.

What is your favourite part of the job?

Oh my, I love all aspects of my job as a wedding planner, the buzz when meeting new couples, getting caught up in their excitement as we are discussing what ideas they have for their Wedding, seeing those ideas coming to life, the look on their faces when it all comes together, even the set-backs and inevitable problems that all weddings have can give me a thrill, trying to sort them out and the relief on your Brides face when you do. Getting to know you couples, becoming friends with them sharing all their emotions and finally their faces beaming on their Wedding Day is the icing on a very enjoyable journey, oh that sounds soooooooooooooooo cheesy, but it’s how it is for me.

What is your least favourite part of the job?

After what I’ve answered for the last question, I don’t have one except maybe saying cheerio to a couple after their Wedding Day.

Can you tell us of a memorable wedding you have worked on?

All weddings are memorable for one reason or another, in their own way, all have their own special moments. It’s hard to pick one over the other, so I’m not.

How do you advertise your business and what works best for you?

There are dedicated magazines, apps and directories, like yourselves which wedding planners can advertise to say nothing of the internet and of course there are the shows and at one point or another I have advertised in one or all. The fairs are better as you get to talk and interact with couples and they get to see you and interact with you.

How do you ensure clients stay within their budgets?

The majority of couples are actually pretty good at keeping within their budget, must be a Scottish thing. It’s gone over at the beginning at their consultation stage and we discuss their expectations and what are their priorities i.e. what they want to spend the most money on and give them a fair idea of what they can expect to pay for things it’s done discreetly, I don’t lay down the law, it’s there day I just advise and suggest but in the end it’s their decision.

Do you plan weddings abroad? Do you plan weddings here for those currently living abroad? How do these differ from the ‘norm’?

At this moment in time I don’t but might now after this question.

How do you monitor your success?

To be honest I enjoy the role as a Wedding Planner that much that I don’t monitor as such, I suppose I’m only as successful as my last Wedding!!!

What have been your main achievements?

I don’t see myself as having any, in the present climate I suppose having a job is an achievement in itself, and the fact that I do something that I enjoy is a bonus, it has been hard work but well worth it in the end.

What one piece of advice would you give to brides/grooms to be reading this interview?

The one piece of advice I’d give Brides and Grooms to be reading this interview is to enjoy every minute, it’s such a roller coaster time leading up to your Wedding Day, and the actual day will go by so fast, if your budget can stretch to it hire a videographer as I can guarantee there will be things you’ll see when watching it back that you will not have seen or remember.

Guest Blog – Starweds Wedding Organiser App for IPhone and Android

StarWeds Wedding Organiser App for iPhone & Android

Enjoy the benefits of organising your wedding on your Android or iPhone. Search through our wedding suppliers anytime, anywhere or even find nearby suppliers wherever you are.

Organise your wedding through the convenience of your Android (2.2+) or iPhone. Get a point in the right direction to the very best suppliers for your wedding.

Search for StarWeds on the Android Market or the Apple App Store to download the StarWeds app for FREE.

Amazing features:
Find out what’s around
Source local wedding suppliers around your area. Perhaps finding your nearest florist or venue that’s convenient for you. You’d be surprised by what’s around!

Directions from your location
Find the way to your selected supplier by following the on-screen directions within the map. Organise your day by visiting supplier to supplier with peace of mind that you can find them easily.

Organise your wedding
Build up a list of your wedding suppliers to create your perfect wedding all in one convenient place. Bookmark your favourite suppliers so you can easily contact them. You can even attach notes to save quotes and appointments. There is a countdown timer to your big day, a to do list and a budget planner.

Call or Email
Contact a wedding supplier by phone or by email all through the convenience of your Android or iPhone device. The StarWeds app is the quick, easy and FREE way to source the very best suppliers.

Offers and Events
We have our own dedicated IT team working on the app, on a daily basis, which means that we will be bringing a lot of exciting and unique features which are not available elsewhere in the market place. We will be bringing you the very best offers and keeping you informed of events across Scotland. If you have any feedback or features you would like to see, then please don’t hesitate to contact us at contact@starweds.co.uk.

For more information, visit our website: http://www.starweds.co.uk/directory

Scottish suppliers – get listed & receive 10% discount

The StarWeds iPhone/Android Directory can widely expand your reach to potential clients. The smart phone industry is booming with millions of iPhone and Android users in the UK and this is rising at a staggering pace. To maximise your exposure, the StarWeds App is available FREE of charge to couples via the Apple App Store and Android Market.

We are the market leader of wedding apps in Scotland as no other wedding app offers the same amazing features on both Android and iPhone. This will maximise your business exposure to brides with smartphones for the best possible value.

It is only £29.99 per year to be listed on the app. For further information and to sign up please visit http://www.starweds.co.uk/advertise.

**DISCOUNT! Enter the promo code 8YKZM29L when you sign up to receive a 10% discount, so you will get a year’s listing for only £26.99.**

PLEASE QUOTE YOUR WEDDING AT LOCH LOMOND WHEN CONTACTING ANY OF OUR GUEST BLOGGERS!