YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A KEY PIECE FROM THE GLORIOUS 2015 COLLECTION!

I have some very exciting news for you this wintry November weekend! The Glorious 2015 range of accessories launches in our on-line store today, and with it comes your chance to win your choice of one of the key pieces!

Ava side tiara

http://www.glorioustiaras.co.uk/side-tiara-ava

This collection of 7, divine bridal accessories, incorporates side tiaras, combs, pins, birdcage veils, hair vines, and bridal cuffs, and are all designed with that old style Hollywood glamour firmly in mind.

Some like the Sofia side tiara, comb, and pins, feature dramatic clusters of crystals that Liz Taylor would have totally rocked, whilst others, like the Seren Birdcage veil, were designed to recreate the stylish, vintage elegance, of Hollywood great Sophia Loren.

Sofia side tiara
http://www.glorioustiaras.co.uk/tiara-sofia                                

Seren birdcage veil
http://www.glorioustiaras.co.uk/birdcage-veil-seren

The Seren range features tiny hand stitched and wired stars, that twinkle softly and subtly.

Seren hair vine
http://www.glorioustiaras.co.uk/bridal-hair-vine-seren 

All pieces are hand crafted by Heidi in her Cheshire studio, and can be adapted through a relaxed and friendly consultation, to suit your specific requirements.

To find out how you can win, head over to our Facebook page now, and follow those simple instructions! 

https://www.facebook.com/GloriousTiaras

Stockists enquiries are very welcome at glorioustiaras@gmail.com

Heidi x

• The winner may choose any accessory from the 2015 collection (Sofia side tiara. Sofia comb. Sofia pin. Ava side tiara. Seren birdcage veil. Seren hair vine. The unnamed crystal band!)
• The accessory will be hand crafted by Glorious designer Heidi Reid, and will have a 3-4 week lead time before delivery. 
• Work on the accessory will begin once the competition winner has notified Glorious Tiaras of their accessory choice. 
• The prize must be claimed before 1st March 2015
• Best accessory name wins! 
• The winner will be chosen by a panel of wedding experts. 
• The competition will close for entries on 7th December 2015
• The winner will be announced on 13th December 2015
• Competition is open to UK residents only

Rocking those Vintage Brooch Bouquets!

Glorious Vintage Brooch Bouquets
in stock at Rocks for Frocks

When exhibiting at wedding fairs I'm often asked if I have 'a shop', the short answer to this question is 'no'. The longer answer is that I'm proud to be a member of a growing army of small business women and designers who work out of a home studio. I have always welcomed visitors by appointment and pull out all the stops to make you feel very, very welcome when you pop by the studio to try on some of our Glorious hair accessories! However, I recognise that a number of my clients need to tie in their wedding shopping with other related stuff, which is why I was delighted when Gail of Rocks for Frocks approached me at an event to discuss stocking our bespoke vintage brooch bouquets at her outlet in Liverpool's The Wedding House.

The Wedding House,
Great Gorge Place, Liverpool

Crystal Vintage Brooch Bouquet
©E&MArts Photography

North West brides, if you haven't been, make time in your busy schedules to pop by The Wedding House! Several floors within this imposing Gothic building offer you the chance to talk to everyone from dress suppliers, cake designers, stationers, photographers and of course, accessory designers. A great starting point for the newly engaged, and the perfect place to tick off those final items on your wedding day 'to do' list.

Our bespoke vintage brooch bouquets are in stock NOW at Rocks for Frocks, 2nd Floor, The Wedding House, 3-4 Great George Place, Liverpool. L1 7AG.

www.theweddinghouse.co.uk/index.html

www.glorioustiaras.co.uk/section/bouquets

Glorious bride Hannah & how to order a bespoke bridal headpiece!

It was an utter delight to work with April bride Hannah earlier this year, and the process we went through to reach her completed hair accessory makes the perfect blog piece for brides-to-be unsure of how to approach their accessory buying.

Image © Delicious Photography http://www.deliciousphotography.co.uk

Hannah first got in contact with me on via email, having heard my hair accessories discussed on Capital FM Manchester, by another of my brides-to-be!

Image © Delicious Photography http://www.deliciousphotography.co.uk

Hannah had a very clear idea of the kind of hair accessory she wanted and helpfully sent me a handful of images from Pinterest (what did we do before Pinterest?), showcasing the look she wanted. We spoke on the phone, and Hannah described her dress; pinpointed that she wanted leaves in her tiara, and that she wanted her accessory to have a 'vintage feel'.

Image © Delicious Photography http://www.deliciousphotography.co.uk

Hannah shared her budget with me, the date of her wedding and when she'd ideally like to take delivery of her hair accessory, and I went away to work up some ideas.

Image © Delicious Photography http://www.deliciousphotography.co.uk

Having shared a number of images of fledgling design styles with Hannah, we settled on the look she liked, featuring crystal navettes, ivory potato pearls, and diamante leaves.

Image © Delicious Photography http://www.deliciousphotography.co.uk

I kept Hannah posted with the progress of her design, sending her images and giving her the chance to comment and make any last minute changes.

Image © Delicious Photography http://www.deliciousphotography.co.uk

Hannah notified me of her tiara's arrival with the wonderful message: 'It's arrived and it's perfect'! Just what every designer wants to hear!

So, why did the process work so well?

• Hannah had a clear idea of the theme she wanted her accessory to compliment.
• She discussed looks and shared ideas she liked.
• She knew how much she wanted to spend and was happy to share her budget with me.
• She was honest about the designs she didn't like, which enabled me to get to the one that she did!
• She allowed plenty of time for the design process to happen, contacting me 8 weeks ahead of her wedding.
• She was lovely!

And I think you'll agree, Hannah looks amazing in her bespoke Audrey tiara!!!

Photography: Delicious Photography, Lancashire http://www.deliciousphotography.co.uk www.facebook.com/pages/Delicious-Photography

Audrey Tiara: http://www.glorioustiaras.co.uk/tiara-audrey www.facebook.com/GloriousTiaras

Gothic drama! An alternative styled wedding shoot

It seemed quite right and proper that as award winning photographer Janet Broughton and I, put the final touches to the styling for yesterday's alternative wedding shoot, a flash of lightening cut across the darkened skies over our location at the very opulent, *Frank Matcham designed Buxton Opera House!

This was a fittingly dramatic styled shoot, bringing together wildly original bridal wear from The Couture Company; Edwardian Gothic theatre inspired accessories by Glorious Tiaras; striking hair and make up by Helen Masters MUA; sumptuous cakes by For Goodness Cake; suitably brooding stationery by The Charming Press; and hand crafted shoes to die for, by Frankie Lynn!

Our models for the day, Frankie Lynn, Matt Stobbs and Sarah Tonlin glowered to perfection (when they weren't exploring the merits of Penny Dreadful and Edgar Allan Poe)...

The full shoot, expertly captured by the talented Janet at J Broughton Photography, will be available soon. 

If you're interested in featuring on your blog, or in print, contact: Heidi at glorioustiaras@gmail.com or Janet at jbroughton14@hotmail.co.uk

*Frank Matcham - Edwardian theatre designer also famed for designing the London Palladium, London Coliseum and Blackpool Tower Ballroom

Photography: www.jbroughton.co.uk

Bridal wear: www.the-couture-company.co.uk

Accessories: www.glorioustiaras.co.uk

Hair and Make Up: www.helenmastersmakeup.co.uk

Shoes: www.frankielynnemporium.com

Cakes: www.forgoodnesscake.net

Stationery: thecharmingpress.com

Models: Frankie Lynn - www.frankielynnemporium.com Sarah Tonlin - www.facebook.com/SarahTonin.SaraBellisio Matt Stobbs - www.facebook.com/mattsmodel

Venue: buxtonoperahouse.org.uk

Hey babe, take a walk on the styled side

Last autumn I was privileged to spend the day working with award winning photographer Janet Broughton, and a team of great wedding industry pros, on a 'vintage / rustic' styled wedding shoot.

We ate cake, we laughed, we marvelled at the hills surrounding our venue, The Wellbeing Farm, we heard the worst chat up line ever, and we produced some beautiful images that were later featured on the Brides Up North blog, Want that Wedding blog, and in Brides online magazine.

To say I'm excited to be working with Janet again is an understatement, but it's the best I've got on this wet Friday morning!

Over the past few weeks Janet and I have sourced the most breath taking venue for our next styled shoot in early June. We've found a stunning dress designer, and some very unique additions...

If you're a North West based wedding industry professional and you want the opportunity to show off what you do whilst spending the day with some fab professionals, get in contact and ask if you can join the party!

Photography: JBroughton Photography - www.jbroughton.co.uk

Venue: The Wellbeing Farm - www.thewellbeingfarm.co.uk

Dresses: Vintage Lane Bridal Boutique - www.vintagelanebridal.com

Tiaras & Brooch Bouquets: Glorious Tiaras - www.glorioustiaras.co.uk

Hair and make-up: Jaki Ann - www.facebook.com/JakiAnnMakeup

Vintage Ice-cream Cart: Love My Trike - www.lovemytrike.com

Vintage accessories: Pearlie Queen Vintage - www.facebook.com/PearlieQueenCollectables

How to get the most out of a wedding fair

www.glorioustiaras.co.uk


When planning your wedding, a trip to a wedding fair can offer up really big rewards.

For starters, you'll find a good variety of wedding industry professionals under one roof, meaning that instead of spending several weekends trawling around local bridal shops, wedding accessory suppliers, and cake designers, you can see them all in the space of a few hours. Those exhibitors are also keen to do business on the day, so they'll be competing hard to win your time, attention, and money!

However, wedding fairs, especially the big ones, can seem overwhelming, but follow these essential tips and you'll come home at the end of the day having made a serious dent in your 'to-do' list, made some good savings, and enjoyed a fun day out!

1. Register beforehand Many of the shows charge an entry fee, but if you book your tickets beforehand some offer discounted entry, whilst others waive the fee altogether.
2. See who's exhibiting and take a look at their websites You're a busy person! You don't have time to attend a show that doesn't have exhibitors doing what you want! It also helps to know who you definitely want to make the time to go and see whilst your there.
3. Take a shopping list with you It sounds simple, but it'll help keep you on track in what is a relatively short space of time. Most shows run for 5-6 hrs, and by the time you've stopped for coffee & a peek at the catwalk show...
4. Don't go alone If nothing else you'll need someone to help you carry bags, hold up mirrors whilst you try stuff on, and take pictures on your mobile phone. An extra body is also useful to go and queue at the busier stands and have a giggle with as you go around.
5. Try to get there early Goody bags are chock full of nice giveaways, but shows usually only have a limited number, so grab yours before they run out! You'll also get the pick of the time slots for trying on dresses; having your hair done, hands hennaed, or enjoying a free advice session with an expert wedding planner.
6. Make a note of the catwalk times on the way in The catwalk shows are a unique way of gaining inspiration for your wedding day look. You won't want to miss out on seeing how the pros put things together, and the suppliers of those catwalk outfits will be at your show if you see something you absolutely HAVE to have.
7. Book time slots with exhibitors It will help you to structure your day, and make sure you get to try on that special dress; have your hair styled for free; even get your teeth whitened at a special discount!
8. Ask for discounts It's a bride-to-be's and groom-to-be's market. Exhibitors want to fill their order books before they pack up at the end of the day and are happy to offer discounts to make that happen. Some will advertise 'book today' discounts, but if not it's always worth asking, especially if you're thinking of buying more than one product or service from the exhibitor.
9. Ask questions You've paid your entry, made time to be there, and your business is in demand, so don't go home wishing that you'd asked for references, found out how long something would take to make, or whether you could have it in a different colour/size/quantity.
10. Try things on; ask for samples It's important that you get a real feel for the products on offer. I'm amazed at the number of brides-to-be who visit my show stand with it's mirrors, and comfy place to sit, and still try to get an idea of how a hair accessory will look by just looking at it sat on the table! The uniqueness of a show is that you can look, touch, taste, smell, and try on, so get stuck in!
11. If you like something book it! Remember this is a busy time of year for the wedding industry and the most popular designers, venues and entertainers will book up fast.  It's heart breaking to set your heart on something and then find you can't have it because your chosen supplier just doesn't have availability. Even worse to find out you could have had it if you'd booked it 20 minutes earlier...You'll normally need to put a small deposit down to hold the service, but so worth it to know that your name is now in their diary.
12. Ask if you can pay a deposit or spread payments Many exhibitors are happy to offer you flexible payments arrangements, but you won't know unless you ask.
13. Collect business cards In some cases you will need to 'go away and think about it'. Take a business card or brochure so you've got the exhibitors details, but be sure to make a quick note about why you liked them on the back of the card, you'll pick up a few and it's easy to forget by the time you get them all home, which honeymoon company had the best flights, or which cake maker offered the best customer service.
14. Don't feel you have to share your details Lots of exhibitors will want your email address to send you promotions after the show. Some you'll be keen to receive - a sample sale on that dress you wanted? Yes please! Others you won't - insurance for your day when you've already got a policy sorted? No thanks! Don't be afraid to say no (politely). 
15. Enjoy the freebies! There are often plenty on offer. Free wine tasting, free make-up consultations, free cupcakes, free hair styling, and if you have the time, enter a few of those competitions - you might be the lucky couple that wins a free spa break, and let's face it, you could do with a foot massage after a long day at the wedding shows!

Come and see me exhibiting at the following shows:

Hollin Hall Wedding Fair at Hollin Hall Hotel, Kerridge, Cheshire 3rd April 2016