Hen Party Tips

1. Hen Parties are a brilliant time to get to know everyone who is attending the wedding, so make sure the party is sociable.  A class such as cocktail making or cupcake decorating would be ideal.  Revolution Bars run brilliant cocktail parties, that I can personally vouch for, and you get food thrown in too! 
2. Don't get carried away too quickly! Its fine to have a few drinks on the night, but don't let yourself (or the Bride) get too drunk too quickly! You won't be able to remember the night you have spent ages planning.
3. Make sure that the event you are planning is suitable for all your guests.  Theres nothing worse than inviting the bride to be Mother-In-Law to a bar crawl.  Think about having two hen parties- a civilized one and a more racous occasion for the party animals!
4. If you're planning on going abroad for the hen party consider using a company such as Red Seven Leisure. You get a dedicated party expert and each hen can personally manage their monthly installments so that you aren't left in charge of nagging people for money! 
5. Planning the hen party the night before the wedding is a thing of the past. What bride wants to be tired and hungover on their big day?
6. Consider package deals, most companies throw in extras to make it more tempting, suchas champagne on arrival and free entry into clubs.
7. Some companies run special offers where the bride goes free or where larger groups get one place free so do your research.
8. Finally (and most importantly), make sure you find out what the bride wants to do!

Silver Sixpence In Her Shoe

I am so pleased to have Nicola from Silver Sixpence In Her Shoe as featured supplier today with a very unique and creative idea.

Hi Nicola, please can you tell us a bit more about Silver Sixpence In Her Shoe.

I design and handmake vintage inspired accessories for the modern bride. The majority of my business comes from brides wanting bespoke birdcage veil headpieces and garters. However I have also done things for bridesmaids, Mother of the bride and even guests. This is really what led me to set up the craft parties as I could see people were looking for something unique to wear to events. I now run classes and private parties where ladies can come along and craft up their own headpieces! It’s a great hen party activity.

How did the name come about?

I was looking for something that fitted with wedding traditions but had a point of difference, that would be remembered. I actually asked a lot of friends at the time and said I liked the old, new, borrowed, blue rhyme and a friend came up with “silver sixpence” and I thought it sounded nice with the “in her shoe” added. It’s not easily forgotten!

  How did you get into making your beautiful pieces?

It really was as simple as planning my own wedding and not being able to find what I wanted for the big day. I had people ask me to make theirs after that and tell me to quit my job and do it full time. I have always sewn - I did a fashion design degree, but was a high fashion buyer in London for 10 years prior to this. I guess that has given me the confidence to set up my own business.

Annie Birdcage Veil

Coco Garter

Ruby Ring Pillow

Can you tell us more about your vintage themed hen parties?

Well as mentioned before these are run as classes local to me in Didsbury Manchester at various venues and also as private parties, It is a great hen party afternoon activity and is usually accompanied by a good few glasses of bubbly! I set all the materials up in cute vintage china and glass bowls and after a little explanation of what will follow everyone gets stuck in. I have mood boards, plenty of examples of my own work for people to try on and lots of gorgeous materials and trimmings to rummage through for inspiration and I am of course on hand for advice but I like to let people be creative with their own ideas too. Best way to get inspired!

I find that the couple of hours fly by and people always end up very surprised with how good their piece is they have made! The girls will often trot off to the night out wearing their creations or save them for a photo op at the wedding. It’s great fun. I am currently running these across the north at £30.00 per head inclusive of all materials for 2-3 hours depending on group size. I can couple up with a partner for afternoon tea service to be provided too at an extra cost

What about our readers who aren’t very creative and can't sew?

People are constantly amazed by how easy they find it to make something brilliant! I think it is important to have lots of inspiration and I always make sure I give extra help and support to those who are not so confident. It is my job to sense that with people. It is all handsewing too so fingers tend to be spared!

Where do the parties take place?

Classes are running at Airyfairy cupcakes in Didsbury monthly at the moment and I am also planning in dates for alter in the year with The Dish Ran Away with the Spoon in West Didsbury. The classes will expand running up to Xmas with new ideas added to the list. For hen parties I usually go to the serviced apartments where the girls are staying and set up there or at someones home but a local venue can be hired at extra cost.

Where can our readers meet you? And do you have a website?

My product is currently being stocked by the White Closet  in West Didsbury and The White Room in Sheffield.

I will be doing the Vintage Wedding Fairs in Harrogate on Sept 18^th and Chester on October 16^th plus the West Didsbury wedding event on Oct 15^th.

My website is www.silver-sixpence-in-her-shoe.co.uk/

Collete Bow

Lancashire Bride love ALL of Silver Sixpence In Her Shoes designs, there a must have for brides to be!

There's no place like Blackpool

Blackpool.  Commonly known as the hen party destination of the North.  Whilst others recoil in horror at the drunks in fancy dress, others embrace everything Blackpool has to offer, which isn't just bars and clubs.  So here is a guide that will hopefully suit everyone hen, from the cultural hen to the 'lets go out and par-tay' hen!

So first of all, we will deal with the night spots.  And top of this list, is of course Funny Girls. As the website states "Funny Girls is an utterly unique and altogether unforgettable experience... We are dedicated to maintaining unrivalled excellence in live entertainment and passionate about providing extraordinary value to our customers." And for a bargain price of £16 for a 2 course pre dinner including admission, who can turn down the oppurtunity to see one of most enteratining shows in the country.  To make your hen party extra special you can also reserve VIP tables to ensure you have the best seats in the house AND have waitress service!

http://www.funnygirls.co.uk/

Voted Blackpools best hen night show for 7 years running, Adonis Caberet is another hen party destination.  "Adonis Cabaret constantly beats one dimensional strip shows or comedy clubs by combining both! Everything you could want to solve your problem of keeping everyone from 18-80 happy with the UK’s biggest package bulging with sexy ‘Full Monty’ strip fun and loads of humour!"  Plus you can always get a complete package (excuse the pun) that includes entrance into Club Sanuk. 

And of course, you could always venture off to a club like The Syndicate, which has Europes largest revolving dancefloor.

If partying the night away isnt quite to your liking then maybe this could be your thing.  Could it be murder on the dancefloor at your hen party? Uk Girl Thing have come up with this brilliant package to ensure your hen party goes down in history: 

1 Nights Accommodation, Optional Breakfast, Pampering Health & Leisure Day, Private Dining Room and 2 Course Meal and Murder Mystery Event

All you and your hens have to do, is turn up!

For a hen party with a twist why not try Dove Photographys recently launched Boudoir shoots.  Sheila from Dove Photography thinks the photo shoots are ideal for a hen party. "As a female photographer, I want women to be proud of their bodies.  Celebrate your curvacious figure, have stylish, sexy photos regardless of age and body image.
 
Book your party now, and have a fun night with friends and some lovely photos to be proud of.  Each guest takes away a fabulous fun boudoir photo in a folder, with the added oppurtunity of buying further photos taken on the night.  What a brilliant way of capturing your Hen Night with a difference."  Parties start at £120 for 6 people to include boudoir photos and a bottle of wine.  You could even give your boudoir photos as a present to your lucky groom!

Of course there are many B&B's offering a cheap night stay in Blackpool, but to add that extra bit of luxury, why not try Ribby Hall.  Located just outside Blackpool in Wrea Green, Ribby Hall is opening its first Spa Hotel on 19th August 2011.  Spa breaks starts at just £99pp/pn and the hotel offers everything from afternoon teas and a champagne bar to a rasul mud chamber and outside sauna, making it perfect for your hen party!  Hopefully, Lancashire Bride will be booking in soon so watch out for, what I am sure, will be a fantastic review!

http://www.ribbyhall.co.uk/

There is always a show or exhibition on at Winter Gardens (such as Alice through The Winter Gardens) and The Opera House if that takes your fancy and for the big kids, the new Tower Dungeons open on September 1st and The Tower Circus is on until November.  And of course there is always the usual attractions of The Pleasure Beach, Golden Mile and newly renovated Blackpool Tower to tie into your hen party.

See Blackpool isn't always as tacky as it looks!

Love Lancashire Bride x

The Make Up Studio



Louise and Michelle have joined together to form The Make Up Studio and offer professional Make Up and Photography services within the studio or on location. Having both gained over 6 years experience within Fashion, Weddings and the portrait world you are guaranteed a relaxed approach with excellent results.
 

Louise and Michelle decided to open The Make Up Studio after meeting 4 years ago on a fashion catalogue shoot. The idea behind the studio is to offer a variety of packages to a variety of different people in a comfortable and friendly environment.

We asked Louise and Michelle to tell Lancashire Bride a bit about their backgrounds.

Louise has been a make up artist and hair stylist for the past 6 years and has worked on a variety of projects from bridal parties on a weekly basis to shoots lasting a few weeks at a time to working with regular celebrities. Her experience within a varied industry gives Louise the knowledge to be able to assess colours and tones to suit each individual person. Louise initially started out in a hairdressers and has progressed her skills throughout her career.

Michelle’s photography career has spanned over 7 years and in this time she has built up a reputable reputation within the wedding and fashion industry. She has regularly photographed celebrities, fashion models and weddings. Her experience of shooting on a large scale has given Michelle the ability to shoot amazing portrait shots of either a large group or personal and individual shots.

As Louise and Michelle met on a job they know each others work styles and ethic impeccably well, resulting in a fun and productive balance.

 Where is the Make Up Studio based?

The Make Up Studio is based on Belmont Avenue in Latchford, Warrington, WA4 1LY. People can travel easily from the whole of Lancashire and the northwest with the studio being close to the city centre and bus and train routes. The shoots can be in the studio or (weather permitting) outside on location with some gorgeous parks, urban areas and woodland close by.

The Hen Party Package in Particular caught Lancashire Brides eye.  Please tell us a bit more about it.

Our Hen party package is designed for the bride to be to let her hair down and have a really fun time with all of her bridal party and hen party guests. When the hens arrive a glass of bubbly, and the music of their choice will greet them. Each member will receive a full professional Makeover including a full hair styling session, where you will pick up tips and hints. Everyone stays in the same area so you can have a good girlie giggle while you are all receiving your special session.

Once done in Make Up you will receive a professional photoshoot which involves wearing 2 of your favourite outfits that you could bring beforehand or on the day, also if you are off out afterwards to carry on the celebrations you can leave your things in the locked studio for collection at a later date. A CD will be sent out to each guest from the day with images on of their shoot and additionally the bride to be will receive a 8x6 print of a group shot with her CD all sent out within 1 week. This offer is available for £35.00 per person. If there is 6 or more attendees the bride to be will go free!!

Wow.  That sounds perfect for a group of hens doesnt it? Why do you think this package is ideal?

A group of giggling hens should book a hen party package with The Make Up Studio because they will appreciate a relaxed and friendly approach to a fun photoshoot where they can be whoever they want to be!! They will leave the studio feeling truly made up and glamorous and excited about seeing the final result. Also with the added bonus of being ready to head out with make up and hair done and well in the mood for the rest of the night!

Where can our readers find out more?

Our website is currently under construction but brides and hens are always welcome to come and meet us at The Make Up Studio in Latchford or if they are interested in finding out more face to face we could meet either at their homes or grab a coffee somewhere for an informal chat. Or they are welcome to call us at any time on 07940238554 or 07891907690.

We look forward to meeting all brides to be and their hens.

Hen Party Inspiration

Recently, myself and my gaggle of friends went to watch the highly hilarious film, Bridesmaids.  Obviously featured around a wedding but mainly the hen party lead up, the film gave me great inspiration.

The Parisian themed Bachelorette party was just exquisite (if not a little over the top!) and inspired the following moodboard.

Pictures with thanks to http://www.etsy.com/ and www.englishrosebakery.co.uk

Etsy has lots of different stockists and came up with so many ideas and a lot of them (like the Thank You cards on the favour boxes and the trims on the flower jar) can be added to anything so you can give any peice of decor that Parisian twist! 

How cute are the Ballerina gift bags, a perfect and fun alternative to hand out instead of favours.  We also came accross The English Rose Bakery, based right here in The North West.  Their macoroons are to die for and could even be given out in the favour boxes.

While were on the subject off favours, just try not to get carried away and give out puppies as favours (ala Bridesmaids The Movie).

Cassie Fairy

Tell us a bit about Cassie Fairy.  Where are you based?

Cassiefairy.co.uk is a designer/maker of fairy tutus for girls (and boys!) of all ages. I am based in two areas of the UK – the business started in Preston, Lancashire and I now work from my workshop Suffolk and Lancashire. But I send my tutus to any destination throughout the UK and since 2009 have been shipping worldwide – the furthest so far is probably Canada or Australia and the most exciting was sending a tutu to be worn as part of a Rio Mardi Gras costume!

 

 How did the business start?

I was studying on a masters degree in Fashion & Lifestyle Promotion in 2008 and as a “poor student” with very little money and a bunch of friends' birthdays approaching, I decided to use some tulle and fabric that I already had to make tutus as gifts for my fancy-dress-loving friends. I made customised tutus for 4 of my friends that was unique to each of their personalities, using their favourite colours and fabrics. Luckily this went down well and I wasn't considered a cheapskate for not buying 'proper' gifts! Other friends saw these tutus and requested their own custom-made tutu and I decided to try selling a few online.  Thankfully this went well too and as I needed to find work that would fit in with my long hours of studying it seemed that making tutus to sell was an ideal way of working from home and Cassiefairy.co.uk was launched. Here's the original Cassiefairy tutus I made:

 Are all tutus custom made?

Yes all tutus ordered through the website are custom-made. This allows my customers to tell me exactly what they want and aren't limited to a specific style or colour choice. Customers can browse the photos on the website and choose an existing design or can get in touch via cassie@cassiefairy.co.uk to discuss their colour and fabric combination requirements – this is very exciting for me, because I love creating something new specifically for a customer and it gives me another tutu style to add to my website too! Although things can get pretty busy at Cassiefairy HQ sometimes, I can usually process, make and send an order within 3 working days and challenge myself to beat this whenever possible!

 Can you offer hen parties anything else other than tutus?

Yes, I am currently launching a range of handmade fairy wings created by one of my fairy friends which can be added to any order. I sell a range of leg-warmers, tiaras and fairywands (nothing too tacky!) and I also find that hen parties enjoy choosing matching t-shirts to complement their tutus so I also provide a service to custom-design and supply vests or t-shirts for the whole hen party – a one-stop-shop for hen parties really!

 Can you give us an idea of prices? Have you got any special offers for our readers?

One single custom-made tutu is priced from £11.99 for children and £13.99 for adults – that's for any colour, any special fabric, any size! For hen parties of 6 or more hens I offer a group discount and free recorded delivery. If there are more than 12 hens in the party, I can offer wholesale rates, a free bridal tutu for the bride and free priority delivery. And I'm just SO happy when I get an enquiry from an excited group of hens who have gathered their order together for their big night out! We also run a monthly photo competition – customers can send in images of their night out for the chance to win a Cassiefairy gift voucher and I love seeing all the fun party photos!

Where can our readers meet you? Do you have a website?

I will be taking Cassiefairy.co.uk on the road this summer to a number of festivals, so keep an eye on the Cassiefairy blog cassiefairy.wordpress.com for details of events where I will be stallholding – I have just returned from the Fairyland Trust's 10^th anniversary Fairy Fair where I had wonderful time meeting all the lovely fairies!  The website address is www.cassiefairy.co.uk and you can also keep up with all my goings-on at http://cassiefairy.wordpress.com. Hens can chat to me via Facebook at www.facebook.com/cassiefairy or on Twitter @CassiefairyTutus and I would absolutely love to hear from
you!  

I'd like to wish you all good luck your weddings, and best of luck to Lancashire Bride blog too – its a great regional resource for brides in the North West so keep up the good work!

Love from

Cassie x

 

(Thanks Cassie!)

Isis Dance

So here is the start of our Hen Party special.  Every day for the next week Lancashire Bride will present you with the latest and unique ideas when it comes to organising your Hen Party, along with a few tips along the way.  And what a lovely way to start the week by introducing this lovely lady.

  

Carol Menzies is the owner of Isis Dance based in Preston, where she offers weekly belly dancing classes and taster sessions suitable for birthday parties and hen partys. 

Far away from the stereotypical sleazy dance that we have all seen in movies, Isis Dance is able to offer an elegant dance that can empower women and offer them the freedom to express themselves. Making it the perfect way to entertain your hens!  Your party will start with a demonstration from Carol and then you and your hens get to give it a whirl.  You'll also get to dress up in the gorgeous hip scarves to make your experience that little bit more authentic!  You could even combine it with an Arabic fancy dress theme.

Isis Dance is also able to offer Belly Dancing entertainment on your wedding day.  And believe me when i say that it is one of the most fun I have ever had at a wedding!.  Its something that even gets your great Aunt and Father-in-Law up on the dancefloor!  "Normally the bride and groom do a first dance and then a few people join in... but then everyone disappears.  My latest venture is to offer taster sessions at wedding receptions because belly dance can be done by anyone from the age of 3 and upwards.  And men can belly dance too- its good fun to see men discover they have hips and they can move them!"

Belly Dancing is also a really good way to get fit for your wedding day. "Brides to be can come to my weekly classes and have a great workout to fantastic music.  It is a low impact excercise but it really does work wonders for the figure.  Despite its name, belly dancing tones up ALL the muscles, it will also help you with poise and posture.  As a teacher it is such a pleasure for me to see students become more confident each week and become proud of their bodies. Not only will you tone-up but through my teaching style you will also gain improvement in your personal and body confidence." 

Prices depend on numbers of participants and travel costs (if outside Preston). I will travel to the venue of your choice.

Hen Parties start from £60 for up to 25 ladies - so that is only £2.40 a head

Wedding parties start from £150

Little Girls Parties from £25

Teenagers and Ladies parties from £50

Carol is offering Lancashire Brides 5% discount for parties if you quote Lancashire Bride when booking.

"If you would like to come and chat about your Hen Party or Wedding Party you can always pop in to St Marys before my lesson anytime from 6.30 to 7.15 before my lesson starts at 7.30 pm on Wednesdays. Or we can meet for a coffee in Preston and have a chat about your special event."

http://isisdance.webs.com