Team Glam Collaboration!

The folks at Team Glam got in touch with us a little while ago to ask if we wanted to be involved in a shoot with them, we eagerley agreed especially as they were planning to use our sister company Kitty & Dulcie dresses. The amazing photographer on board was Anna Marie

If you haven't hear from Team Glam before, they are a team of make up artists and hair stylists available to make you look wonderful on your big day, here is a little word from them:

Setting a new standard in hair and makeup for the exceptional bride

Welcome to a modernistic world of Bridal hair and make up. Where tradition has been turned on its head for the ‘new age’ bride seeking more then just the standard ‘look’ once offered by so many stylists and artists. Team Glam boasts a difference.

Weddings are truly covered with Team Glam. We’ve been working in the Bridal Hair and Makeup industry for more years then we care to say out loud, our vast knowledge and experience means no panic is ever necessary. We can put everything into perspective and help manage even the most difficult of beauty situations!

When it comes to makeup, all of our artists are fully trained, hosting a variety of skills from airbrushing to body painting. Our experience ranges from retail, to fashion, to catwalk and editorial; an endless portfolio of creativity, where our skills have been tested to the limits on many occasions, enabling us to create any desired look with precision and a flawless finish.

Our hairdressing team are, without a doubt, the most mind blowing and creative stylists in the industry currently specialising in Bridal style. All of our hairdressers are fully qualified and knows just about everything there is to know about hair. Cuts, colours and cleverness; they are the experts always a step ahead of that hairdresser next door.

We decided to do a mini shoot at That Amazing Place along with Anna Marie Cooper as we wanted to create some soft beautiful images with the feminine touch we knew Anna could provide.

Professional models and dancers Stephanie Reid and Rebekah Mather were our models for the day.

 "Ophelia" headband by Flo & Percy £75.00 "Jasmines Secret" dress from Kitty & Dulcie £395.00

We have shot at That Amazing Place previously on a larger scale shoot but we wanted to create a more intimate shoot and utilise some of the beautiful outdoor spaces as we previously shot in November. Our previous shoot here was very full on with all 8 members of Teamglam, 2 photographers and a videographer! This is a very new venue and Teamglam actually styled hair and makeup for their first wedding in April this year.

We thought both Kitty & Dulce and Percy and Flo would be an ideal pairing for this shoot and were especially impressed with the dresses which were amazing quality for the price.

Juliet Halo by Flo & Percy £90.00 & Summer Rose  £345 by Kitty & Dulcie 

Tamora head vine by Flo & Percy £125.00

The Little Pearl Bridal Boutique - Opening Night!

Well what can I say…the launch of the boutique has been everything I had hoped for and more!  We had a little launch party a few days before we opened and it was so great to see so many family, friends and industry friends come along and support our launch.  We even took a booking from a bride-to-be on the night which was just lovely.  It was the perfect evening, lots of fizz, thank you’s and being able to show everyone around.  We had the fabulous Hayley Baxter come along and take some gorgeous shots of the boutique.  I can’t believe it is now very real!!

Opening on Valentine’s Day was great too! Such an appropriate day of the year.  Despite being a little nervous ahead of the appointments we had booked in, I loved every minute of it.  Everyone had such nice things to say when they walked in and saw the boutique and what we stock.  It certainly is a proud moment and is comforting to know the decisions I’ve made along the way on design, style, what to stock, have been the right ones!

There has certainly been a lot of pressure to get bookings in the diary for when we opened!  Thankfully we have received such lovely enquiries that we had full Saturday appointments for the first 3 weeks of opening.  Nothing, however, goes without a hitch though, and typically after the boys being back at nursery we get hit by illness!! Thankfully running your own business does allow me to be flexible sometimes so it hasn’t been too bad.  Having a very supportive family has helped immensely!  
Obviously I have been gearing myself up for this for a while now - getting to know our designers, the gowns, the accessories, what can and can’t be done to suit different brides.  It is totally different putting it into practice though, but I have found my stride and I’m surprised how much my memory has absorbed!!  Our brides and their families are obviously what makes it all worthwhile and listening to their stories about planning their wedding is just such an honour.  To then have had two brides-to-be find their perfect gowns and become #PearlsGirls in our first two weeks of opening has just been amazing.  I can’t wait to see them again and share this special journey!  We have lots more appointments in the diary and I’m busy planning an exciting event for May time.  Plus we are attending lots of fab wedding fairs in April, so we are looking forward to a busy few months!

The grand finale of our gown designers here at The Little Pearl is the divine, Sassi Holford.  Here is a bit more information about the gowns and the fabulous Sassi herself.

Sassi Holford has been designing bridal gowns for nearly 30 years and truly is at the top of the bridal industry!  She is completely self taught and has royal acclaim from having the honour of dressing Autumn Kelly, who married Princess Anne’s son Peter Philips.

Sassi is known for designing and making classic, English wedding gowns with a contemporary edge. The finished result of every bride’s gowns is exquisite lines, sumptuous fabrics and a cut that echo the bride’s own style. All of Sassi's gowns are handmade in England by her first class team of talented cutters, seamstresses and hand beaders.  

I have had the pleasure meeting Sassi and her team.  The workrooms are amazing and a true testament to Sassi and her team’s hard work and vision.  We are so proud to be exclusive stockists of Sassi’s collection!

Love,
Diana xx

The Little Pearl Bridal Boutique - The Final Countdown!

Phew, the gowns are here, with just a couple we are still waiting on, but our designers have kindly lent us some of their samples in for our opening.  It’s so lovely to have such supportive designers, they truly are all great to work with.  It’s certainly been a stressful final week getting ready for the launch evening and our opening day!!  As soon as the carpets were down I was desperate to start hanging the gowns up proudly from their rails and titivating all the accessories!!  My mum loved this part, it must’ve taken her 10 goes to get a garter displayed in the right spot!  Thankfully all the furniture we bought matches and we haven’t sent something back for a few days now, so that must be a good sign?! The curtains however, have not been the most seamless of installations! How can a made to measure curtain by a professional be 5 inches too short?!! We did have another little issue with no chocolate hearts arriving for the little gift bags to give away on the launch evening.  Brett came to the rescue and went and bought us some more!  I’m sure we’ll use another 100 chocolate hearts for something else down the line!! 

I have to say that the boutique is now looking just stunning.  It’s everything I had hoped for and more.  Everyone has been so supportive and helped out where they can to get us to this point.  I’ll be eternally grateful.

The next designer feature who we are thrilled to have here in the boutique is Maria Senvo.

Young design duo, Holly Cuthbert and Ryan Wilkinson found a gap in the bridal market for that modern day bride who is looking for something much more, and that aren’t afraid to step outside the box and embrace their own unique and personal style.  

Their 2015 collection has such impeccable lines and fluid silhouettes that is new, bold and interesting. They wanted to offer something unique, something that their brides would love wearing, something that is trend led, yet would not go out of fashion. And… without a doubt they wanted to encourage our brides to wear the dress and not the other way around."

These gowns are truly amazing to wear!  We just can’t wait to see lots of lucky brides in them soon!! xxx

The Little Pearl Bridal Boutique - Gearing up for launch!

Well this week as certainly been a rollercoaster of emotions this week.  Our eldest boy had to have a little operation this week, so all the focus has been on him obviously!  I can’t believe how well he has sailed through it all though.  Kids are definitely a lot tougher than you give them credit for sometimes!  Mummy and daddy certainly came off worse!  With that now thankfully behind us, we are back in boutique launch mode.  Finally all the VIP invites have been sent out for the launch night, and fizz and treats have been ordered!  Gown deliveries are all set for the next few days, so its like a military operation making sure we have people in the right place to accept all of them!  In the midst of all this as promised I wanted to share some more about another one of our fabulous designers….Enzoani.

Enzoani is loved by so many and is often seen gracing the red carpets, including that of Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria, and choreographer and performer Paula Abdul who proudly wore the stunning Dakota gown to the American Music Awards.  The award winning Twilight Saga also chose Enzoani to be the dream dress of Actress Kristen Stewart in the movie.  With all these celebrity acclaims why wouldn’t you fall in love with an Enzoani gown?!

2014 certainly was a fantastic year for Enzoani, with them winning ‘Best Bridal Manufacturer’ in the Bridal Buyer Awards for the second time running. Managing Director Jeanette Stevens and Sales Director Mark Stevens, also won the 2014 Outstanding Contribution to the Wedding World award.  This husband and wife partnership behind Enzoani in the UK are very passionate about understanding the importance of knowing their customers and brides and adapting in anyway they can to support them.  They love to make personal store visits, and we can’t wait to introduce them to the boutique at our launch event this week!!

Flo and Percy were also delighted to be sponsored and presented with their best hair accessories award by Enzoani at the 2013 and 2014 Wedding Ideas Awards. 

We are so thrilled to be an exclusive stockist of this divine bridal brand and just can’t wait to help our #pearlsgirls find their perfect Enzoani gown  xxx

The Little Pearl Bridal Boutique - Diana Meets Charlotte Balbier!

It’s only a few weeks until we open the doors of our gorgeous boutique and we’ve been busy sending out our launch invitations and taking bookings from brides to be!  So exciting that we are filling up the diary!

We’ve also had the pleasure of attending one of our designers training days at their head office this week - Charlotte Balbier.  It was such a fantastic day!  We certainly were treated to lots of lovely things and given so much valuable advice.  We can’t wait to get started now!  I thought it would be lovely to share with you all a bit more about Charlotte Balbier and her gorgeous collection.

The Charlotte Balbier brand was established in 2003 by Charlotte, who was born into bridal to the award winning British designer Amanda Wyatt, who’s parents also ran a highly successful bridal empire through the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. With this bridal Heritage spanning over 50 years it was inevitable Charlotte would follow their path into bridal fashion.

Working both in fashion and film Charlotte had a passion for all things feminine and bridal but wanted to create something special for the modern bride of today. Over the last decade Charlotte has designed and created gowns for brides all over the world, a Charlotte Balbier bride is a free spirit who is confident in both her fashion and bridal style and who is not afraid to show her feminine side and express her personality through her wedding gown.

All Balbier gowns are beautifully made with the finest fabrics and workman ship.  The laces are all French laces and the crystal beading is Swarovski all because the quality is the best there is and ensure the gowns look and feel amazing.  Many of the laces are exclusive to Charlotte Balbier and they often search out unusual fabrics.  All their gowns are cut and finished by hand so you can imagine how long it takes to bead these stunning gowns!

Charlotte’s inspiration and passion for what she does comes from so many different elements, from walks with her dog Buster Bear to inspiration from her brides, particular at Designer Days (watch this space for one at The Little Pearl!).  Charlotte listens to what brides want from gowns and how it makes them feel.  This is just as important as how it looks.  Charlotte is also a keen follower of fashion and loves to indulge in fabulous clothes!

Charlotte loves to hear from brides themselves if they have any questions to ask and many Balbier Brides share their wedding journeys and pictures from their special day.  Make sure you follow Charlotte over on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for lots of fabulous wedding inspiration!

This award winning brand is now one of the U.K’s leading British designer brands and we are absolutely thrilled to be one of Charlotte’s exclusive stockists.  

I’ll be sharing stories on all of our designers on the lead up to our opening so make sure you pop back for a read!xx

The Little Pearl Bridal Boutique - Not long now!

So now that I’m officially unemployed, the realisation of what I’m doing is certainly starting to set in!  I’m so excited about what lies ahead, but can’t see how everything is going to get done for our grand opening on Valentines Day!!

First stop this week was a visit to a Wedding Fair at Ripon Castle hosted by The Wedding Affair. 

 

Lisa Hogg, the lady behind The Wedding Affair, kindly invited us along so we could see what it was all about.  I have to say I wasn’t sure whether we should be a covert ‘newly engaged’ couple or just be honest about who we were!! After getting approached by quite a few people asking if we needed a photographer, caterer, signing up for newsletters and goodie bags, I felt I just had to own up or I’d be signing ourselves up for renewing our vows, (now there’s a thought!!).  We did manage get a goodie bag, which had some great treats in and ironically featured our Yorkshire Brides editorial!  I’m so glad we went to have a look round.  The venue was stunning, there was a good mix of exhibitors (including our friends at The Talbot Hotel in Malton and Hayley Baxter Photography), the catwalk show was really well put together and overall it had a great atmosphere.  It will certainly be something we’ll look to being involved in in the future.  We’ve actually been having lots of discussions this week about wedding fairs and its looking like April is going to be a busy month - more details soon!!

After a busy weekend and having some much needed family time, it was back to sourcing things for the boutique and checking how the decorators were getting on!  Thankfully we didn’t get all the predicted snow we thought we would have, so the decorators managed to get rid of the awful black window frames on the outside, to something more in keeping with my colour scheme! The fabulous feature wall paper is now up, although I think I caused them quite a headache with one of the papers!  Apparently it was like sticking cardboard to a wall - but it does look amazing!! 

It was then time for the hanging rails to go up.  What a nifty little tool joiners have to make sure things are straight - I must get one! 

I just hope the rails take the weight of all the beautiful gowns we have.  Tobias gave them a test by swinging like a monkey off them, much to my mum’s horror!!  Thankfully, they will be fine!!

I can’t actually believe I’m saying one of my biggest headaches this week was what desk to order!  I know there are so many more important things going on in the world, but it has to be right!  I finally decided on an oak one, even though I originally wanted mirrored.  It arrived this week and its just not right, so yes, its going back and I’ve ordered a mirrored one.  Just goes to show you should always go with your gut instinct!

We’ve had lots of lovely deliveries this week.  My little boy Tobias thinks its still Christmas as he’s been helping to open some of the packages, carefully of course!! Can’t wait to get these on display.

So excited to start up some new partnerships this week too!  I had a fab meeting with a local business that makes personalised wedding gifts/stationary etc.  I’ve had a quite a few of their pieces for gifts myself and I just love them - I’m sure our brides will too! :) xx

Shakespeare's Garden is now ready!

What an exciting week as our brand new collection "Shakespeare’s Garden” launched on Tuesday.

Inspired by a vintage garden, soft velvet flowers in pastels and richer shades will adorn the hair, choose from halos, headbands, combs and pins. Pretty delicate organza lace pieces and halos can be worn in a variety of ways. Go back to nature and feel like a Shakespearean Princess. Each piece is handmade to order in the UK and has a lead time. 

The Halo's are proving the most popular pieces with brides so far. We would love to hear what your favourite piece is ?

Portia Halo £90.00 

 Rosalind Fascinator £185.00

Desdamona Forehead Band £75.00 

Portia Pins £45.00 

 Cordelia Headband £125.00

Images curtesy of www.kerriemitchell.co.uk and www.dottiephotography.co.uk

The Little Pearl Bridal Boutique - New Beginnings!

Yippee, our beautiful website has finally gone live:www.thelittlepearlbridalboutique.co.uk!!

 It’s been a frustrating time, and i’m not sure who has been more stressed with it, me or our web designer!  I’ve certainly seen a different side to my assertiveness since starting my own business, but it comes with the territory!  It won’t be the only time so Brett keeps telling me!  We’ve had so much lovely feedback so far, and I’ve learnt that constructive feedback can only benefit you!  I still can’t believe its actually up there for everyone to see.  It’s an amazing feeling really and great that we’ve had enquiries from brides already!  We’ve also produced some gorgeous leaflets as part of our marketing material, so pleased with them 

It’s been a week of spending cash and watching that bank balance go down.  Albeit on very beautiful items, which I am loving, even if the hubbie isn’t!  We even had a trip to the auction rooms and actually won what we bid on, which was fantastic. David Dickinson would’ve been pleased with our deals! I’ve never been before, but it can get very intense and will certainly be going again.  

I’m not actually sure how we’ve got through this week what with a girlie do with lots of fizz watching a Gary Barlow tribute act.  He actually could be Gary, until he talks and his southern accents comes out! Trying to measure for curtains with a thick head the day after was an interesting experience!  Then numerous kids birthday parties to attend and topped off with my leaving do from work!  It was emotional and giving my company car back was one the hardest things!!!!!  Everyone was so lovely and supportive of my new venture, plus they gave me some fab leaving pressies!

So I am now officially self employed! - eek!

The Little Pearl Bridal Boutique - Decisions Decisions!

It’s certainly been a week of indecisiveness!  People do say its because my star sign is Libra, but it seems the whole of my family is indecisive!! It has worn me out!

First was deciding the size of some box shelving, then should we have floating or normal shelving? what height should they be? are we keeping the flooring or having carpet? what colour curtains, depending on if we are having carpet? It just goes on and on!

We have, however, finally decided on everything.  The joiner has built us something perfect to display all our gorgeous accessories on, and the decorators have done a fantastic job with the different colour ways. 

It’s gradually starting to look like a boutique!  Thankfully the decision on carpet or no carpet has been made.  I really want the boutique to feel warm and inviting and there’s just something about carpet that helps this, so despite my husband saying ‘I don’t think we should’, we are!! :)

It’s also been a great week for meeting and speaking to new people. An old friend from my previous work has started his own lifestyle magazine in the local area.  After having a chat with him about the reach and response he has been getting so far, its sounds such an exciting opportunity for us to be involved in, so watch this space!  

I also had a lovely chat with Liz Clayton from The Talbot Hotel in Malton, about them using lots of our images for their wedding marketing material - fab!! She has lots of great contacts too so it was so great to talk to her. Can’t wait to do something pretty special with them soon too!! 

Then to top it all off I met with a wonderful seamstress who will be coming on board to be part of The Little Pearl family!  Yay! She is so passionate about bridal, experienced and certainly knows her fabrics so we are thrilled to have her on board. 

In the midst of all the decisions and meetings, Theo has started his induction days at nursery :(. This has certainly pushed me to the edge, being wracked with guilt, despite him only going a 1 and a half days, but hopefully one day it will all be worth it!  Thankfully he is settling in really well and has definitely won over the ladies, the little charmer!

The British Wedding Awards 2015

Going to have a little break from Diana's diary at Little Pearl Bridal Boutique today to tell you about our night out at The British Wedding Awards. It's usually called The Wedding Idea Awards, but it's still organised and run by the folk at the Magazine, they have however done a little rebranding. Not the usual big glitzy party but a more elegant affair this year with a kind of a wedding theme. No red carpet entry or iced voda luge and no disco. Awards were down to 12 from about 20 last year.

Unfortunately Flo & Percy weren't up for any awards this year, but we have won best hair accessories for the last two years so no disappointment from us, See last years pictures here  we were just pleased to be able to come along and enjoy the party. We had a fabulous 3 course meal, watched the awards and got the chance to catch up with many friends from the Wedding Industry.

I went along this year with my business partner from sister company Kitty & Dulcie

I have to say the the room was beautiful decorated and the flowers out standing 

Even though there was no late night dancing and it wasn't quite so lively as previous years, we had a great time. Thank you to the party organisors!

The Little Pearl Bridal Company - It's starting to come together!

What a way to start the New Year….we have been announcing all of our designers in the boutique to the world this week and have got such an amazing response so far.  Over 400 likes on Facebook too! Just thrilled.  We have also been featured on the fantastic Brides up North!  The very lovely Julia Braime has done a blog feature on the boutique and our launch shoot.  It is a fantastic read if I do say so myself!  Here is the link if you’d like to have a read too, plus see lots of amazing images from the shoot http://bridesupnorth.com/2015/01/09/pearls-girls-little-pearl-bridal-boutique/

Drum roll please…….we also have the keys to the boutique…yippee!! 

  

It certainly does feel like a long time coming.  My mum even said it feels like we’ve had this shop for months already!!  Thankfully we can now finally start putting our thoughts and designs into practice.  Saying that I’ve already bought 2 chairs, lights, wallpaper, a rug, gowns and accessories!  I kept being told I was tempting fate, but phew, we are in!

Another great thing has happened this week too!  The 2015 edition of Yorkshire Brides has hit the shelves and we are featured on the inside cover (despite a few hiccups along the way)! 

So proud of our little boutique already.  I’ve been quite overwhelmed with people’s reaction to it too, all the wishes of luck and how well we are doing already.  It’s certainly making me feel like I did make the right decision to follow my dream.  I just hope it continues.

So from this week on we have the tradesmen in, plus lots of help from the family to get the boutique into full working and fabulous order!  I’m hoping Tobias will be happy with his frequent trips to mummy’s shop as there is plenty of space to race his remote control dino/car!  That will be my bargaining tool anyway :)  After a family morning at Tobias’ friends party we hot footed it over to Pickering with tape measure and carpet samples in hand.  We did, however, forget the essential item…tea bags! No one can plan without a good cuppa.  Thankfully Brett found a local shop doing take away teas on a Sunday!  I’m sure I’ll be finding lots of hidden gems as we make ourselves at home in the lovely town of Pickering.  

The Little pearl Bridal Boutique - A busy few weeks

Well it’s been all go since the launch photoshoot. We’ve been packing up all the gorgeous gowns and sending them back to the designers.  I can’t believe the next deliveries will actually be ours for the boutique…eeek!  I’ve also been writing an editorial piece for the 2015 Yorkshire Brides magazine.  Choosing the images to support it has been hard, there are so many amazing ones!  I’ve also been writing the copy for the website, which is looking so lovely and now live at www.thelittlepearlbridalboutique.co.uk Then to top a very stressful few weeks off, we are told the property for the boutique won’t be ready until after Christmas!!! Not a lot could be done though but it has certainly increased the stress levels in the McMann household!  Plus it has been the festive season, and we’ve had Christmas presents for the kids coming out of our ears!! After all the expense and stress our 3 year Tobias is still more than happy just playing on our IPad!  Despite the happenings with the boutique, we had a lovely family Christmas and really got to have some quality time, which I know will be limited for a while after the New Year!