Wedding Dress Update, Weight Watching and Kaya Beauty, Ramsbottom

 

Starting to get very excited now, 59 days on the count down.  17.5lbs off and getting browner by the week, just need that sun to come back pronto to top up the tan!

This fortnight has been rather productive.  I visited the dress shop Maria Modes to try my dress on following it’s journey from the US.  It was as beautiful as I remembered and my word I have certainly lost inches.  The back and waist area have taken the biggest hit, I am yet to do the full measurements, but I have had to book in with the seamstress to get the dress taken in, all good.  I just need to ask her if she can nip/tuck tricep areas too J

Flower girl dresses had to be bought again as the girls have grown at such different rates.  Six year old Emily’s dress is an age 8, perfect length but pinching under her armpits.  Super tall 9 year old Jessica’s aged 12 dress is perfect length, but too large around her chest, more importantly, is white rather than ivory.  So new one have been ordered from Debenhams, outsized ones are up for grabs for anyone that is in need!


Friday, gorgeous sunny day, we spent the day with the gorgeous Paula Bland (pictured above with me) and her equally lovely new husband, Dan Butterfield.  I was privileged to photograph their wedding at Todmorden Town Hall, I'll feature their wedding in my next blog, after I have gone through their photos with them!

Honeymoon balance is paid, next on the list; buy travel insurance, then plan all the excursions.  Orlando, Savannah, NC and NY here we come!

I nipped into Ramsbottom this afternoon, enroute to fat club (weight watchers) for a sunbed, don’t judge me, and a chat with my lovely friend Claire.  Claire owns Kaya Beauty, a gorgeous little beauty retreat in the town centre, just off the main run.  Claire will be waxing, preening and polishing me in the run up to the big day, she kindly booked me in for all my appointments, and I am looking forward to being pampered and having a bloody good catch up.  For treatments call: 01706 825009

My wonderful friends from work are planning a hen party 3^rd July over Clitheroe way.  I have no idea what is on the menu, but having heard tales of their nights out I am getting extremely giddy, and a little nervous at the same time.  What ever happens I am certain to make a tit out of myself.  There are three costume options for me to peruse, the anticipation is driving me nuts, I am the worse person to surprise as I am so impatient!

So those are the things to cross off the ‘to do’ list.  There have been a few tears shed, frustration over things not happening as quickly as I’d like (impatience on my part) uni deadline of a project that I got carried away with, food poisoning and people in general.  There, I am certain, will be more tears before the big day, as I get more excited, worried and consumed. 

In the meantime I am savouring every last moment as Miss Clare Waterfall.  Laughing out loud with/at my fiancé, snuggling my cat, gardening with my parents, working with the Bowland lot and playing with my brand new Canon 550d camera.

It’s all good.

Love Clare x

Next blog: New wedding, Paula Bland & Dan Butterfield, coming soon.

McBride Wedding Photographs

Hot Hot Hot

This was my first ever wedding on my own.  I had been an assistant before, but this was the first with me in full responsibility.  Fortunately the bride was one of my closest friends, Claire Wilson, a work colleague at ITV, and I had met her groom Ben McBride on a couple of occasions previously and he was lovely.

The ceremony and reception was held at one venue, a Village Hotel in Nottingham.  Claire’s sister, Nicola Wilson, is a wedding co-ordinator for the chain so they were in excellent hands.  The hen party was also arranged by Nicola at a Village Hotel near Manchester and we had a riot that day also.

The weather was staggering, in fact it was the hottest day of the year.  Poor Claire in her gorgeous Maggie Sottero ‘Riley’ dress, suffered the swealtering heat without losing her ‘cool’ or huge smile all day.

We took the bride and groom to a nature reserve that was just around the corner, for their intimate newlywed shots, and returned to the hotel for group shots.  We nailed the majority of the group shots on time but there were additional’s that were not on the list that sneaked in, so we had to break for dinner.  Valuable lesson learnt, group photo’s and alcohol to not mix, it took an age and the light changed dramatically.  That being said, the couple were happy as we were accommodating additional requests on the shoot, and ultimately their happiness was the priority.

The result were some really energetic, fun looking pictures, which is exactly who Claire is.  I cannot thank Claire enough for allowing me to do my first ever solo project for her special day, and her and Ben have both become fond friends of Rob and I.

The McBride’s were recently blessed with the arrival of a baby daughter Amelia Grace, a gorgeous tiny raven beauty, so congratulations to them.


Album Selection

Clare x

Liam Frost new video 'Good Things Are Coming Our Way'

Good Friday was for me a day with my Mum sorting wedding budgets and to do lists, Rob however was busying himself in Stockport at the Garrick Theatre as 1stAD to Duck Duck Moose and Son's Stu Gillies on the production of Liam Frost's new music video.  The single is due to be released 3rd May, but you can watch the video on youtube right now!

The video was filmed in one continuous shot using new technology Red Cameras, don't ask me what they do, I just have it on good authority for those in the know, that they are quite fantastic.  You will see Rob's short clad legs climbing a step ladder, but this is not about him, it is a big fat well done to Stu and his partner Joe.  Let's wish them huge success, may it go supersonic for them, and of course to Liam too.

Clare x

Graphic/Web Design - Year 1

This was a Graphic Design module, the item we were to design was a website.  I had just started working on my friend's site so this was a perfect project for me.

Portfolio at Uni, will get it up on here as soon as I get it back!

Final Mark: 82 = First

Wedding Websites

 My Wedding Website (pictured)

One of the first things I did after becoming betrothed, was to create our wedding website.

Aside from a small number of our wedding party, the guests are all online.  Everything I do is online, until recently I paid for my dance lessons online, I order my groceries from Tesco.com, my clothes from fashion websites, my hosiery from Sockshop.co.uk, music iTunes, DVD’s Play.com, books Amazon.com, flowers Interflora.com or bunches.com, hair products HQHair.com, the list is endless but I think you probably get the picture.

Anytime I need to check for information I use the internet, checking my bank balance, looking for directions, opening times and so on.

So, where best to allow our guests to obtain all information regarding the big day?  Of course, the traditional invitation pack, with all the directions printed, the menus, the RSVP card, the gist list etc.  Well much as this is lovely, I have 400 guests to invite and I’m not only an eco-sympathiser, I am also a spendaphobic.  And if truth be told, once I have stuck the save the date card to the notice board in the kitchen, I will lose all the other information, the vital postcode, dress code, gift list etc.  It is not intentional or sloppy, I am just very busy, like most people living in 2010.  

With a website people have always got a source to check upon, at any time from almost anywhere, without the embarrassment of guests putting an emergency call into the wedding party en-route (usually running late) to the ceremony. I have been so specific with details that I do not think I have missed anything of any importance (please feel free to correct me here).

Not all electronic invitations are successful, often emails can filter into spam, facebook group invites often go unnoticed (so guilt of that also) and the arrival of the printed or handwritten hand crafted or professionally produced card through the letterbox is terribly exciting.  So we made a compromise.  

Vistaprint offer an incredible service at very reasonable rates.  The Holland based company has a vast array of designs, or you can create your own design, as we did.  They will print your image in most formats.  We selected postcards for invitations to the full ceremony and party and business cards for evening invitations.  The quality is very good and the turnaround is excellent.

The invitations direct guests to the website for all information, with downloads available to print for those who feel secure holding a document.  And for those without access to a computer there is my telephone number printed, and they can request an information pack to be posted.

Guests leave comments, make enquiries and R.S.V.P via the website.  These all come to me electronically, allowing me to process in my efficient, slightly obsessive little way.

The design reflects the event, I wanted guests to get a feeling for the occasion from the outset.  I chose the colour theme for the site, green for the grass in the field, white for the tent, and we carried that through to the invitations and even the wedding party dress.

Designs, themes and schemes vary from wedding to wedding as they do from project to project.  

Those who desire a more romantic feel may want flowers or scrolls, others may want their site to reflect their own personalities or tastes so I would incorporate their specifications and tailor it to them.

If my designs are not to your taste, there are many web design companies who would create a bespoke package for you.  I have a number of contacts with graphic designers and animation specialists that I could refer on.  Feel free to enquire email: clarewaterfall@googlemail.com or twitter.com/clarewaterfall

Clare x