Essex Photo Studio and Blushing Boudoir are offering you the chance to win a professional make-over photoshoot in a style of your choice. You will have a professional make-over by our amazing team, including professional hair and make-up followed by a fantastic photoshoot at the Essex Photo Studio. As part of the photoshoot you will receive 2 A4 prints, 1 10×8 framed print and 10 retouched images on CD. Not only that but you will also receive professional hair styling and make-up for an occasion of your choice, be it a birthday a wedding or just a nice meal with your partner or a girls night out we will make you feel like a superstar!

Your photoshoot can be in any style of your choice. Whether you want some sensual boudoir images of yourself, or if you want to feel like you are working for a fashion label or even a lads mag we can offer you the perfect experience. Our fully equipped professional studio, based in Essex and ideally situated for anyone commuting from London, Hertford, Cambridge and Surrounding areas, and our experienced female team will make you feel outstanding.

In order to be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is send us your name, email and phone number viawww.essexphotostudio.co.uk or www.blushingboudoir.co.uk or via our Twitter (@worbyltd) or The Essex Photo Studio Facebook page or the Blushing Boudoir Facebook page.

All entries must be received by midnight on 31st January 2010. The winner will be informed by 7th January 2011.

Terms and conditions apply – for details please click here

Recently Blushing Boudoir cast for the face of their bridal boudoir photography and wedding business and decided that the amazing Fabia Cerra should be the ultimate face of the business with 2 other models acting in support roles. There were close to 100 applicants but Fabia stood out. Her passion for her work was admirable and from looking at her portfolio showed us that our clients and brides would be able to relate to her.

Fabia is most commonly known for her appearance on Britains Got Talent in 2009 when she wowed the judges with her amazing burlesque performance. As a young girl Fabia was a professional dancer with numerous awards and accolades to her name, throughout her adult life she endured several personal challenges. Fabia has gone through things that would have broken most people but she had the courage to pick herself back up and follow her dreams. The Britain’s Got Talent Judges fell in love with Fabia with Simon Cowell saying “YES Oh my God! ; I absolutely adore you!” and Piers Morgan declaring “YES Come to Daddy! You are my type of woman”.

With her positive attitude, amazing heart and stunning personality Fabia was the ideal candidate for the ultimate face of Blushing Boudoir. We did not want a size zero model for the bridal make-over and wedding photography business due to the fact the average UK woman is a size 16. We feel that you do not have to be teeny tiny to be sexy and Fabia shows that. No matter what size you are, what your age or what you have been through you ARE beautiful and sexy. It is important to Blushing Boudoir that everyone who comes to us, whether it is for boudoir portraits, hen party pampering or wedding photography with wedding hair and make-up, is made to feel amazing and like a true star.

Fabia says “At 12 years old, I became a world disco dancing champion, this was what I lived for. I became a local celeb as I was winning competitions, this set bullies at school to destroy my confidence, and I would fear going to school. So I gave up my dream of dancing, for a peaceful life at school. Years past by and before I knew it, I became a mum at the age of 31, I was also diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, which I was relieved, as different doctors made a different diagnosis.”

Fabia will be featured on all our advertising, websites and will be attending events withBlushing Boudoir to help spread the word that big really is beautiful. Our clients will be able to completely relate to Fabia, she is a real woman with an amazing past, full of highs and lows who is working hard to make a better future for herself and her son. She is showing that no matter what you go through there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Blushing Boudoir portraits and make-over experiences are available to everyone. We welcome women of all sizes, ages, races and backgrounds. Our aim is to make our clients feel astoundingly beautiful throughout their entire experience. From the moment the bride-to-be, or any woman who merely wants some stunning portraits of herself, arrives at our professional Essex Photo Studio we like to make them feel at ease. A full consultation takes place to allow us the opportunity to get to know the clients likes and dislikes and what the client wants to get out of their photoshoot. We then go onto give them a true celebrity style make-over before they step onto set. Whilst on set the professional all female team are there to guide them through poses. Being women ourselves we understand about not wanting to show off lumps and bumps and we know how to guide clients into the right poses to make them look amazing.

As well as offering boudoir photography we also offer wedding hair and wedding make-up along with wedding photography and can even host hen parties and pamper parties! We are a business run by women to make other women feel like goddesses.

Blushing Boudoir recently set out to find the “Face” of the business. We did not want a stereotypical model, we wanted someone that our brides can relate to, a real woman if you like.

After Working With Angel Sinclair of Sinclair Management and Models of Diversity on a previous photoshoot, it made sense to ask Angel if any of her diverse models would be keen on the idea. Models of Diversity are set to change to face of the modelling and fashion industry by demanding that all women get equal representation regardless of race, dress size, ability, age and shape. Angels Models of Diversity campaign has ambassadors for Models of Colour, Plus size, Mature women, Teen models, models of disability, and much more. This is why we felt it was the perfect fit to our business.

Blushing Boudoir is aimed towards real women, real brides so having a “real” women as our poster girl was the only way for us to go. We received a HUGE response from the casting and decided to go with 2 of Angels team. Fabia Cerra, Ambassador for Plus Size Models, and Leonie Sherif, Ambassador for Models of Colour. As well as Models of Diversity a good friend of mine stepped in to help out with the photoshoot. Sarah Pinder is a primary school teacher and a dance teacher who has a love of modelling, and boy can she pose! The women were outstanding. Each of them brought something different to the shoot.

The shoot tok place at Blushing Boudoir’s Essex Photo Studio. Our fantastic photographer, Emma-Rose Flewers, was on hand to capture the beauty of all 3 women. Whilst Emma was setting up the studio with Laura Knight, another great female photographer, I prepped the models for their shoot by giving them their make-overs. The aim was to bring out each of the models natural beauty by emphasising their best features and to make the women feel fabulous.

First to be made over was Sarah. We decided to opt for a natural yet sexy look for sarah, with her sensual curves – which are all in the right places! – great blue/green eyes and a pout that a few women would pay a lot of money for it seemed fitting to give Sarah a Marilyn Monroe style makeover (especially as we had a Monroe wig in the studio!). Once Sarah’s fluttery eyelashes had been applied and her make-up finished it was on with the wig and first outfit then straight onto the set for her superstar photoshoot.

Whilst Sarah was striking her best poses for Emma and Laura the make-up chair was being kept warm by the Lovely Leonie Sherif. The Ambassador for Models of Colour was a delight to work with. A sweet, honest, lovely young woman with a stunning face and amazing features. Leonie made making her over very easy. She really is a natural beauty and did not need much make-up at all. Her skin was gorgeously clear, she needed nothing more than a light sweep of foundation to even her skin tone out slightly. Her pretty eyes were emphasised and her shapely lips were made to “pop”. Then she slipped into a luscious pin-up style velvet lingerie set and got straight to work like a true pro.

Our final model of the day was Fabia Cerra. Fabia is a beautiful woman, inside and out. Her charisma was uplifting, making the whole team smile and instantly warm to her. Some of you may recognise Fabia from her appearance on Britain’s Got Talent, where she performed a fantastic burlesque dance and completely wowed the judges. She has gone from strength to strength within her burlesque career and her modelling career seems to be going the same way. Fabia is an inspiration to many women, not just plus sized ladies but mothers, dancers and real women in general.

The day was a massive success and the delivery of the most delicious cupcakes, supplied by Heavenleigh Cupcakes, at lunchtime kept everyone chirpy. We could not be more pleased with Emma and Laura’s photography work and the models amazing talent and dedication to the shoot. I would recommend every single person on the team to anyone who asks. Blushing Boudoir is delighted to have been able to work with Sinclair Management and Models of Diversity on this project, we are in full support of Angel’s campaign and know it is going to make a massive change in the fashion industry.

not to be used in conjunction with any other offer

When choosing a make-up look i always advise brides to look at a mixture of magazines and find models or real women with similar colouring to their own. There isn’t much point telling the make-up artist that you want to look like the model in the picture if she has olive skin, dark hair and dark eyes and you are an english rose complexion with blonde hair and blue eyes. Yes you can take a little inspiration from the the look, but it will look totally different on you.

When thinking about your wedding make-up look at your face in detail and decide what you think would be best enhanced or what you would like to cover or distract from. Most brides want “perfect skin”. An even skin tone can most certainly be achieved to help give that flawless look, one thing that make-up can not change is the skin texture. I advice my brides to take great care of the skin everyday and especially in the run up to the wedding.

In order to achieve the polished look:

• ensure you get a good quality foundation to match your skin tone perfectly. It should look totally natural, even your tone out and not look like obvious make-up.
• if you have blemishes, dark circles or anything you wish to cover up, opt for a good concealer that exactly matched your foundation. Check the concealer as some are created especially for spot overage and other for under-eye circles. Highlighting concealers are fantastic for under the eye area, but don’t use them on spots!
• to enhance your eyes use a soft eyeliner, smudge the liner with a smudger brush or cotton bud to give a softer look. You want to try to avoid harsh lines around the eyes. If you don’t want to use and eyeliner a deep brown or soft charcoal black eyeshadow can look amazing when smudged under the lower lash.
• try to use 2-3 different colours for the same colour palette for eyeshadow. Starting with the lighter colour on the inner corner of the eyelid, the medium shade from the inner edge of your iris (the colour part of your eye) and then create a C or backward C (depending on the eye) on the outer corner. Going one third of the way into the eyelid, in the socket and along the lash line. BLEND BLEND BLEND, the colours should appear seamless.
• opt for natural shades to help keep the look soft.
• Use a soft peachy-pink blusher to give a naturally flushed look.
• Pinky browns are great for lips, natural but a hit of colour without looking too obvious.

Hollywood starlet glamour is huge in bridal make-up at the moment, think Marilyn Monroe’s sexy pout and alluring eyes.

This look is very simple to create, it is almost the same as the above look however you need to create a flicked line with liquid eyeliner (or a cake liner or pencil or the new felt tip style liners, whichever you find easiest) and apply red lipstick, not forgetting the lipliner to prevent bleeding.

It may take a few practices to get the eyeliner right, but it is worth it. Keep the rest of your make-up very fresh and natural looking, making sure emphasis is on the lips and the subtle flick of liner.

The traditional wedding gift list seems to be slowly phasing out and being replaced by couples wanting money or vouchers as a gift. This is likely to be due to the fact that in modern society the vast majority of couples live together prior to getting married, therefore have already “set up home” and have everything they need.

Many people like to add a little poem in with their wedding invitations to let guests knowthey would like money over gifs. Here are a few examples:

———————————————————

We are sending out this invitation

In hope you will join a celebration

But if a gift is your intention

May we take this opportunity to mention

We have already got a kettle and toaster

crockery, dinner mats, and matching coasters

so rather than something we have already got

We would appreciate money for our honeymoon pot

But most importantly we request

That you come to our wedding as our guest

———————————————————

An Ode to the Gift List

In a wedding invitation,

You usually find some lists,

For venues, menus and hotels,

And also for the gifts

But this one is unusual,

It comes in a different way,

As we’re not asking for presents,

But for something else today

Now please don’t think we’re selfish,

Or that this comes from greed,

But we’ve lived together for a while,

So there’s not that much we need

We would appreciate help though,

To send us on our way,

And allow us to have our honeymoon,

In a land quite far away

So now the point of all this rhyme,

The thing that we would like,

Isn’t towels, toasters or microwaves,

But pounds and pence alike

And now you know the reason,

Behind this cheeky accord,

Please help to give us memories,

Of a dream honeymoon abroad

———————————————————

For a couple of years we’ve lived in sin,

we have a toaster, a kettle and a stainless steel bin,

saucepans and towels we have many,

corkscrews and flannels we don’t need any,

we just want you with us to celebrate our day,

but if you insist on a gift anyway,

What we’d really like is a gift of money,

we hope you don’t think we’re being funny!

We’ll put it all together and buy something that’s best,

as a reminder of our day and our wonderful guests

————————————————–

We know it’s not traditional

It’s not the way it’s done

But instead of a wedding list

We’d like a bit of sun.

Please do not think of us as rude

Please do not take offence

We do not want to upset you

That’s not the way it’s meant.

We’ve lived together quite a while

And all the bills are paid

We’ve got our plates, our pots and pans

Our plans have all been made.

So if you’d like to give a gift

To help us celebrate

Some money for a honeymoon

We would appreciate

———————————————————

WE HAVEN’T GOT A WEDDING LIST

THE REASONS WE’LL EXPLAIN

IT’S TO SAVE YOU ALL THE HASSLE

AS SHOPPING IS A PAIN

WE THOUGHT WE’D ASK YOU ALL

FOR SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD

A SMALL CONTRIBUTION

FOR US TO TAKE A HOLIDAY IN THE MED

SO IF YOU’D LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE

TOWARDS OUR HONEYMOON

WE OFFER YOU OUR HEART FELT THANKS

WITH LOVE THE BRIDE AND GROOM

———————————————————

If you were thinking of giving a gift, to help us on our way.

A gift of cash towards our house, would really make our day.

However, if you prefer to purchase a gift, feel free to surprise us in your own way

As you know, we’re getting wed.

We’ve got everything for our house – even the bed!

It doesn’t matter, whether your gift is big or small.

Whatever you give, we’ll appreciate it all.

We’ve got appliances galore,

It’s not our first time as spouse;

What we’d really appreciate

Is cash toward a house.

Money Tree

They have their dishes and towels for two

They have pots and pans and oven mitts too

So what do you get for the Bride & Groom

Whose house is setup in every room?

Their house needs repairs and some upgrades too

But you can not register for carpet and glue.

A tree that grows wishes is the way to go

So lets make it easy for all that know.

An envelope will be provided for those who have room,

To give a monetary wish to the Bride and Groom.

———————————————————

“Friends, as you are aware we already have most items needed to ‘set up house’. This is the reason for us choosing a wedding wishing well.

At the reception there will be a wishing well in which we would love to receive your greeting card and contribution.

This will be a great way for us to pool together and buy ourselves something quite luxurious, or to make our honeymoon even better.”

If you are having trouble finding just the gift for us this may prove a solution with

Minimum fuss Just pop your gift inside and pin it to our tree and make a wish for happiness forever ours to be

Whilst in a foreign land,
(Brides Name) had many adventures grand,
None of which could ever compare,
To the wonderful love
That she and (Grooms Name) share.

The couple will marry 
whilst travelling once more,
And her family shall come 
to foreign shore.(Bride) and (Groom)
have considered the options,
as guests bearing gifts,
will come to considerable exertions.
And the airline restrictions
will also apply,
to the bride and the groom
when home they must fly.

In the place of a gift
With traditional style,
A paper gift would
bring many a smile.

A gift of paper has many a meaning,
it may be cash,
or a voucher for their favourite store,
the promise of a special favour,
Whenst the couple return
to settle into their lives
as husband and wife.

Many thanks for your consideration,
in receiving this request,
as surely you will realise

It’s definitely for the best.

It is a new and common trend to include an A-Z information list for guests in with the wedding invitation. The A-Z is a list of helpful information to let guests know some of the days events, location etc.

Here is an example:

Wedding A-Z

A

Accommodation – There are rooms available at Brocket Hall, we have reserved all 46 rooms, to reserve your room please let Alan or Natasha know.

Arrival for residential guests – those who are staying overnight you can check in to your room from 1pm.

Arrival for non-residential guests – if you are not staying over night at brocket hall you will be able to arrive from 2pm

B

Best Man – Alan will be having 2 best men – Nicholas Pinder and Ryan Stevenson

Billiards Room – Once all non-residential guests have departed the Billiards room will be open for the Gents to relax and have a game or two.

Black – Please refrain from wearing a black outfit, guys are more than welcome to wear a black suit, but we would appreciate it if the ladies didn’t wear all black. It is a joyous day and not a funeral!

Bridesmaids – our bridesmaids for the day will be [INSERT NAME(s)]

Buffet – There will be a hot and cold evening buffet served for those who will be peckish after a few too many drinks.

C

Ceremony - the ceremony begins at 3pm sharp – all guests are required to be seated by 2:45 pm to ensure that everything runs smoothly

Champagne Reception – after the ceremony there will be a champagne and canape reception

Confetti - the venue does not allow confetti of any sort so please refrain from bringing any

D

Dietry Requirements – if you have any special requirements please let us know so we can be sure to cater for you

Dinner – the wedding breakfast will take place at 5pm and you will be required to take your seats at 4:45pm

Drinks - You will be pleased to know that there will be an open bar/There will be a paying bar for the evening reception

E

Entertainment – the evening reception will begin at 7:45pm

F

Fireworks - to see in the new year there will be a firework display at midnight

G

Guest Book – Instead of the traditional style guest book, we will be leaving little cards on the tables with a “post box” for you to post your messages into. These will then be compiled into an album with a photo of each guest

H

Hats/Head Pieces – If you wish to where a hat or fascinator then please feel free! the more glam the better

Hen Night – to find details of the Hen Night speak to the maid of honour

I

Invitations - we would appreciate your RSVP back by [INSERT DATE]

Information – for details on how to get to the venue please see the directions page

J

Jackets – As we will be having a firework display, please make sure to bring a warm jacket

K

Kids – if you have young children who are attending please let us know if you would like a full 3 course meal for them or if they will be sharing.

L

Ladies – please dress as glam as you wish, the more colour and sparkle the better!

M

Memories – There are little note cards and envelopes on your tables for your messages. Please fill them in and post them in the post box

Music – we will be compiling a play list for our DJ, so if you have any special requests just drop us an email or let us know

N

No Smoking – Sorry but there is no smoking anywhere in the building, however the grounds are vast so feel free to take in the splendid scenery while having a cigarette outside

O

Order of Service – The Ceremony will be at 3PM and guests will be seated at 2:45. Feel free to arrive anytime after 2PM to be greeted with a drinks reception. After the ceremony there will be a champagne and canape reception while the photographer works his magic. This will be followed by a 3 course meal – with speeches! Then the party begins

P

Page Boys – The page boys for the day will be [INSERT NAME(s)]

Presents – We require your presence, not presents. But if you wish to give a gift please see the gift page for details on how to make a contribution to our honeymoon

Q

Quiet please – please ensure mobile phones are set to silent during the ceremony and speeches. You don’t want to miss any wise jokes from the best men or brides father now do you!

R

Reception - The evening reception will begin at 7:45

RSVP – There are several ways for you to RSVP. By returning the RSVP section on your invite, using the RSVP page on this site, by texting/phoning/emailing

S

Stag Night – To find details of the stag night speak to the best man

T

Top Table – we will be having a top table, however we will also be making our way round to talk to you all. Feel free to come and say hi to us at the top table too.

Thank You – to all of you for sharing this day with us, and thank you to those who have helped us out with all the planning

U

Ushers – not for us, 2 best men, 3 bridesmaids and 2 page boys will be plenty/The ushers will be [INSERT NAME(s)]

V

Videographer – please keep your eyes peeled for the videographer and feel free to leave a silly message

W

Winter Wedding – I am sure you will have had a fair few summer weddings to attend in your time, so we thought we would mix it up a bit!

X

XXXXX kisses – no doubt there will be lots of kisses throughout the day – for which we will not be apologising!

Y

You – as much as this is a day of celebration for us, we also want you to enjoy the day as much as we will. So go wild, party hard and be ready for a monster hangover

Z

Zzzzzzzzz – Time for bed. All non- residential guests have to depart by 1am, those staying at the venue can retire to your rooms at any time you wish!

Worby Ltd is looking for the face of its Bridal Business, Blushing Boudoir(www.blushingboudoir.co.uk). We want a “real” woman. Someone our brides can relate to. Height, size, race and upper age is not an issue for us, although we do insist the model is over the age of 18 due to the style of the shoot.

Our main criteria are a fantastic personality that comes across in the photos, a great smile and a look that entices the audiences. The style of the shoot will be boudoir, primarily lingerie but potentially up to implied nude. Think Gok Wan’s “How to Look Good Naked” images and you will be close to what we are after.

The photoshoot will take place mid November at out professional studios in Essex (www.essexphotostudio.co.uk). The closing date for castings is Sunday 31st October 2010

As many brides as there are opting for DIY weddings, many are also opting to have special bespoke items made, from jewellery to customised shoes and handmade wedding rings.

What makes this so appealing? Having an item specially made just for you is a fantastic way to add a touch of personality to your wedding. You know that those particular items are one-offs and and they are exactly what you wanted. No one else will have what you have. Owning a one off piece can make you feel extra special, somewhat like a princess or even a celebrity.

You can almost create your whole wedding from scratch when taking the bespoke route. You could get a marquee and completely transform the space using your own specially designed decorations. You can get handmade dresses and suits, handmade or customised shoes, handmade jewellery and one of the most common ways to add a little bit of bespoke to your big day is to have your cake made to order.

Having a piece of jewellery that is made just for you is a fantastic feeling. Crystal Jewels make beautiful handmade pieces for every budget and every taste. They offer simple and stunning pieces of jewellery and fantastic tiara’s, crown’s and headbands. The items are something you can wear on your wedding day and treasure forever, yet still being sophisticated and pretty enough to wear everyday and for many other special occasions.

With the current economical situation more brides are opting for a more Do It Yourself approach to weddings. They are hand-making their own invites, table decorations, wedding favours and doing their own hair and make-up all in a bid to reduce the cost of their wedding.

Not only are they opting for the DIY approach they are also cutting things such as chair covers and some even opt out of having a professional photographer and use guests images or a friend with a “professional” camera to capture their special day.

Is it worth cutting costs? There are pros and cons to a DIY wedding. Obviously the cost reduction is the main reason for “Doing It Yourself”, but what about the time invested in making invites and RSVP’s, decorations, wedding cakes, place settings and the wedding breakfast? By the time you source all the items to create the perfect invite, pay for them and make them you could be looking at a week or more of work, at the minimum wagethat is £237.20 for a 40 hour working week plus the expenses of the items. You could be looking at £300+ to make them yourself!

Many brides are opting to do their own wedding day make-up. Often going to a beauty counter in a department store for a free trial and then purchasing the items. This can be a great money saving idea. If you were to go to someone like Estee Lauder for a trial and then purchase the basics for your wedding day, such as primer, foundation, concealer, powder, eyeliner, mascara, eyeshadow and a lipstick you could be paying around £160 and that doesn’t include the brushed you may need to purchase! Many bridal make-up artists charge from £60 for a trial & from £60 for the wedding day, this works out cheaper than the Estee Lauder and many other brands. The plus side is you get to keep the products and your bridesmaids could potentially share some of the products.

When thinking about capturing your special day on film or camera the costs can be very frightening. Many photographers prices start at around £500 and can go in excess of £2000-£3000, so getting a friend or family member to take the pictures can seem like great idea. However, you can not guarantee the same quality, especially if the images taken are on your basic home camera or even disposables. The wedding day itself can often go by so quickly that you miss out on moments or you don’t remember them until looking at the pictures. By getting a non-professional to capture the day you may miss those moments, an experienced photographer knows what to look out for. So do you save money and potentially miss out on some memories or pay a pro and get amazing pictures. That is the compromise.

A DIY wedding is a great way of adding your personal touches and personality to your wedding day and I fully encourage everyone to make their wedding day as personal to them as possible, but not to compromise on quality if you can help it.