Wedding preps - Magpie style

Becoming a 'Mrs' is pretty hard work!

In the lead up to the wedding, there were so many things to be done - hair trials, make-up lessons, waxing appointments, nails, dress fittings, wearing in all my new heels... All of that on top of the actual organisation!

I wanted to give some much deserved credit to the people who helped me out with all of this...

HAIR

For my registry office wedding, I wanted to keep my look classic and elegant. After much hunting around, I found the man for the job at Coco in Cockfosters.

If you ever need your hair putting up, the Turkish guy who doesn't speak English (can not remember his name - oops) is a genius. I have a LOT of hair, but he managed to get it all up with little fuss (though lots of back-coming) and with no pain for me - a winning combination!

www.cocohairstudio.co.uk/

The other hairdresser I must mention, for her incredible blow dry skills is Suzy at Art Hair Gallery in Finchley Central. She's a genius when it comes to breathing life in to hair!  020 8371 0300

NAILS

Another research heavy job was my nails. I have not been blessed with good nails - in fact, all they ever do is chip, break or peel. No matter what I do to look after them, they just don't listen. So, I was forced to opt for nail extensions. I know, I know, they're not good for me, but in all honesty, my nails couldn't get much worse, so it was no big deal.

After much investigation, I decided to go with WAH - well known for their amazing nail art and not extortionate prices.

I chose acrylic extensions as they tend to be more hard wearing, and covered them with a gel top layer, to give a more natural finish (well, as natural as fake nails can ever look). True to my name, I went glittertastic. I think they turned out pretty well and were a great alternative to the done-to-death wedding French Manicure.

Give WAH a try yourself: http://wah-nails.com/

WAXING

The less said about this the better. Let's just say that the waxing lady did not know where to stop. And I'm not even talking about there (I know what you are thinking). How about this for shocking - back and belly!!

If you too want your whole body to feel like a baby's bottom, head to Shahnaz in Finchley Central, 020 8349 9911.

MAKE-UP

You may not have noticed this yet, but I'm a bit of a control freak. So, when it came to my wedding make-up, I couldn't face letting anyone else do it for me (pun intended). Instead I headed straight to Jo Reid at Blush, for her expert instructions on how to get the perfect finish.

I then spent a fortune buying lots of new make-up.


www.blush.uk.com/

SHOES

Obviously, I had a new pair of shoes for every occasion (I'll fill you in on those in the next few days), but there are a couple of pairs of golden oldies I had to include in my wedding trousseau. Two of my beautfiul Loubys were feeling very sorry for themselves and needed some serious TLC. I headed straight to Classic Shoe Repairs in Tufnell Park, where they replace your red soles, with new ones, direct from the Louboutin factory. They're not cheap, but only the best for my Loubs will do!

Classic Shoe Repairs, 020 7485 5275

So, there we have it - my little Black Book of wedding saviours! 


Tomorrow...the outfits!


Love Mrs Magpie
xxx

Here comes the McQueen!

Ok, so where have I been? This post is seriously late! Well, I've been in one of very few places in the world where the Royal Wedding did not take over every aspect of life. My beau and I have just returned from a Pre-moon in Cambodia. Pure bliss!

But, with technology as it is, there was no way I couldn't sneak a peak at what all the fuss was about. And, if I'm honest, I was a teensy-weensy bit gutted that I wasn't around to see it all in its full glory! But then we went off to see the sun set over some spectacular Angkor ruins and forgot all about it.

As always though, I just have to have my say.

First, the blushing bride...

I think there was a world-wide gasp when Kate emerged from her car. This dress is without doubt, absolutely stunning. It didn't really come as much of a surprise when it was revealed that Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen was the designer of choice. I think she did a smashing job!

Although I would probably have gone for more bling (if you can't do it when you are becoming a Princess, when can you?), I think this dress was the perfect choice for Kate. The simple elegance completely captured Kate's style. I think the decolletage is absolutely gorgeous: sexy yet understated. And the train - well, I think every girl I know dreamt of having one as long as this!

Kate's sister also looked fab! Interesting choice - a long white dress...I have certainly not been that kind!! The Middleton sisters totally rock that red carpet!

I love this snap - Kate really does look happy (and so she should, to be fair). I love a good veil and I think this one worked extremely well with her dress. I love the simplicity of her make-up too.

Kate's evening choice was somewhat less exciting. After the absence of bling earlier on in the day, I was hoping for something a bit more glam! I blame it on the cardigan - which was a rather strange choice, I must say!

The groom

When I was a little girl (well, teenager), I had a real crush on Prince William. Who didn't?! As time passed, he lost my affections (and quite a bit of hair - poor thing)... But on his wedding day, he did scrub up pretty well. No rekindling of my fondness for him, but I certainly thought he looked the part.

The mini-me's

OMG! Just so cute! Mini Kate and Williams. I wonder if these kids were really aware of the enormity of the big day? Probably not - and that's why they look like ordinary kids having fun.

The Queen of Darkness

There were no real stand outs when it came to the guests - some amazing hats, some pretty dresses, but nothing exceptional.

You can always trust VB to draw attention to herself, though. Dressed in black from head-to-toe, she looked like the Grim Reaper. Poor choice Vic.

I could have forgiven her, had she gone for bright accessories, but those killer heels and funeral-esque hat were so not right for this occasion.

Erm, also, why were they there???


A royal tribute

There's nothing quite like some tacky memorabilia, but these nails take it to a whole new level. Hilarious!