Daring to be Different

Today I've been inspired to write about being individual, and not be afraid to do so.  The inspiration came (as so often it does!) from one of our lovely brides, who has a very difficult decision to make between two dresses.  One is a classic, traditional, ivory gown, with a bit of lace, and a bit of sparkle.  She herself described it as 'safe', but it is really lovely and suited her figure perfectly.  The other gown is something quite different; still unmistakeably bridal in the layers of taffeta and tulle and its long train, but with a print fabric and a very distinctive, and not traditionally bridal, look - quite a statement, but an incredibly beautiful one.

 

So this bride is faced with a dilemma - does she go for the 'safe', traditional bridal option, which everyone will expect, and which she knows she will feel comfortable and unselfconscious in on the day, but then perhaps regret not buying the really different dress that she can't stop thinking about?   Or does she go for the different dress that she really loves, and worry about feeling over-the-top on the day, and wish she had gone for the 'safe' option?  There is no right answer here - the only person who can make that decision is the bride herself, and I'm pretty sure she will make the right decision in the end.

 

I wonder if this sort of decision's made all the harder by the idea that a bridal gown has to conform to certain 'standards'.  That a bridal gown should be plain ivory or white, with some detail on, and apparently  that this is what every girl dreams of.  Of course we are bombarded in the wedding media by pictures of pure ivory gowns on every page, and row upon row of the same in bridal shops.  Now, that is, in my experience, what most girls want (and if you do fancy the traditional 'big white dress', then you should embrace that single chance to wear it with every ounce of enthusiasm!)

 

But I also know, from my own experience, that it's not what every bride wants.  Because it's not what I wanted.  My own gown was bridal in its own way, but it certainly wasn't all ivory or white, and I think it turned a few heads on the day.   I set out on my dress shopping experience knowing one thing - that I didn't want a traditional bridal gown. This was long before I owned a bridal store, and I can tell you that  it was not easy to find!  At every turn I was met by women who wanted to persuade me into increasingly meringue-like dresses, because that was their image of what-a-girl-should-get-married-in.  I stuck to my guns and ended up with something I loved, with not a pavlova in sight, but I had to stick to those guns pretty hard.

For girls who aren't as bolshi as me, I think it can be a pretty tough thing.  Society, the media, and your friends and family will all have a tendency to make you question your decision to go with a 'different' dress.  When you are surrounded by images of what a bridal gown 'ought' to be, and well-meaning friends and relations are suggesting to you that you might regret not going down the traditional route, it can be hard to stand up and say that no, your image of a bridal gown doesn't have to be like that.  And it can make you worry that your guests or loved ones might even be disappointed with your choice of gown if you don't play it safe with the traditional option.

My advice is always, always, to stick to what feels right for you.  Let your personality shine though, and remember: It's Your Decision.

If you've always dreamt of a short dress, or a coloured dress, or just something a bit different - if that screams 'MY wedding gown' to you, then please stay true to what you love and don't be swayed by what other people like.   I know how this feels, and I know that it can feel a little unsettling to have people question your choice, but often it's just because other people can't imagine not wanting the traditional gown.

If, on the other hand, you've thrown yourself a complete curveball by ending up liking something quite different when you thought you'd go traditional, you might have a slightly harder decision to make.  Try to build up a picture of the whole wedding, rather than just a picture of you in the dress.  Think about your bridesmaids, colours, decor, flowers, stationery, and how everything ties together.  That can really help to cement which sort of dress is going to work best for you - and could rule one dress out entirely.  And ultimately, if you think the 'different' dress is the one, be brave!  Remember that the only people who really truly matter on the day are you and your fiancé.  If you love your dress, you'll look fabulous in it, which will mean that he will love it too.

It Costs How Much??

For those of us who build our wardrobe with clothes that are bought from high street stores (mine personally has everything from Primark to Calvin Klein in it) the price of a wedding dress can prove a bit hard to swallow.  Wedding dresses can cost anything between £400 and £4000 (and upwards!) – depending on what you’re buying and where you’re buying it from.  In these budget conscious times it not uncommon ask questions about the cost of a wedding dress. It's not helped by crafty counterfeiters whose work is all over the internet, and who try to make brides think they're getting ripped off by the bricks and mortar shops.

 

So why the heck do they cost what they cost?  Lets break it down…

 

The Designer

 

Do you get paid for your work?  Well so does the person who designs your wedding dress.  These are very skilled and creative people who studied hard to learn their craft and get paid accordingly.  The best dresses are designed to flatter real people - and making a dress do that is a craft in itself.

 

Materials

 

When you run your hand down the exquisite material of a wedding dress or you admire its beading or lace you are admiring the work of the person who sources all the materials for the designer.  This person hunts high and low for the best silk, the best diamante and crystals, at the best price to make your dress.

 

Pattern cutter

 

A true craft, once the designer has completed their piece, a pattern to bring their dress to life has to be created, and cut.  Not just in one size but perhaps in sizes 6 to 32 (depending on the designer).  Different sizes will need slightly different attention - it's not just a case of making the pattern bigger.

 

Marketing the dress

 

So once the designer has designed, and the pattern has been cut, a couple of the dresses are made and taken to a large exhibition to show different shops what they can buy.  Exhibitions cost a lot of money as do the marketing materials such as the photographs you see in bridal magazines.   But these are an essential tool both for the retailer, and for you, the bride, in helping you to make the right choice for your wedding day.

 

The costs of the Bridal shop

 

Buying the sample:  As a bridal retailer we have buy all of the sample dresses that we have in our shop.  Contrary to popular belief, we don't get discounts for these, we have to pay full whack. But without the samples, what would you try on?  This is an absolutely vital part of the shopping experience for you - we can't imagine how you'd make your choice without them!

 

Rent:  To be a bridal retailer who carries legitimate designs (i.e Maggie Sottero, Benjamin Roberts, Romantica of Devon, etc) you have to have a ‘bricks and mortar’ shop, that brides can visit to try on the designs.  So we do, we have a shop that costs us rent, electricity, heating, council rates, insurance - the list goes on and on, and sadly all that costs money too.

 

Staff:  We also hire and train skilled staff who are able to help and advice customers in their shopping.  This is a fairly obvious and visible part of what we do, of course, but once a bride buys a dress we then complete all the administration to send the order to the designer, which is more time consuming than you might think.  There is a huge amount of 'behind the scenes' work that goes into your order.

 

Ordering your dress from the Designer

 

The orders department at the designer will process the dress order, they will enter this into the production system (accurately – a mistake here could see the wrong dress arrive, or the wrong size of dress!)

 

The Factory

 

The factory receive the order and allocate it to the work load of its staff.  This has to be done to ensure the right product in the right size and colour is made by the required deadline for shipping.  There is no room for error, so Designers don't tend just to pick the cheapest factory - it's more important to get things right.

 

The machinist / fabric cutter / finishing

 

These are the skilled people who bring the fabric and materials together to actually make the dress.  They measure and cut the fabric, they sew it together, insert linings, facings, boning, sew on embroidery, beads and applique.  To create a single gown, hundreds of pieces need to be cut, draped, stitched, beaded, appliqued....

 

Quality control / packaging / shipping

 

So once the product is finished it will be checked for quality, it will then be packaged up and then shipped to the UK (usually from the far East – its an expensive journey).

 

Arriving with the designer

 

After a long journey your dress then arrives with the Designer at their distribution warehouse.  Here it will be checked again, steamed, re-packaged and then sent out for dispatch to the bridal shop where you bought it from.

 

Courier

 

Your dress is couriered from the designer to the bridal shop where you bought it.  No one can risk gowns going missing, so they have to be fully trackable packages, sent by couriers, often overnight, and this can be quite costly in itself.

 

Arriving at the shop

 

So finally your dress has arrived at the shop!  It is opened and checked over by a member of staff, time is set aside to steam / press the dress (this cannot be done when customers are in the shop so either we can’t take any appointments or it is done out of hours).   Once we are happy you are contacted and invited back into the shop for an appointment to try on the dress and make sure you are completely happy.

 

 

To be honest when I see what goes into making a wedding dress I’m often surprised that they don’t cost more.  They aren’t manufactured in the same way that New Look make jeans – there is no bulk buying power as dresses are only made to order.  Everybody in that chain is doing a job, and receives a wage for the job that they do, the transport costs, the buildings that cost money to run, it all adds up.

 

BUT what it adds up to is a process that provides you with a beautiful, well designed and well made dress that goes through several quality checks, all FOR YOU.  When it is your wedding day would you want to wear a dress that goes through anything less?

Get the Platinum Service

Arrive at your wedding picture perfect

This week we have a great promotion on Aliya Rose Platinum Service - upgrade by 19th May and you'll get it for just £45!

This is an upgraded service package for your Aliya Rose wedding gown, which is available to all our brides, whether your dress is on order, in your possession already, or even if you bought a dress in our sale.  You can order at any time, even if your wedding is only a week away.

Here's what's included:

• Having your dress steam pressed by the professionals at Aliya Rose just before your wedding, to make sure you arrive at your wedding looking spot on.  This is worth at least £40 on its own!
• Having 'Something Blue' sewn into your gown for luck.  (You could even choose something of sentimental value to you instead - one of our lovely brides requested that a special locket of hers with photos of her grandparents inside be sewn in - such a lovely idea!)
• A 10% discount voucher to use against any future accessory purchases from Aliya Rose.  If you're buying one of our bestselling lace edged veils this could save you around £35 instantly!
• A special satin keepsake hanger to keep your dress on
• A thank you gift from us when you collect your gown

This service has been really popular and will give you extra peace of mind just to know that you don't need to worry about ironing or pressing your dress just before the wedding.

If you'd like to find out more, or if you want to upgrade to Platinum Service, call Aliya Rose on 01334 655303 or email us on info@aliyarose.co.uk.  If you want to take advantage of the special discounted price of £45, make sure you upgrade by 19th May 2012!

A VERY Proud, Award-Winning Moment for Aliya Rose

Last week we were absolutely delighted to find out that Aliya Rose had been named as the first ever Bridal Retailer of the Month by the British Bridal Retailers' Association!  This is a particularly special award to receive, as it was voted for by customers. 

As a Scottish retailer in a small town, we were up against competition from the length and breadth of the UK: shops in much more densely populated areas, with much larger customer bases, and with the ability to fit in much larger numbers of customers!  This makes it an immensely meaningful award to receive.

We would like to say an enormous THANK YOU to everyone who voted for us - it means a huge amount!

We always work hard to maintain a high standard of service at Aliya Rose, and we hope this is a sign we are doing things right.  But it will also serve as an inspiration to do even better!

Aliya Rose is now shortlisted as Retailer of the Year by the BBRA, but we will have to wait a long number of months to find out the result!

The BBRA is an organisation that brings together independent bridal retailers across the UK.  We each adhere to a code of conduct, and as members are able to offer fantastic services such as free wedding attire insurance to our customers, and a bridesmaid measuring service, which is great if you have bridesmaids scattered all over the place!

Carphin by St Andrews - Bit of a Wow Venue

Carphin House

Last weekend I was lucky enough to view a new wedding venue in Fife, Carphin House.  I say 'new', it is, in fact, a very old house, built in the 1790s.  But it has only recently become available as a venue for your wedding.  And honestly, this is one to go and see.

Location-wise, this is fabulous.  It's just outside the village of Luthrie, in a part of Fife that my husband fondly refers to as 'The Shire' because of its lush green rolling hills.  The house itself is beautiful, and whilst it boasts all mod cons and has a lovely plush, up-to-date feel, it has retained oodles of charm with beautiful antique furniture, period colours and no shortage of character.  Great photo opportunities outside in the lovely grounds, but should the slightly unreliable Scottish weather not be quite so wonderful, you are guaranteed some great shots anyway, because the interiors are really lovely.



Interior of Highland Tipi. Wowzers.

You and your bridal party can stay here, in the 7, incredibly luxurious, en-suite bedrooms.  For small wedding parties you could have the whole thing inside the house, or for larger numbers you can have a Tipi or Marquee in the beautiful grounds.  The Tipi from Highland Tipis that was on display there at the weekend may not have looked big from the outside, but it took my breath away when I stepped inside.  I didn't realise it was possible to have such luxury and glamour under canvas.... I'm an absolute HATER of camping, but even I could manage to stay in one of these.

But the real beauty of this venue is the amazingly flexible approach of the team.  You won't be met with a set schedule or set way of doing things here.  If you've got ideas about how you'd like to do things, they want to hear them, and from what I can gather, they want to help make them happen.  This is why it's right up my street.  I love a flexible approach and I really believe that the more personal you keep your wedding, the more you and your guests will enjoy it.

Stay posted, we hope to have some more pictures of this venue soon...

The Drawing Room

Happy Birthdays!

This month at Aliya Rose we are wishing ourselves a very Happy 5th Birthday!

We can’t believe that it is 5 years… in some ways it feels like yesterday that we were opening our doors for the first time, and in others it feels like forever. I, for one, can’t imagine a life without Aliya Rose!



Accessory Zone



To celebrate, we have lots of things planned, mostly themed around the number 5. You may already know that if you book a dress appointment in February or March, you will be entered into a big prize draw. Five lucky brides will win £50 worth of Aliya Rose gift vouchers. Perfect for spending in the Accessory Zone.  And not to be sniffed at! More details can be found at www.aliyarose.co.uk



Starstruck Designs
'Aliya' Side tiara



Not only this but there will be a programme of events at the shop to help us celebrate. More details will follow, but we are planning a really special Accessories Evening next month, where you can pop in to view our beautiful range of jewellery, tiaras, headbands, veils and jackets, including the fabulous new, UK designed and made,Starstruck Designs range. There will be special offers on the night, and of course a celebratory glass of fizz! Stay tuned for more details.







Ellis 11286



One of our fantastic suppliers, Ellis Bridals, is also celebrating a birthday this year… only they have been going a little longer than us! Ellis Bridals is a very healthy 100 years old! They are one of the longest established bridal manufacturers in the country, and they are still a family-run business, based in Britain.





Their 100 years of experience has certainly taught them how to create perfect bridal gowns. Their latest collection is aptly named the Centenary Collection, and we are very proud to stock it at Aliya Rose. It’s full of really beautiful designs, including this one, which is an absolute cracker – a classic fairytale beauty with such a romantic look, guaranteed to make your waist look tiny!

And lastly, I’d also like to wish my son, Drew, a happy birthday too. He turns 9 this week. He often advises me on dresses he thinks look good, and is very VERY honest about dresses he doesn’t think much of. And he is scarily good at it. So it seems appropriate to give him a mention here too!

Hot Style 2012 Part 1: Bridal Looks

Every year we sit and make predictions about what will be our top selling dress styles. Then we sit back and wait to see what happens in the New Year. Sometimes we are surprised, and sometimes we feel we’ve got it spot-on.

This January, I am struck by the fact that brides are more often than not looking for something a bit different. They still want to look like a bride. But they don’t want the same as everyone else, and the dresses they are choosing often have something unique about them.

Take the Ellis 11127 (left). We’ve never seen anything quite like it from any other designer. The back of this dress is breathtaking, and whilst it still has a traditional, bridal look, the lace train really adds something different.

Then there’s the Ella 5497 (right). The optional shoulder covering on this dress is proving a real hit as brides look for an alternative to what seemed to be the endlessly popular strapless gown.


Benjamin Roberts 2251 (below) has the lace and vintage styling that are so much en vogue right now, but the dark beaded embellishment and splash of subtle colour are going down a storm – not once have we been asked ‘does it come in all-ivory?’

Of course, how you accessorise your dress will also give it your own personal touch. One of our favourite look-changing accessories at the moment is a full length beaded lace-edged veil. It’s incredible, and can turn a lovely gown into a goose-bump inducing, jaw-dropping bridal look! The right accessory can totally make the outfit.

I haven’t even touched upon the customised option yet. Take a plainer bridal gown, and use a bit of imagination and creativity… a brooch, a jacket, add straps, or a one shoulder covering, maybe a belt… and you have a look that is entirely your own.

 We are loving helping brides to create a look that’s really unique. But ultimately our advice never changes: stay true to yourself and find a gown and a look that you feel really comfortable in. If you feel great on the day, then you will look great.

Get Clued Up

Buying your wedding dress is super-exciting. But don’t get so caught up in it that you forget to pay attention to the boring (but extremely important) details of your purchase!

We always spend time with each bride as they finalise their order, going through the terms and conditions of purchase with them, when they will need to make payments, how sizing works, what happens with alterations, collecting their dress, and making sure they understand their responsibilities and obligations throughout the process. So it’s quite surprising how often we find that customers seem unaware of some of these details a little further down the line!

Of course we understand that going through these dull details, about things that aren’t relevant right this minute, or perhaps won’t be relevant for several months, is particularly difficult when all you want to do is celebrate the fact that you’ve picked the dress you’re going to get married in. But remember that it’s important that you understand what you’re signing when you put your name on the dotted line. And that you know where to refer back to these details when the time comes.

Everyone (including us) wants to make sure the process goes smoothly and as free from stress as possible.

Getting clued up on the matter-of-fact stuff is something we all tend to do if we buy white goods, a car or a holiday. Really, buying a wedding dress is no different.

Here’s our advice for staying perfectly business-like:

• Take a deep breath and be patient when you’re going through the terms and conditions, and if you have any questions at the time, don’t be afraid to ask them! It can take a few minutes but it’s important to know what you’re signing.

• Make sure you have a copy of the terms and conditions to refer back to, and keep it somewhere safe – it might help answer any questions you have later on (and we don’t expect you to remember everything off the top of your head!)

• Don’t be afraid to come back and ask questions if you need to. Again, we know there is a lot of information to retain, and you won’t necessarily think of everything at the time when you order.

• Make sure you know the basics such as when any payments are due, how the alterations process works, and how soon you will need to come in to collect your dress. Remember that every shop is different with these, so don’t make assumptions based on someone else’s bridal experience!

• Check what responsibilities you have – for example the shop may ask you to come in within a certain time frame to try on your dress after it arrives - this will be for a good reason (such as checking that it is all as it should be with plenty of time still to spare!). If you don’t stick to your side of the bargain then you could end up putting yourself at a disadvantage.

The more informed you are, the less stressed you need to be! Simple as that. Happy planning!

You have just entered...The Accessory Zone

We are so excited we might just burst. Over the festive season we have been hard at work in the shop, creating our Accessory Zone, a dedicated area, a Boutique within a Boutique, all for our lovely range of bridal accessories. We couldn’t be happier with it. It’s beautiful (even though we do say so ourselves), and shows off the collection perfectly.

Jackets, veils, tiaras, headbands, necklaces, earrings, bracelets… you can find it all here, and you get to enjoy a coffee whilst you do. It has never been easier to create a coherent look for your wedding day.
Whether brides bought their dress from Aliya Rose or from somewhere else, it doesn’t matter – we can help to choose the right accessories to create the look. From traditional to height of fashion, we have a fantastic selection of pieces, each one hand picked to compliment the current fashions in bridalwear.

Not only that, but we have an entirely new, exclusive collection of pieces on its way to us from Starstruck Designs. Stay tuned for more information on these… you won’t be disappointed!

You can drop in to the Accessory Zone any time during our opening hours (Tues 11am-4pm, Wed – Fri 11am-5pm and Sat 9am-5pm), and if you’d like to ensure a member of staff to help you, call us to arrange a time on 01334 655303 and we’ll do our best to accommodate!

We’ll keep you posted on any accessory news!

Does Size Matter?

Ok ladies. You’ve probably heard all sorts of things about sizing of bridal gowns. Some of it may have made sense, and some of it may have mystified you entirely. It can certainly be very confusing to find yourself buying a £1000 dress whose label states that it’s a completely different size from the one you’d normally buy from the high street!

But we all want to make sure that on the big day there are NO muffin tops or back-cleavages in evidence, and that your wedding dress is possibly the most flattering thing you’ll ever wear!

So how on earth does this mystical bridal sizing thing work?

Well, there isn’t really some kind of magical trade secret here. In actual fact it works very much like any other clothing manufacturing. Each manufacturer works to their own size chart, and each dress they produce will correspond to the measurements on their size chart. The confusion starts because:

1) As you will know from shopping on the high street, sizes can vary hugely from shop to shop. In Next you might be a size 10, but in Monsoon you might be a 12. Bridal designers are no different, because each designer or manufacturer will be working from a different size chart, so a Benjamin Roberts size 10 will not necessarily be the same as an Ella size 10. And just because you wear a Next size 10 doesn’t mean you’ll automatically be a size 10 in bridal gowns! Each bridal shop will have all the size charts relevant to the designers they stock, and they’ll all be trained in how to use them!

2) When you compare someone’s actual measurements to a size chart (ANY size chart, whether it’s Marks & Spencers or Maggie Sottero), it’s very, very unusual for anyone to be the same size on their bust, waist and hips. It’s far more usual for someone to be, say, a size 12 bust, size 14 waist and size 10 hips. In ‘normal’ clothes which have a bit of stretch in them (thank god for Lycra), this doesn’t really matter, and in fact a size 12 top wouldn’t feel too small on their waist at all. However, bridal gowns are not normally made from stretchy fabrics. Unlike most ‘normal’ clothes, bridal gowns are very tailored with heavily structured bodices. This means that there’s no give in them. And if your bust measures a 12 and your waist measures a 14, then you won’t get away with the 12 on your waist – that 2 inches of difference between the sizes might be the difference between you looking fabulously gorgeous, and bursting the zip, having spent the whole day being unable to eat or breathe properly.

3) A lot of bridal size charts come up small compared to high street manufacturers size charts. You may have found in the past that some shops are a little generous with their sizing (and we all like to be flattered!), and some manufacturers are becoming increasingly flattering with their sizes! Some bridal manufacturers (unfortunately for all of us who like to know the size on the label is a small number!) don’t tend to be all that flattering with their sizing. This can mean that when combined with the effect of point 2), when you compare your measurements to the size chart, instead of the size 12 you were expecting, your measurements fit more neatly into a size 16. Trust the size chart here. Ignore what ‘label’ they give these measurements and remind yourself that the most important thing here is that your dress fits whatever your largest measurement is properly. There is nothing worse than seeing a bride in a dress that is too tight.

4) Sample sizes can be incredibly deceptive. During appointments I’m usually bombarded with questions about what size this or that sample is. But my answer is always the same - the size on the label of a sample dress is largely irrelevant. Why? Because sample dresses are tried on over and over again, by people of all shapes and sizes. They have to be cleaned. And all of that can stretch the dresses. A well used sample dress in a size 14 might actually be an inch bigger than a brand new size 14 dress in exactly the same design. And that inch can really count! At Aliya Rose we rarely use samples as a true guide for size – we always take measurements once you’re ready to order a dress, and work from there.

5) Some designers use US sizes. Which are not the same as British sizes, even though they are called 10, 12, 14 etc. Again, the important numbers here are the measurements of your bust, waist, and hips. Don’t get hung up on the number that they give the size!

So here are my top tips for brides with regard to size:
• Forget the size you wear in ‘normal’ clothes.
• Try to leave your size vanity at the door. It can be hard, but remember at all times that you will NOT be walking down the aisle with the size label hanging out the back of your dress (I hope!), so no one needs to know what size your dress is. Cut it out if you want, and also remember that once your dress has been altered, it’s ‘you’ sized, not a size 14 or 20 or whatever the label said.
• Take the shop’s advice. At Aliya Rose we WANT your dress to be as much the right size for you as possible. We always show you where your measurements are on the size chart so that you can understand why we’re ordering the size we are. We hope that our customers leave understanding how it works, but we’re always open to questions if people aren’t sure! So don’t be afraid to ask if you feel you need clarification.
• If a dress is too small for you, it will make you look bigger. But if it’s the right size all over, you’ll instantly appear to lose pounds without making any effort. How can that be a bad thing?

Breast Cancer Care Strawberry Tea Event - 21st and 22nd August 2010

Aliya Rose is currently working its socks off to prepare for a rather amazing charity event. As it's a cause very close to lots of people's hearts, and since it's something that might affect so many of our customers in the future, we wanted to raise money for Breast Cancer Care, and so we’ve decided to hold a Strawberry Tea. Lots of these have already taken place up and down the country, and people have served delicious strawberry treats along with a refreshing cuppa, in return for a donation to Breast Cancer Care.

But this is no ordinary Strawberry Tea. Yes, we’ll be serving you delicious treats on the day. But we’ll also be doing what we do best – helping brides to find the dress of their dreams. For every bridal gown we sell on the weekend of 21st and 22nd August 2010, we will donate a whopping £50 to Breast Cancer Care. And for every bridesmaid dress, we’ll donate £10.

But that isn’t all! As a thank you, we have amazing goody bags to give away to customers who order on those days. The bridal one is worth around £250!! So well worth getting your dress picked out and ordered then.

For that weekend only, we'll have a Benjamin Roberts and Blue By Enzoani designer event - that means even more of their beautiful dresses in store than we usually have.

Not only that, but amazing Scottish photographer, Nikki McLeod, is going to join us to take photos of the event as it happens, and also to make her skills available to you – if you’ve always fancied having a really great head shot for Facebook, then this is your chance to get one, for a small donation to the charity. AND you'll be given the chance to enter a prize draw for a free Breathless session!

Oh, and the Delia Online Forum liked our idea so much, they gave us a case of Shloer to serve (yummy)!

In fact, we’ve teamed up with a number of other fabulous companies for this event, including Scottish Wedding Directory, Starstruck Designs, Wedding Ideas Magazine, and Morven Studios, to name but a few. Don’t worry, we’ll be blogging about them in the coming weeks so you know what to expect!

Appointments are not necessary for this event, but if you’d like to bag yourself a specific time slot to beat the queues, then call us now on 01334 655 303.

Doors will be open from 9am to 5pm on Sat 21st, and 11am - 4pm on Sun 22nd August 2010. See you there, people!

Underwater Wedding Photography. Yes, underwater.

Normally, when the words ‘wedding dress’ and ‘swimming pool’ are mentioned in the same sentence, one would think of those poor unfortunate brides captured for eternity on their wedding video falling into their venue’s swimming pool fully clothed, and then shown on You’ve Been Framed….

But in this case, when the wedding dress and the swimming pool are combined with an extremely skilful photographer and make up artist, a beautiful model, and a WHOLE lot of careful planning, you get one of the most amazing bridal shoots ever.

When we responded to photographer Jonathan Ryan’s request to supply a dress for an underwater wedding shoot, we were really quite excited about the prospect. Here at Aliya Rose we’ve always liked things that are a bit eye-catching or different, so there was something about this idea that really appealed. And even though we weren’t sure if our valuable dress would survive, we reckoned it was worth taking the plunge, as it were. What is life if you can’t take a risk or two?

This incredible photo is only the second one we’ve seen from the shoot. And frankly we cannot WAIT to see the rest (although we’re giving poor Jonathan some time to recover – he was, understandably, pretty exhausted after hours of shooting underwater).

You can find another amazing photograph here http://peoplebyryan.com/photoblog/mermaid

There will be more, but don't hold your breath..... ;)