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 2: Bridesmaids

So you’ve got your wedding gown sorted. Now it’s onto the bridesmaids. With so many styles and colours to choose from, where do you start?!!

This year we are seeing lots of girls opt for soft, floaty fabrics like chiffon. Satin and taffeta are still popular, but chiffon seems to be the big winner for 2012.

You think floaty, you think ‘Grecian’, and Dessy has a fantastic range of Grecian style gowns to choose from, (such as style 6623, pictured left) with empire line and natural-waisted styles. These are light and comfortable to wear.

 But if you think Grecian is the limit of what chiffon can do, think again! You can go for the slightly more sculpted look that is created by Truebride’s M521 - pictured right - (possibly the hottest bridesmaid style this year!), with its cowl back and button detail. We think this is a little bit inspired by Pippa Middleton’s dress at the Royal Wedding, but far FAR easier for normal sized women to wear, with the soft pleats across the tummy and the cowl at the back.  This is so cleverly cut that you can even wear a normal bra underneath - great for when your bridesmaids are running around looking after you!

If you want something a little more formal and traditional looking, then how about the M974C (pictured left)? This is cut more like a satin or taffeta dress, and even has a lace up back, but is made from soft chiffon fabric which gives it a really romantic look. Underneath that soft ruching is a fantastic structure with the same boning you’d expect in a dress made of heavier fabric… the result is a fab figure, smooth lines, and a strapless dress that stays put all day.

Necklines are changing too, with more and more brides choosing straps or high necklines for their bridesmaids. It’s not always about matching the necklines exactly with the bridal gowns any more either, and there are so many choices of dresses in the same fabric, you can even put each of your bridesmaids in a different dress!

As for colours... well that might end up warranting a whole separate blog post, but Cobalt Blue is proving to be a massive hit.  Purple is big this year, and hot pink is making a splash too.  Lots of strong colours, but charcoals, taupes, golds, and ivory, are all colours that are bang on trend for your bridesmaids too.  Add in a splash of colour with your flowers and you'll have a beautiful, soft, vintage palette to work with.

We are actually rather excited at Aliya Rose about helping to style bridesmaids this year.  So far it's proving really rather lovely and interesting.  Can't wait to advise you on yours!

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!

2012 is nearly upon us.....

...and where has 2011 gone?!! As we go into what is traditionally our quietest time of year, with brides taking a break from planning their weddings to plan Christmas instead, we have a chance to take stock, and prepare for the busy year that’s coming up around the corner. So let’s look at some of the trends we’ve seen this year, and what our predictions are for 2012.

2011 has been a year in which….
• Lace has been creeping up in popularity, with bridal gowns featuring a little lace appliqué being the most popular
• Purple has been a big trend for bridesmaid dresses this year, along with blue, and bright/hot pinks have made a comeback. But ivory and neutral palettes have been really popular too.
• The asymmetric headband is the absolute must-have accessory
• Despite a general feeling from lots of designers that we retailers would be inundated with girls asking for a dress just like Kate Middleton’s, we didn’t believe the hype. We loved her dress but we didn’t buy one of the many copies on offer, and guess what? We haven’t had a single girl tell us she wants a dress just like Kate’s. Proof that Aliya Rose knows its market? Well I like to think so.
• Traditional busy seasons in bridal retail have gone out the window, but for us this has meant being steadily busy throughout the year instead of having bedlam for a couple of months followed by a period of tumbleweed blowing through the shop. We and our customers are happier for it!
• A sense of calm has been restored after the unprecedented number of last minute orders we saw in 2010. It was a nationwide trend (kicked off, we think, by the recession) which saw many designers having to suspend their rush service as they were so heavily laden with short timescale orders. We are now, thankfully, back to the vast majority of orders being placed well in advance of the wedding date!

And here’s what we think will happen in 2012…
• Lace is going to get even more popular, with lots of delicate full lace bridal gowns in many different shapes
• The fishtail silhouette is going to be huge, with superb figure hugging designs, and if you don’t think you have the figure, you might be pleasantly surprised – some of these gowns have incredible corsetry and it’s simply about finding one that gives you all the right proportions
• If lace isn’t for you, then you might want to look at the other end of the scale, with a really clean, simple look, and a statement embellishment. Or go down the route of the dress you can customise to REALLY make it your own. We have lots of ideas of how to change your dress to make it unique.
• For bridesmaids, chiffon is definitely going to be big. Colour-wise, we are expecting some requests for some ultra-hot tropical colours: watermelon, yellow, hot pink… along with some beautiful new purples and blues
• Statement accessories are on their way. The asymmetric vintage style headband is here to stay, but it’s being joined by super-full or super-long veils, chandelier earrings, and chunky cuff bracelets. Don’t wear them all at once though, or you’ll look like an overdressed Christmas tree. Be sure to visit our new Accessories Zone which is due to open in the New Year… stay tuned for more info!