Wedding Make-Up Tips

1. 1. Make sure you try out your Make Up Artist before the big day (at least 2 months before) - if you're lucky enough to have one!

2. Ask around amongst friends and family for recommendations - that way, you know you're getting someone who was good enough for your nearest and dearest, as well maybe getting 'mate's rates'.
3. If you plan on using your own foundation, try it with your clothes on - it could look very different to how you'd expect.
4. Make the most of your eyes - they'll be the focus of attention.
5. After your eyes will come your hands - make sure you get them manicured at least once a fortnight on the run-up to the event...and take the groom with you!

6. If things go wrong, get acrylic nails - they look amazing!
7. Don't forget the feet. Get a pedicure - you don't want manky feet on the wedding night, and you don't want them on the groom either.
8. Wax away those unwanted hairs, but don't do it last minute - 2 days before will give you chance to let any redness go down.
9. If the family insist on you wearing ubtan, do a test on a small patch of skin 48 hours before application - you wouldn't want to get an allergic reaction (rare but they can happen).
10. Don't let the pressure get on top of you - give yourself time to relax, get a massage, a good soak and plenty of rest before the day.

• Celebration photo cakes: Many bakeries now offer an edible imaging cake service, reproducing a home snapshot on frosted icing. A picture of the happy couple on the top tier of a wedding cake is a fun variation on the traditional white iced wedding cake.
• Compile a visual guestbook. Encourage attendants to take Polaroids of each guest either individually or in a group, and to add personal messages.
• Instead of numbered dining tables, why not settle upon a theme with significance to you and your partner? For example, if you enjoy travel, why not name tables after each country you would like to visit?
• Place disposable cameras upon each table throughout the reception hall. These will provide guests with amusement, and you with a more complete collection of candid guest shots and reception follies.
• To keep children amused during what can be a very long day, make a “party table” with amusement packs.
• After months of frenzied planning, you'll want to cherish all the memories and tokens of that special day. Floral freeze-drying can preserve your wedding bouquet and is an original way to treasure part of your wedding for a lifetime. This process extracts water from your bouquet using a freeze dryer, to ensure the flowers maintain their shape, colour and scent. Most floral freeze-drying professionals then reassemble your bouquet and mount it in an oval frame, with a special dome for you and your family.
• Why not furnish guests with a lasting memory of your wedding by including seeds as part of their wedding favours? The seeds can act as a testament to the flourishing of your marriage, as well as emphasise the need for cultivation.

Engagement Rings
About to pop the question? Congratulations. Chosen the ring yet? What’s that? It’s just another piece of jewellery? Sounds like you need to read our gem guide…

Diamonds are the most traditional choice of stone for engagement rings because their supposed rarity and solidity symbolise the constancy of your declared love. Rubies, emeralds, and sapphires are also popular, but ultimately the choice is yours (and your wallet’s).

The Four Cs
The diamond industry has identified the four Cs to consider when purchasing diamonds: Colour - refers to its degree of "yellowness." The ideal diamond is colourless, and is therefore the most expensive. When gauging the colour of a diamond, it is essential to see it unmounted. To do this, place the stone face down on a white sheet of paper.

Clarity - indicates the number of internal flaws in the stone. Diamonds are the crystallised form of carbon, and may contain some impurities that are visible only under a jeweller’s microscope. The fewer number of flaws the higher the value of the stone.

Cut - denotes the design of facets, including the marquise, round, solitaire, oval, pear, and emerald cuts. High quality diamonds reflect more light and appear to glisten more.

Carat - is simply the weight of the diamond. 1 carat is exactly 200 milligrams. However, most diamonds sold in the jewel trade weigh less than 1 carat, and so the carat measurement is subdivided into "points." There are 100 points in 1 carat, so a diamond weighing 1/2 a carat is a "50 point diamond."

BEWARE: This is often a subject of great misunderstanding – do not confuse the weight of a stone with its size. Similarly, don't confuse the carats of a diamond with the carats of a different stone - different minerals have different densities.

After painful decisions over the diamond type, you must then select the setting into which the diamond will rest. You can choose from either a gold or platinum setting. Asians are accustomed to high karat jewellery such as 22K, which is very supple. It is better to choose a lower karat setting so that the prongs holding the stone in place do not warp and wear. More and more couples are opting for white gold, which contains a small quantity of nickel that strengthens the metal. White gold is also often selected because it resembles platinum and is less expensive. Platinum's rarity and time consuming labour process add to its commercial value, but it does have many benefits. Platinum is hypoallergenic, will not discolour and it is extremely dense. However, you should take into account that platinum is malleable and will scuff like most metals.

Make sure it’s all crystal clear… an engagement ring is perhaps one of the most significant pieces of jewellery a woman can own, so shop around and go in search of reputable jewellers.

The Art of Mehndi
Mehndi is used in bridal preparation - its staining is a symbol of fertility, marking the eternal love between husband and wife. As a result of centuries of migration, the precise origin of mehndi remains obscure. It is, however, generally agreed that henna has been used for both cosmetic and healing purposes for over 5000 years. In various eastern cultures, henna is thought to hold medicinal and even supernatural properties. It is used to preclude hair loss, hasten healing and cool the skin in hot climates. Gravestones are sometimes washed with henna to appease the spirits, and new homes in Morocco have doors painted with it to both ward off evil and welcome prosperity.

Mehndi, remains a key part of pre-nuptial rituals in South Asian cultures and is included in various wedding games and folklore. For example, the groom’s name is usually interwoven in the bride’s mehndi. One custom states that the wedding night cannot commence until the groom has discovered his name; if he cannot trace it, the bride is said to have control in the marriage. Also, the intensity of the mehndi’s colour is thought to represent the strength of the couple’s marriage.

Now in Western mores, a host of celebrities have been adopting the pain-free decoration of henna as a mark of self-expression and cultural awareness. Stars such as Madonna, Naomi Campbell and Liv Tyler have in the past embellished their skin with mehndi patterns