Bride to be - just over a week to go

I pride myself on being fairly relaxed. Don't get me wrong I love control and I strangely love a spreadsheet but when it comes to the wedding I haven't had a breakdown as yet. I thought with this being quite an achievement I might share my ideas for those brides who are getting ready for the supposed "biggest day of their lives"

Rule #1 : Agree

I do not mean agree with everything and do it ... but I learnt very on that agreeing with suggestions is much easier than telling someone you hate their idea. I found the best way to tackle it was saying you will note it in your wedding book as you haven't got that far yet. You can 100% guarantee they will forget it further down the line and you haven't then insulted your cousin or worse still mother in law

Rule #2 : Be honest with your Suppliers

You are paying them and they are therefore looking to make you happy. I am not giving you the opportunity to take everything out on them but let them know if you aren't sure. You definitely don't want to be upsetting a supplier but politely mentioning that it "although you love it it wasn't quite what you had in mind" is a great start

Rule #3 : Remember why you are getting married

You are marrying the love of your life (or I hope you are anyway) and that is the most important thing. You CANNOT please everyone so try not to be sensitive ... I know this is hard. Listen to what your partner says and work together on things. The best times we have had in the run up is painting jam jars sat on an old throw in the living room watching "New Girl" (we got through 3 series in a week)

Rule #4 : Have a night off

Yes you are getting married and yes you have lots to do but don't forget to have a night off once a week. If you don't you will end up sitting in a corner crying. Saturday night was our night to out and just do normal things 

Rule #5 : Be organised

You don't need to have spreadsheets but a check list just relieves the stress. I have a blank word document that I add things to every time I make or buy things for the wedding. The morning before I will print this off and then check everything off I need to take. No chance of forgetting anything

Rule #6: Be prepared

Your decorations look fab and you have your dress and shoes but don't forget the little things you might need. Here is an example:

*Plasters

*White Tack

*String

*Drawing Pins

*Masking Tape

*Cable Ties

*Double Sides Tape

*Permanent Marker

*Tissues

*Safety Pins

Rule #7 : You have people who want to help

I never like to ask people for anything and I have spent the last 6 months trying to do everything myself. I realised very quickly that actually people want to help so they want you to ask them. I got let down with marquee decorations last minute and one of my bridesmaids ended up making me 12m of bunting, and I couldn't find baskets for the confetti so my sister and mum found them for me

Rule #8 : Those people that have helped need a thank you

Whatever your budget remember those people that have helped you along the way. I have three of my closest friends helping with the hair and making the cake. They have been amazing and I have got them presents that are personal to them. Whatever your budget a special thank you is what makes the difference so don't forget them

Rule #9: Enjoy

I have loved every minute of getting everything ready for our special day and I have made a lot of it myself so it is really personal. I intend to enjoy every minute with my closest friends and family and if it rains or I forget something it will be fine! Worse things happen

Where are the F.A.M.E. Team headed?

At the end of this month one of the amazing Teams I get to work with are jetting off to South Africa for a very exciting show. I thought it would be great to catch up with them to find out what they are looking forward to and what we can expect from them on stage

Introducing The Team 

Amelia Evans is Senior Stylist at Russell Eaton in Leeds and like me is a massive fan of The Story So Far - who she has actually got to meet! Amelia loves working with strong shapes and simplicity in her cutting styles and has loved every minute so far of being on F.A.M.E. Team this year. She also has two cute additions at home Toby and Phoebe 

Luke Benson is an Artistic Director at D&J Ambrose in Middlesex who loves a bit of classic MoTown and 90's Slow Jam R'n'B. Luke is very thankful for all of the individuals that have influenced him both personally and professionally over the years. He is always pushing himself to learn more and he really thrives in the industry and being part of The Team!

Lucy Tuck is a Creative Director at Marc Antoni in Woodley, Reading and had The Weekend on repeat on her playlist. Lucy describes her cutting style as classic, with precision lines and loves to push herself creatively. She also loves a holiday and some sunshine and I spend a lot of time wishing I was wherever she is (as it is normally raining here)

Peter Burkill is an Educator and Salon Director for HOB in Camden, London. Pete has an eclectic style and loves everything the industry has to offer and is constantly developing his industry skills. Massively passionate about what he does! His cat also deserves a mention Indy

Antony Licata is the Project Leader for The Team and makes sure everything is organised and planned for their busy calendar. With an expert industry background with Mahogany Hairdressing he is fantastic at what he does - plus he also runs marathons ... in fast times!

What are you most looking forward to?

Luke "The opportunity to showcase young British hairdressing out in South Africa is amazing and we cannot wait to represent The Fellowship on stage!"

Antony "To bring Amelia, Lucy, Luke and Peter together for a concentrated amount of time is exciting. We are going to produce 2 shows that will make us and The Fellowship incredibly proud!"

Lucy "This is such a good opportunity for us and we feel so honoured. I cannot wait to get on stage and showcase our creativity and I am so grateful for The Fellowship for giving us this opportunity"

You all get on so well, and I love spending time with all of you at your shoots and mentoring days, are you looking forward to working as a team out in South Africa?

Luke "We get on really well and being together for the show will be amazing! Our Team relations will become so much stronger ... if they could get stronger"

Lucy "Sharing this experience with Amelia, Luke, Peter and Antony will be amazing. I am honestly so excited!"

Amelia "I can't wait! We are going to put on such an amazing show and we work so well as a team already it will make us even stronger"

What can we expect from the show?

Pete "Our show is a mix of different influences from the creatives around us and all the amazing experts we have worked with. I cannot wait to bring our vision 'contrast' to life"

Antony "The creative journey of 'contrast' will be fantastic on stage and it will demonstrate the editorial creativity with precision cutting and colouring skills working in perfect harmony. It is a show not to be missed!"

I know Antony has been very busy preparing for this exciting trip. How will you are spending your time in South Africa before the show?

Amelia "We have lots to do while we are preparing for the show. Preparing the models for stage and running through the show as a team. It is really exciting"

Luke "We have been working hard beforehand too as we need to make sure we have the music for the show and the make up looks in preparation for showing the team out there"

Antony "The Team have worked really hard making sure they are prepared for the show and I have loved supporting them along the way. It has been very busy as we are working with a Team that aren't in this country so we have to make sure we have everything ready before we set off"

This show is going to be incredible and I am lucky to spend a lot of time with these 5 and they truly are awesome. For more information on the show click here

  

Catching Up With Sophie - Find Out Why

I introduced you last week to a very lucky lady, Sophie Freegard from Tops Hair Salon and Beauty. Sophie has been awarded the ‘Step up & Shine’ Scholarship and has started her journey this week of bespoke education work £2,500. This is a joint initiative from The Fellowship for British Hairdressing and National Hairdressers Federation

Last week she attended a 3 days Classic Cutting Course at the renowned Billi Currie Salon and I caught up with her to find out how she got on

Hi Sophie so you have been a busy lady ..

Yes, it was a very early start for me last Monday but so totally worth it! I got to attend the Billi Currie 3 day Classic Cutting Course with my mentor and industry expert Debbie G

I bet you were so excited, weren't you?

I was so excited but also a little bit nervous. Everyone was so nice and the group got on really well. We were really sad to finish on the last day. The course was amazing and all of us learnt so much

I am very lucky to be able to get an insight into the course and I know lots of people would love to know more about what you learnt. How did the course start?

It was over 3 days so we started with an induction so we all got to know each other and an overview of the course. Debbie G also introduced us to Mimi who along with Debbie G demoed to us. They were both really lovely and so informative which made filling out our head sheets so much easier

How did you feel in the afternoon when you had your own model?

I was excited because we had had so much education in the morning I felt confident in my graduated haircut. We were guided throughout to make sure we understood techniques we could use and I even learnt a new way to undercut which was amazing!

You were back for the second day with further expertise on graduating techniques from Debbie G, did you find this useful?

Yes I did. There is so much to learn with graduated haircuts and Debbie G did a demonstration in the morning which was packed full of insights. My model had a different hair type too and although I found it harder it looked amazing at the end and I was so proud of myself! It was such a good day

Wow, sounds great. No wonder you were sad for the last day

I was. Our final day I did a haircut on one of Debbie G's clients and although I was nervous I didn't need to be. I felt really confident and everyone was really happy with the finished look

Now you are back at the salon how are you feeling?

Its great being able to share what I learnt with everyone else. Things like the chair position and the angle of the head are things I think about but I understand even more now. I learnt so much in the three days and am so grateful for the opportunity

What is next?

I am going to Goldwell in September for a course with Mark Leeson and I am so excited. Cant wait to share how I get on with everyone!

Keep up to date with Sophie's journey on my blog, as well as on the following links Fellowship and NHF

Much love

LJ xx

Photo Hair Workshop

This week I made my way down to ASK Academy in London for another fantastic course as part of my PR role. This time it was for a Photo Hair Workshop and I wanted to give you an insight into what a course like this can teach you and why this two day insightful workshop might be perfect for you!

 

 

 

1. The Location

This academy is beautiful and we are very lucky to be able to utilise the space. This is really important when choosing a course like this as you don't want to be spending an hour trying to find a small door miles from any tube station or any car park. We always ensure the space is ideal for the shoot and provides plenty of prepping space. Great lighting and right by Marylebone - we certainly aim to please

 

 

2. The Experts

I work with the top industry names in hairdressing and they are all amazing! That isn't even me being bias, promise. This course welcomed back award winning hairdresser Bruno Marc and the expert photographer Kai Wan who were very forthcoming in giving away top tips they have learnt over the years. I got lost on the first day in what makes a photograph win awards - honestly I thought I knew but I had no idea

 

 

 

3. The Information

They need to know their stuff! I don't need to say anymore - if they don't you cannot learn

 

4. Preparation

Mood boards, models, makeup ideas, styling suggestions are all key to a photo shoot. Bruno and Kai gave so much information ready for the following weeks photo shoot. All of a sudden I understood how to enhance a look with the colour of the jacket or to angle the body to create a shape to compliment the finish

 

 

 

5. Ask Questions

A small group is what makes these courses so successful and there was tailored mentoring throughout. Questions could be answered fully and it avoided an embarrassment from an individual not wanting to ask anything. I couldn't write fast enough as I listened to how much these two know about the industry 

 

6. Listen

These industry professionals have given up their time to help you so listen to what they tell you. You might think that makeup or hair will look great on camera but if they suggest you change it slightly then LISTEN! That is why they are helping you and that will give you the image you want to make an impression with

 

7. Focus

On the photo shoot day focus your attention on achieving the best results. Forget about your lunch break and bring it with you as you want the most out of the day. Use all that kit that you have dragged along three streets to get there and relax!

 

 

8. Enjoy!

I loved every minute of this 2 day workshop and I honestly learnt so much. Talk about value for money! I wasn't even there to learn as I attend for reporting purposes but I left feeling like my eyes had been opened

 

9. Book

Photo Hair Workshops can be expensive and that is for a reason. The amount of knowledge you receive is extensive and you crate an image with guidance from a professional. I was so impressed!

 

If you want to know more or find out about other suggestions then get in touch :)

 

P.S. A special mention to Alice North for the photographer x

 

LJ x