The RDS Fair

I've just been exhibiting at the Wedding and Honeymoon Show; my little stand was busy most of the time and I met a lot of really nice people - many of the couples I hope will let me join them on their Big Days over the coming months!

Thanks to everyone who called by and don't forget to give me a buzz, I promise a cup of coffee in my home - when it will be a lot less frantic and frenetic!

Mmmmm M&Ms….

A little fussy about the colour of your M&Ms? Ever thought of putting them on the tables as wedding favours, only to hang back feeling that it’s a little too basic?

How about picking not just the colour but customising writing too? Maybe your names and date? It can be done!

Admittedly not in Dublin, Ireland; you need to be from Dublin, Georgia or Dublin, Texas – as they only ship to the US, but if you’ve got cousins coming over from the States, you can load them up with some!

They’re not cheap at $11.25 for an 8 oz (220gm) bag, with another $1.50 or so for shipping to the US – but if you’re in the “I’d rather fall in chocolate than in Love” gang – it’s probably worth it… mymms.com is where to go and they’ll tell you what you need to do.

Stitched up properly.... a dieting issue

The big day is hours away, you need to go in for one last fitting and the perfect dress DOESN’T FIT! There's only Hours to go!

All your friends are deciding between a choice of perfectly fitting dresses, your Mother is trying on her outfit and – its perfect – the Bridesmaids dresses fit flawlessly; all except yours! Disaster? Relax, the suppliers’ ready for it….

Over coffee recently I was chatting with the Manager of Hickeys in Henry Street, Philip Byrne, about what are the biggest problems with Bridal Dresses. Hickeys have probably the biggest Bridal Dress Department in the Ireland. He said “Dieting.”

“No, its dieting brides,” he said definitively, based on their experience and they have had thousands of clients over thirty years. I had expected it to be something to do with holding and finding new designs, keeping stock or even just displaying dresses.

“A Bride-to-be comes in 18 months before her big day, picks her dress, tries it on and we measure her up. Often 16 months later she comes back, puts on the dress exactly as it was originally measured; it doesn’t fit. The dress hasn’t changed shape; she has. She’ll lose a few pounds here and there and it gets worse as it gets closer to the day, the weight often just falls off and sometimes in the “wrong places” if the design shows cleavage….

“All good bridal dress designers and shops know this, in Hickeys we have people on standby to do last-minute alterations,” he added. “Not many brides realise that weight change and especially losing weight may change how a dress fits. Of course not everyone loses weight; some add it, and then it is usually around the waist because their family circumstances are about to change due to a new arrival!”

New Arrivals? Babies? That’s a whole different area! If you thought getting married was expensive; try raising a child!

Sad, because he's losing a daughter????

Ciara's Dad, the agile Mr O'Sullivan, jumped a 6 foot wide flowerbed - much to the surprise of the watching Gardeners - who were too stunned to complain!

Not sure how unhappy he was to see his eldest daughter getting hitched ... some could say he was jumping for joy....

There should be a special award - if not a whole Nobel Prize category - for Fathers of the Bride and what they'll do for their daughters on her special day for a great photo.... This is surely an award winner!

My work is on TV3!

The Irish TV company, behind the new reality programme "The Box" commissioned me to do some shots recently for the opening sequence... this is the biggest production TV3 has ever done... I liked this photo with the reflections of the Liffey in this photo of Georges Quay with Pricewaterhousecoopers Dublin's office and Ulster Bank Dublin Head Office.

Life's a beach!

We are SO lucky to live in Dublin!

Even luckier to live on the Southside (yes, perhaps a little controversial for a Malahide person; but as I like to point out - the view is better from the South - its the best place to see all of Howth!).

This day was even better - Anne is from Sandycove and we went down to the waters edge and got to take some lovely shots on Dun Laoghaire Pier too....

It was great as the strollers interupted our shoot with shouts of good wishes and congratulations! It was a fantastic start to a lovely day. I recommend, if you have the time going somewhere between the house and Church for some shots - it really pays off - in lovely shots!

You glow girl…

Ready to bin the antiperspirant? Its the BIG DAY! You’re a bit anxious, it’s a hot day, you’re nervous... worried about soggy armpits?

No need to worry! Dermatologists have developed a non-surgical treatment using Botox to stop the sweat. A little perspiration is normal and healthy too, and you can easily deal with normal sweating with all the different potions to stop it.

Do I need to add this is not medical advice? I am an academically qualified photographer, not a doctor, so please don’t print this off and demand treatment for hyperhidrosis. You need to get proper health advice before any surgical intervention or treatment, however as this is a real problem for real Irish brides and Irish grooms, so I will continue with that cleared up....

In 2004, Botox was approved for the treatment of underarm hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating. A doctor makes a series of small injections of Botox, which paralyze the nerves that stimulate the sweat glands. For most people, sweating is decreased in 24 to 72 hours, with an even greater reduction of sweating 4 weeks after the first treatment. Studies show that Botox injections are most effective in treating excessive sweating in the underarms, but less effective as a treatment on the face, feet and hands.

Botox is a substance derived from the toxin botulinum. I’m reading from the Wikipedia website here; “was first applied tiny doses of the toxin in a medicinal sense to treat crossed eyes and uncontrollable blinking.” Then patients began reporting that these same injections around the eyes and forehead prevented them from creating frown lines and a new use was born!

Will it hurt? Oooh yes, it hurts! A couple of years ago, I got my lips done; if you have ever had an injection in a sensitive area you'll know - its like the stings of a 1,000 sadistic bees in the same tiny vicinity of skin! Remember that we’re looking at a load of shots so, it is sore, but only for a few minutes and the pain doesn’t last.

Most people, who have underarm Botox injections immediately recover, but the hands, face and feet are more sensitive and may require some people to be put under general anaesthesia. Bruising at the site of the procedure is possible with any type of injection, including Botox, but more common side effects are infection, temporary paralysis, headache, fever, neck or back aches and itching, pain and/or bleeding at the injection site.

Since your doctor pays about €500 for a small vial of Botox, your procedure should be about €250-€500 for each area injected. During each session, multiple injections are given in an attempt to cover the entire affected area. The effects last from four to six months.

So if you want to bin the deoderant for life and never use Sure, or suffer the Lynx effect again: you face the same cost two or three times a year for treatment…

Bridal boots....

These boots were made for walking.... and yes, there is a choice! You don't have to toe the traditional line any more, and choose from ballet pumps, strappy sandals or stillettoes for your feet.... Why not follow your sole and put a sock in all that old fashioned stuff? Pull on your white boots and dance up the aisle in style!

Breda recently made a personal statement when she eased her well heeled feet into a pair of knee high boots. As you can see they really are laced in to her sassy modern sense of style too!