To have and to hold. The best in bridal bags

For the first post of my new ‘Bridal Styling Sunday’ blogging, I thought I would ease us into things by kicking off with a post on bridal accessories, or more specifically, bridal bags.  (Yes, I am aware that today is Monday, but let’s pretend it’s not).

A bridal bag is usually the last thing a bride considers when it comes to her wedding outfit.  In fairness, not every bride will need a bag for their wedding day, but of course a stylish bride will have the complete outfit; the exquisite dress, divine shoes and a perfectly matching bag to hold her lipstick, powder, maybe her something old or borrowed and other necessities.

Now ladies, your average satin, drawstring pouch simply won’t cut it in the stylish bride stakes these days. Your bag must be a staple piece in itself yet, it must tie in effortlessly with your gown and the overall theme of the day. To give you a helping hand, I’ve researched some of the best pieces out there to suit your personal bridal style and also ideas on how your bridesmaids could match.

For the Modern Bride

My modern day brides are dressed in clean-cut, minimalistic gowns and their wedding theme always has a touch of evening glamour. This stunning clutch from Coast will be the perfect accessory for a Grecian style, column gown and have your bridesmaids compliment you with this pleated metallic number.

For the Romantic Bride

A romantic bride will be searching for their fairy tale dress and what better way to accessorise than with this dreamy feather clutch. Your bridesmaids can stay romantic too with this sophisticated embellished clutch in silky satin.

For the Destination Bride

Travelling abroad for your big day? Then you’ll want to add a touch of jet-setting cool to your outfit. This River Island clutch with delicate cut-out detail will be ideal for beach brides. A neutral coloured accessory for your bridesmaids will help show off their tan and will compliment most colour schemes.

For the Vintage Bride

You don’t get more vintage than bows and flowers and these two pieces will be ideal for vintage-inspired weddings. A more refined style of vintage bridal, the two pieces complement each other perfectly and you’ll also find these soft hues will be very flattering for ivory-white gowns.

If you're interested in finding out more about my bridal styling service you can view the details on my website http://www.noreen-elizabeth-styling.com/ or come back next Sunday to view more of my top bridal styling tips!


Noreen xx

Bridal Styling Sunday

From now on I’ll be dedicating my Sundays to Brides!

I’ll be bringing you exclusive blog posts filled with expert tips on all aspects of your wedding outfit. Every week you’ll discover styling essentials from; how to choose the right dress and the best accessories, to ideas for styling your entire bridal party, including the mother of the bride.

Catch up on all the latest and best styling tips every week for free!

Be the first to find out about what's happening in the world of Noreen Elizabeth Styling and join my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter @NE_Styling!

Noreen xx

Topshop's 'secret store'

While searching for a new outfit for the bank holiday weekend ahead I stumbled across Topshop’s new online ‘secret store’.  The secret ‘Wild at heart’ store features new collaborations with super trendy designers Meadham Kirchhoff, Tom Scott, Nazir Mazhar and many more. 

Offering a limited number of hand-crafted, one-off pieces the store truly hosts a “trove of treasures” for fashion-lovers alike.  From jewellery and accessories to vintage inspired frocks, there’s an air of festival about each piece, which makes them a must-buy for this time of year.  I’ve selected a few of my favourite pieces and added them below, but I’d urge you to have a sneak peek online for yourself as there’s also a chance to win a £500 flower-inspired Topshop spree.  How very generous?

http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TopCategoriesDisplay?storeId=12556&catalogId=33057

I love the colours and the instructions to wear them all at once!

Is this or is this not an essential jewellery piece for the festival season?....It is!

I adore the Aztec inspired design, perfect with a simple tee and a pair of your favourite jeans.

 Fancy creating your own tee?

 This bangle is a perfect match for a ring I bought from a vintage store back home in Ireland. I will definitely be investing in this piece.

 A perfect piece for evening glamour

 

This is a Glastonbury frock if ever I saw one

 

The eastern influence in this piece is bang on trend for this season and the colours are stunning.

 

I like to think of this as a wearable piece of art too…

Final pictures from our shoot with Ellie

These are the final pictures I've been sent by the photographer Anna Vasylonok from our shoot with Ellie.
Feel free to leave your comments and thoughts!

Thought I'd take this opportunity to also welcome all of the new readers from Malaysia and Russia! Hope you guys are enjoying reading the blog!

If you want to add your own stylish pics you can do so on my Facebook page, just search for Noreen Elizabeth Styling. You can now also follow me on Twitter @NE_Styling.

xx

What it's like to be styled by Noreen Elizabeth

One of the first clients I ever worked with was a lady called Kelly who was introduced to me by a mutual friend. She was looking for a ‘dress to impress’ for a Christmas party and wanted a little advice and help from someone who knew about dressing to flatter body shapes, was up-to-date with the latest trends and knew the best stores to go to.

After two years since we first met we still keep in touch and I recently asked her to write a few words about our first styling session for my website and she has very kindly sent me such an overwhelming testimonial that I thought I’d share with you her views and likes of the Noreen Elizabeth Styling service.

I had an upcoming Christmas party that I wanted to make a true statement at but I was increasingly getting frustrated by trying on new trends that did not suit me and reverting back to the good old  boring ‘little black dress’ that I had so many of. I had been recommended Noreen Elizabeth from a friend who suggested that I have a consultation with her to see if she could help. At this point I had nothing to lose so I agreed.

I must say that from the first meeting I could tell that Noreen had spent a great deal of time gathering information on current trends and what was out there in the marketplace before we had the consultation.

At the consultation Noreen asked insightful questions to understand the venue I was attending, where my confidence levels were with my figure/style etc. and what I normally buy and feel comfortable in. This was followed by a colour and body shape dressing session in which I was provided with recommended styles/colours that would work with my body type, hair and skin tones. To my surprise strong  colours were key for me so I decided to keep this in my mind when going shopping with Noreen and to be open to trying new things.

Noreen was extremely friendly, patient and it felt like going shopping with an old friend (but a friend that really knew what they were talking about). It did not take long to find the perfect dress for the occasion and what was invaluable for me was the learning’s that I gained throughout the shopping session. By trying on different outfits and styles, I was advised what parts worked and what didn’t and why. This knowledge I am still using today and helps me out every time I struggle to find that perfect outfit.

The outcome was I purchased an electric blue dress, with a shocking pink handbag and jewellery to match that looked amazing together and fit me perfectly and to this day without using Noreen Elizabeth Styling I would never have put this outfit together or even tried on the dress at all. I would recommend anybody to use Noreen be that for a special occasion or just purely because you are stuck in a fashion/trend rut.

Kelly, County Durham.