Ruby's off on our travels to historic Bath

Once more Ruby's were off on our travels again, this time to the beautiful and historic Bath for our friend Aly's hen party (or kitchen tea if your South African).

I was amazed by how stunning Bath was with it's beautiful yellow stone building and it's rolling hills. This is when I knew I wasn't going to be able to see much of this stunning city on short day and half we were there so I am already planning my next trip back with Mr S.

First stop on our hen tour was Jamie's Italian in Milsom Place with it's stunning rooftop terrace which looks over the city. I had a baffling time with the menu as there was a huge amount of yummy choices on the menu. In fact I had to ask one of the other hens to take the menu away from me!

The B2B opted for an amazing platter with some of the other hens which was £15 per person and offered a little taster of the menu if you are like me and can't make your mind.

Next stop on our whirlwind tour was to the Royal Crescent Park. Bath has a number of public parks but this park was stunning and the weather certainly helped it look it's best!

Around the edge of the park there is a crescent of Georgian town houses where the fashionable families used to holiday and one of these houses has now been restored to it's Georgian state. Unfortunately we didn't get time to look inside so it is on my to do list for next time (all about the vintage!)

Anyway back to the hen party, we were all lounging drinking our champagne when two London routemasters rocked up in the middle of the park. Obviously I had to investigate what was going on and discovered it was a wedding party with the bride looking in a stunning cornflower blue gown.

Our time for lounging was over and off we went to Bath's famous thermal spa to get our pamper on! At £26 per person you get access to the steam rooms, the baths and a rooftop pool with stunning views over the Bath skyline! So this offers an affordable treat for all members of your party with the option to add treatments on to your package if you are feeling the need for just a little more pampering.

All pampered out we got ourselves back to the hotel (Travelodge Bath Central) to make ourselves and the B2B beautiful for a big night on the town and to sing along to Eurovision (well every hen do needs it's cheesy moments!)

The brides sister had done a fab job of organising all those photos you don't want your friends to see!!

Next morning bleary eyed me and another hen thought it would be rude not to take in Bath's streets so off we went for a wander and stumbled across the historic abbey and roman baths which I will be playing a visit to next time I am in town.

I also found a little gem whilst looking though one of Bath's china filled charity shops so I left Bath 1 tea plate heavier.

Ruby x

www.rubysvintageteaparty.co.uk

Cherish those memories

I had such an overwhelming response from Ruby's photography friends when I issued the call out for advice on how to pick your photographer so I thought it only fitting to showcase some more of our photographer and videographer friends and their useful words of wisdom.

I have increasingly found that you always meet some of the best people through the strangest routes and I encountered Chanon De Valois through my cake maker. For those of you who are not familiar with the story, Mr S and I had a unplanned problem with our cake and we were then looking for a cake maker when we stumbled across the lovely Ann from Cakeabella. Within hours Chanon had contacted me about working together and we have some amazing projects lined up together in the future.

Chanon came forward with some brilliant advice for all of you looking for someone to capture some amazing memories of your big day.

Obviously her big one was make sure you find someone that you as a couple actually like and want to work with as this will show in your pictures and give you an amazing set of pictures of the day.

Alongside this advice it is therefore wise to shop around as different photographers will offer you a range of packages which to be honest baffled me with the variety of range so for a newly engaged couple I can imagine the drama it could cause.

Chanon's final piece of advice was don't ignore the sensible stuff as you don't need the stress in the run up to your wedding with something going wrong! Make sure your photographer is qualified so you don't get a surprise when the photos are not as you expected. It is important that your photographer is insured and not just their equipment in case anything was to go wrong so check out the T&C's

Chanon can be contacted via

www.chanondevaloisphotography.com

One thing I ruled out of my own wedding was hiring a videographer but this is becoming a common addition to weddings. The day rushes by so fast and it is great to watch it all back when you are not rushing around meeting and greeting all of your guests.

When I put my call out for advice, I met a great videographer by the name of Bridget Beattie from Colbridge Video and she offered her pearls of wisdom on what to look when considering a videographer.

Look through the companies previous work and see whether it meets your expectations about what you would like to see in your video. This is mega important as you want to be able to create something that you will want to share and watch over and over again. Feedback is also very telling, good suppliers will be happy to supply you with the feedback they have received from ore ups customers.

This is why it is always important to shortlist several videographers and meet with them to discuss your ideas and then see who fits best. You will find this in most wedding situation and I found that I have met some amazing wedding suppliers just by hunting about. Don't always assume because they are at the top of a google search, they are the best so dig around and use the wedding suppliers knowledge on who they would recommend.

Remember also what appears like a bargain is not always good. Many videographers like photographers offer different levels of packages so explore all options. Weddings can be expensive but don't be tempted to cut costs and be disappointed if the results are not as expected.

Colbridge Video can be contacted via

www.colbridgevideography.co.uk

Hopefully we have filled you with enough helpful hints over the two posts so that you ended up with stunning reminders of your big day

Ruby x

www.rubysvintageteaparty.co.uk

Jubilee fever rocks the nation- The Royal Survival Guide

You only have to open a magazine to see that cool Britannia is once again cool, awash with the Red, White and Blue. Even Oxford Street in London has had it's own Jubilee make over.

I have always admired the Queen for her calm attitude in a crisis, all those funky carriages and her amazing ability for colour blocking and still finding the right hat for all occasions.

 So it felt only right to hold a tea party in her honour. Well if that is one thing us Brits are good at is that we know how to throw a good party with pomp and ceremony and we always love an extra long bank holiday thrown in to the mix!


So events kick off on the 3rd June in grand style with the royal floating pageant along the Thames. I personally will be on the lookout for what amazing hat HRH pulls out of the bag but in the spirit of the event I went on a hunt for the coolest Jubilee themed hats. Well it doesn't seem right to be holding a tea party without the proper head attire.
 I found this beautiful piece by Hobbs and is right in the Union Jack Spirit! Priced ay £79

But now you are decorated in your finest, what about your abode, of course there is the traditional Union Jack bunting bur I have found a funky twist on this idea via eBay.This particular bunting is sold by seller scdp1694.

As we all recover from our tea party hang overs ;) on the 4th June, there will be the lighting of beacons across the UK to celebrate the Queen's 60 years on the throne. Given the unpredictable British weather at the moment, you might require one of these.

http://www.johnlewis.com/231417711/Product.aspx

The funky Carriages get their outing on the 5th of June when the royal family go to St Pauls for a service of thanksgiving and we all get to enjoy the RAF fly-by

Keep Calm ma'am and Carry on Reigning

http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/catherinecolebrook/product/jubilee-tea-towel

Happy Jubile Ma'am

Ruby x

http://www.rubysvintageteaparty.co.uk/

http://www.hobbs.co.uk/product/display?productID=0212-1816-040000&refpage=accessories/hats-umbrellas

A London Hidden Gem

So doing what all Brits do at the first sight of sunshine, we headed off on the hunt for a wine terrace and what a gem we found.

The Sky Lounge is on the 12th floor of the Hilton Doubletree neat Tower Hill station. It looked all very exclusive with it's front desk and stunning interiors. We were treated to some stunning views across the London skyline and think it is well worth a visit. The terrace has been designed in a U shape with two main terraces but remember it pays to get there early if you want to enjoy your wine sitting down as it starts to fill up quickly with after work drinkers!

Granted you are paying premium London prices for your drinks with a bottle of wine costing around £26 and vodka around £9 but the views make it well worth and just take a look of some of the shots I got!

Ruby x

www.rubysvintageteaparty.co.uk

High street chic - recession busting bridalwear

We all know that weddings are an expensive business and knowing where to cut back costs when attempting to plan your big day is never easy.

Whilst I am a strong advocate of bridal stores and have had amazing advice and service from them, we are seeing amazing bridal ranges coming through on the high street as a increasingly affordable and stylish alternative.

The high street have earmarked the bridal arena as big business and many of the big department stores such as House of Fraser now bridal fitting rooms so they are able offer the bridal experience without premium prices.

Here are some of my favourites from the high street


This stunning boho creation is from Biba at House of Fraser and retails for £595.http://www.houseoffraser.com/

Phase Eight and Coast have emerged in to the wedding dress market with both offering dresses for under the £400 mark without scrimping on design 

http://www.phase-eight.co.uk/fcp/product/warehouse/Bride/Firenze-Wedding-Dress/201341106

For those of you on a tight budget there are many available options