Discerning Bride Blog |
Pear Bar & Cafe opening August 2011
20 JUNE 2011 – MICHAEL TAYLOR
Pear Café & Bar is the new local Highgate Hill hub for coffee lovers, foodies and beverage connosieurs alike. Offering a wide range of breakfast and brunch bakery delights including sweet and savoury options as well as a variety of home brewed chai and most importantly; coffee of the absolute best variety, Pear entertains a morning, lunch and evening clientele. Light lunch, evening snacks and fantastic music will entertain guests 7 days a week. Trading from 6AM until late Monday – Sunday, Pear and its hands-on manager, Andrew Galloway will greet guests with the freshest and best array of food and beverages in a funky, unique and welcoming ambience created with communal seating, raised lounge area, cosy bar & booth seating. Outdoor seating is also readily available for those wishing to soak up the sun. ‘Backyard’ BBQ’s and Pizza nights will be available Friday – Sunday with a heavy entertainment focus for Sunday afternoon’s and Friday & Saturday evenings. Opening August 2011.
Pear Café & Bar: 43 Gladstone Road, Highgate Hill
Phone: +61 458 533 599 | Email: pear.cafe.bar@gmail.com
Elegant, sophisticated, unique - the new black
1 JUNE 2011 – MICHAEL TAYLOR
Elegant, sophisticated, unique. The guests of this newly married couple dined at tables dressed in black damask in the candle lit charm of the Stamford Plaza’s River Room. Impeccable wedding planning by White + White Weddings and Events, divine stationary by Invitation Station, flowers by Habitat and styling by Styled Events Net Productions captured the day as only they can.
Real life wedding: Highland fling
25 MAY 2011 – MICHAEL TAYLOR
We recently featured Katie & Adrian's 'Highland Fling' in our 2011 edition of Discerning Bride Magazine. I've just come across the video that Lumina Motion Pictures did of this wedding, and I had to share it...
| > View the Real Life Wedding |
| www.lumina-mp.com |
The Powder Room's Bridal Showcase
18 MAY 2011 – MICHAEL TAYLOR
| 6.00pm-8.00m, tuesday 24 may @ emporium hotel |
The Powder Room Bridal Showcase is just the place to be inspired with lots of insiders tips and helpful information on how to play your perfect wedding day. Come and enjoy a glass of champagne, tea and coffee and a selection of high tea goodies while being inspired with great wedding day tips from premier wedding specialists: Emporium Hotel, Paddington Weddings, Net Productions, Julie Whitehead Cakes, Amini Concepts, Butterfly Lounge and The Little White Wedding Co. Don't miss the great prize giveaways on the night including: a one hour personalised makeup lesson from The Powder Room; French sparkle from The Emporium; a vintage style headpiece from Paddington Weddings and more. Bookings essential.
Marcus Bell, world top 10 wedding photographer
16 MAY 2011 – GENERAL MANAGER: MICHAEL TAYLOR
Every year the world’s largest photography magazine – Popular Photo, and its sister magazine American Photo – list the 10 best wedding photographers in the world right now. This year, one of our local Brisbane photographers, Marcus Bell, of Studio Impressions, joins that list as one of the Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the world. Marcus has long been a favourite of couples seeking quality wedding photography, not just locally but all over the world. Marcus is one of only a handful of non-American photographers to have ever made the cut. A self-confessed romantic with a swathe of awards to prove his technical ability, Brisbane brides have long known that Marcus is the best of the best. Now the rest of the world knows it too.
www.studioimpressions.com.au
www.studioimpressions.com.au/blog
The ultimate Kalla Rome
10 MAY 2011 – MICHAEL TAYLOR
First came a Kalla Rome, with diamond-set bezel and dial. Then the ultimate Kalla Rome followed. Moving beyond the precious to the realm of the priceless, Vacheron Constantin has entirely adorned its white gold case and bracelet with hundreds or even with over one thousand sparkling diamonds. Needless to say, the ultimate Kalla Rome has an exclusive appointment with men and women whose demands border on the absolute in terms of excellence and uniqueness. Since no two models can ever be absolutely alike, any more than two diamonds can, uniqueness is something the Kalla Rome definitely offers. Its white gold bracelet is set with 614 diamonds, totalling 8.15 carats for the woman’s version while the man’s features 956 gemstones for 12.84 carats. In total, the feminine Kalla Rome design is set with 728 diamonds weighing 9.93 carats while its masculine counterpart features exactly 1,118 diamonds, totalling 16.49 carats.
Stockist: 02 8215 5596
Thai Foot Spa receives prestigious awards
1 MAY 2011 – MICHAEL TAYLOR
The Thai Foot Spa in Fortitude Valley has recently been given recognition for their dedication to customer service by being awarded The Australian Excellence Award for Service Excellent, as well as being nominated for Annual Honours in December. The Australian Excellence Awards are a nationally recognised Business Awards Program. The program is self-funded and independent, awarding small to medium businesses who demonstrate impeccable customer service, business enterprise excellence or innovative e-commerce websites. Founder of the Thai Foot Spa, Belinda Sidwell says "I am very proud to receive this award and would like to acknowledge my wonderful team of professional spa therapists as this achievement would not have been possible without them. This award has allowed us to reflect on the success and recognition of our commitment to business excellence and is an honour.” Brides are extremely well catered and attended to at the Thai Foot Spa with a range of bridal packages for the discerning bride.
Creme De La Mer - The Radiant Serum
29 APRIL 2011 – BEAUTY EDITOR: SIAN MCGARRITY
Knowing of La Mer’s legendary reputation in skincare products and being the preferred choice of many celebrities it is with great excitement and expectation that I trialled the new Radiant Serum. I was expecting great things, a magical transformation of my skin into glowing perfection. I applied the serum on cleansed skin and went on to follow my usual makeup routine. I went about my day as normal, forgetting that there was supposed to be a transformation at work. It was not until I caught a glimpse of my face in the mirror and did a double take – yes my face was glowing, luminous as if it was lit from beneath the surface. Surely it couldn’t have produced such amazing results already? It actually had, and what happened from there was nothing short of brilliant. Over about a week I saw visible changes in the appearance of my skin. It certainly was having a plumping effect, my skin looked clear, refined and at times I would even say flawless. The Radiant Serum retails at $550 per 30ml, a serious investment however worth every penny as a very little goes a long way. This is one product I highly recommend using leading up to your wedding day to achieve amazing results. It actually lives up to its bold claims. I would add only one warning, you won’t be able to take your eyes off your newly restored complexion - look out mirrors!
Beauty must-haves you can get at your chemist
4 APRIL 2011 – BEAUTY EDITOR: SIAN MCGARRITY
When it comes to foundation, it is likely the most complicated and important aspect of makeup. Foundation finish determines the overall look of your makeup. Having a great foundation is essential, I really believe it is one of the few makeup items worth splurging on. The most important qualities are texture, finish, staying power, SPF, and coverage. I came across a sample of the Revlon PhotoReady Foundation in a magazine and decided to give it a try. The first thing I noticed was the smooth texture and the way it glided onto my skin. It blended well onto my face and I just used my fingers for application. It had a dewy finish and seemed to set fairly quickly. The coverage is excellent without looking cakey, most redness disappeared and it did not make my skin look flaky. Although it appeared to have a shimmer to it when it was on my hand, I couldn’t see any shimmer on my face. Another reason this foundation is great for everyday use is that is has SPF 20. The number one cause of premature aging is the sun so it really is essential to include an SPF in your everyday routine. This being said many people avoid SPF as it can leave a ‘ghostly glow’ on the face. With this foundation I didn’t notice any sunscreen glow, even in photographs it was barely detectable – impressive! After using the sample I did purchase the foundation and have been very happy with it.
Covergirl Lashblast Volume Express Mascara
Let me start by saying as a make-up artist, this is one of my all-time favourite products. Finally, everything I have been looking for in a mascara comes together in the Covergirl Lashblast. I always begin with the brush - as you have probably discovered there are stacks to choose from with many different shapes and textures. This particular brush is quite large and rubbery, with lots of fine bristles allowing an even application whilst separating lashes. The formula is perfect! Not too wet or too dry and no clumping left behind even after a second coat. After applying just one coat, all of my lashes were evenly coated in glossy black, they were lengthened and separated giving the illusion of false lashes.
Hotel Urban, what a view
3 APRIL 2011 – MICHAEL TAYLOR
I've been hearing rumours over the last few months about the changes happening at Hotel Urban Brisbane, formerly known as Terraces on Wickham, and I really wanted to see them for myself. And it just so happened, during my recent stay, that two wedding receptions were taking place at the hotel. I was lucky enough to be given a sneak peek behind the scenes before the bride and groom arrived. I instantly fell in love with the view from the Panorama room, which was holding a cocktail style wedding reception for 70 people. The 270 degree city view is magnificent, to say the least. The room was tastefully decorated according to the bride’s theme and with help from the hotel staff incorporated blacks, reds, and whites, gorgeous crystal candle holders, beautifully themed fishbowl vases filled with red roses and white candles, finished off with white leather ottomans. The space was well laid out with enough area for a private bar and dance floor whilst still inviting an intimate atmosphere.
I managed to steal some time from Hotel Urban's Wedding Planner Jessica Vastag in the midst of her busy schedule. Through her close childhood relationship with her grandmother, Jessica always knew she wanted to work in weddings. “My grandmother designs dresses and is also an incredible cake maker and decorator. Growing up, I used to be surrounded by weddings, and even today, what's that saying – 'I’m always a bridesmaid and never a bride'!” said Jessica with a chuckle. Her love for weddings and her enthusiasm for creating the perfect day for every bride really showed as she made reference to the fresh roses in her hair. “There were some fresh roses left over after decorating so I decided to pop some in my hair,” she said. It's the little things - presentation, and putting herself in the bride's shoes which really makes the difference and ensure the weddings taken care of by Jessica at Hotel Urban are never forgotten – but for all the right reasons. Even whilst in the midst of being responsible for two weddings, and a surprise engagement party, her calm demeanour and approachable personality really impressed me!
The hotel has recently undergone a $10million refurbishment and this was evident from the foyer right through to the accommodation. The foyer has a real, 'urban' feel to it with its modern art works decorating the walls and contemporary window furnishings completing a warm welcome to the hotel. The Hotel Urban Suites are well appointed and pleasingly oversized with quality furnishings, and the best part – the Urban Snorer. The Hotel has designed its own range of beds ensuring a fantastic nights' sleep. You can even purchase the beds at a very reasonable price. All of Hotel Urban's wedding packages include a complimentary nights accommodation for the bride and groom in one of these suites. Riding the lift up to my room after dinner, I read, “Something borrowed, something blue, the perfect partner, the perfect view...” and it certainly was.
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