I hope that you all have had a relaxing festive break and will be celebrating 2014 in style. Lace in the desert will be taking a short break until January 2014 when we will be coming back with a bang…..watch this space!
A very excited Jessica x
As you have probably already guessed from the title of this blog, I love lace. Quite frankly I just think it is the darn best material ever! Romantic and classic, it is a great texture to absorb into your wedding day. Matched perfectly with burlap for a truly rustic feel or etched out against gold or silver to add to the feeling of luxe, it is also truly versatile.
Following the weddings of the Duchess of Cambridge and fashion guru Kate Moss, lace wedding dresses are more popular than ever which also means that incorporating lace into your day is bang on trend.
L: Maria Mack R: Pinterest
L: Jose Villa R: Milk Photography
L: Pinterest R: Abbey Ross
Clockwise from top L: Pinterest; Cooper Carras; Elizabeth Lloyd; Pinterest
Clockwise from top L: Acres of Hope; Joielala Photography; Pinterest; Erich Mcvey
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There is a lot of brilliant inspiration that can be taken from the traditional circus for your wedding day. Think popcorn, stripes, fire-eaters and maybe throw in an elephant and you have got yourself a uniquely themed day. Whether it’s the dark and the sinister that you love or the colourful and the quirky, there really is something for everyone at the circus.Â
L: Michael Segal R: Megan Thiele
L: Elyse Hall R: Megen Thiele
T: Creative Push B: Elyse Hall Photography
Elyse Hall Photography
L: Blue Carnival R: Pinterest
During the planning for my wedding I grew a serious lantern fetish. I thought it might be a passing phase but it’s definitely one that has stuck.
I love lanterns. I could buy 100 lanterns and still want more. Slightly bizarre? Yes, I think it is but I am embracing it with open arms.
For those of you who also suffer from lantern love then here is some inspiration on styles and what to do with them.
I am so excited to share Photobooth ME with you. A Dubai based company that adds something special, fun and stylish to your wedding or event.
Personally I think that photobooths are a great way to capture the relaxed side of your guests, including your 70 year old grandmother. They are also the perfect guest book alternative by simply asking your guests to sign a message after their turn in the booth.
With three years experience in photobooth-ing in the UAE, Photobooth ME founder Carolyn is the expert to handle your booth needs. I’ll hand you over to Carolyn to tell you more about Photobooth ME:
What made you start Photobooth ME?
Photobooth-ME started back in 2010 after I was with friends talking about how all the events we were going to just felt like the same style of stage shows and canapés – all passive entertainment. Working as a PR/Marketing consultant at the time and doing family photography work as a hobby/sideline, I saw KissFm in UK had a photobooth for a brand activation in one of the train stations in London and thought it looked like so much fun and really interactive. The idea stuck and just wouldn’t go away so we then turned to the USA, starting with one of our big and lovely walk-in superbooth capsules. Our first event was to celebrate Harvey Nichols 5th Anniversary. It was 12-straight hours of photoboothing with customers – as soon as we opened it just didn’t stop and it was so much fun. Since then, we’ve never looked back. It’s been a crazy ride, going from concerts to trade shows, gala dinners to mall promotions seeing how excited everyone gets and how they get to have a fun experience, be a bit of a big kid again and gain a photo keepsake. We’ve been hugged by people so overwhelmed with the fun they experience. You can’t beat that for a job. Smiles all round.
How many different booths do you have?
As of the end of this Summer 2013 we will have more than five different kinds of photo booths for Dubai and UAE corporate events but for weddings specifically we have two main styles. The superbooths are great for events over 100 people to 10,000 people as they cycle people fast which means more people gain more photos and more fun. We offer greenscreen backgrounds and art designed photos in all of our booths so we can create any style of theme and adapt photos to wedding colour schemes or any creative idea we can present, showcase the bride and groom’s name and wedding date. We are a corporate photobooth using te booths for marketing (as opposed to home parties) so we adapt that premium quality approach to weddings. There are lots of options we can suggest and we like to continually innovate so there is lots more we’d love to do as soon as our feet touch the ground to roll out new ideas.
For couples who aren’t sure whether to hire a booth or not, how would you persuade them?
Bias aside (naturally) what we offer is a photobooth machine, yes, but so much more. It is not only a pro photobooth on wheels (so you don’t have to do the crazy props as we have used it as a fabulous portrait studio at weddings too) but it is more so a total ‘phototainment’ experience with booth attendants trained to be interactive, fun and encourage even the future mother in law to let her hair down and be silly for great memories’ sake. Often with the weddings we are involved with, we offer guest book albums, so we really encourage the guests to create the photos for the newlywed friends, writing sign boards, holding up fun signs, putting on props and we help to direct photos so people feel comfortable and ultimately have lots of fun. The guest book becomes a lifelong keepsake for the couple who also get to let their hair down after their big day of formal photos.
What are the favourite props that you offer? Â
We have literally 1001 props and often custom create props to match the event theme, art designed photos and backgrounds. It’s funny as none of us shop like normal people any more. We order much of it online but when we need to shop last minute tour shopping lists as quite mad. It’s not uncommon for it to read: disco ball, squeaky chicken, walking cane, a tie-on tuxedo and spray-on snow, milk, bread and cheese.
We have a giant Angry Bird head I always think are fun and it gets people laughing and is often included in our ‘late night prop set’ as we like to change the props throughout the event. I personally love the handheld signs. For weddings we have the Good Wife’s Manual, Good Groom’s Manual, Mr & Mrs Signs, I Came for the Cake, He put a Ring on It – lots of fun sayings, a wedding veil, Hollywood glamour props, a whole array of every kind of moustache on a stick you can imagine, morph suits for the brave, many gorgeous Venetian masks, tiaras, top hats, cigars and so much more. We bring it all in a lovely mirror box to weddings and roll out the red carpet, so the photobooth setting looks very cool and slightly mad-looking centrepiece to a wedding reception. People get addicted to the experience and some wedding guests – and bridesmaids too – almost miss the cake cutting or first dance because they are having so much fun in the photobooth. Lots of guests take home handfuls of photos as we ensure wedding packages are unlimited photos – and we can put them online also for easy sharing and create lots of different themes. This year alone we’ve had a Maldives theme booth, a Glitz and Glamour booth, a 1920s, Hollywood Glamour, Swiss Alps, comic strip, lots of fun and varied themes.
Do you have an all-time favourite photobooth photo?
After working in the photoboothing and videobooth business for 3 years now, we all agree that if people go crazy in the booth and are willing to just have as much fun as they can with the props and poses they go right to the top of our respect levels ! Every photo whereby people are literally beaming line our walls like wallpaper. Sometimes we see the same people in a lift all suited up and in work mode and just think, I know that face – the Smith wedding, cowboy hat, horse and and a tutu on. It’s priceless.
Facebook is filled with our photos which is always nice to see. When people make them their profile photos we know that their experience with us has topped all else that week, month or even year. That’s always an honor to be in the top FB profile spot. Ha!
What do you like to do when you’re not running Photobooth ME?
Friends do suggest I say the word booth quite a lot between the Photobooth-ME and Videobooth-ME sides of the business, so during the events season I enjoy it all so much that you will find often me (in or near a booth) mainly at the events which is a great social life as we are often at the many amazing events in UAE and beyond. I do love to get behind a camera but that’s not as often as I like to. I have a super-cool 6 year old who I follow around with my lens, play games with and hang out so he keeps the kid inside me alive and well when I am not encouraging other people to get a little boothtastic. Friends, good food, lots of laughs. We can all never get enough of that.
 
With the recent heat wave that has swept the UK, the very un-British problem of staying cool has come into the fray at home. With the summer in full swing here in the UAE, keeping cool is a problem that we face daily at the moment.
For your wedding day, blue skies and sun is the dream. However, having your guests wilt in the heat is a problem that can get overlooked. Here are a few fun and practical ways to make sure that everybody keeps their cool on your wedding day.
Easy to personalise and add a splash of colour. They are also incredible easy to DIY by having the order of service printed on a single piece of cardboard and giant lollipop stick glued on.
Clockwise from top: Monica Broz; Ivy League Affairs; Harwell Photography
L: Veil and Bow R: Heather Curiel
An elegant way to give your guests shade and set the wheels in motion for some fantastic photographic opportunities.
Clockwise from main picture: Leila Brewster; Aaron Couter; Pinterest
L: Twin Lens R: Weddings by Sasha Gulish
Dehydration is obviously one of the key considerations in the heat so plenty of iced water is essential. There are also plenty of fun ways to offer cold delights. My absolute favourite new idea that I’ve come across is to create ‘iced lolly champagne’; iced lollies are placed into glasses and champagne poured on top. The perfect signature cocktail.
L: Pinterest R: Pinterest
L: Pinterest R: Cappy Hotchkiss Photography
L: Pinterest R: Pinterest
Clockwise from top left: Pinterest; Pinterest; Pinterest
Undoubtedly, sunglasses won’t do much to keep the cool but they are essential for an outdoor wedding on a sunny day. These can also provide the perfect talking point and personalised element to your day. Couple branded sunglasses? Err, yes please.
L: Cramer Photography R: Pinterest
Lace In The Desert 