For many of us food is one of the biggest elements of any successful celebration.

Choosing the food for your big day can be as important as choosing the venue itself.

Great food should obviously be super-tasty and look great but it should also reflect your personal style and tastes and can add a real WOW factor when it’s done right.

So move over traditional caterers and say ‘Hi’ to the super talented team from Cheeky Chilli Events.

More than just your average caterers, this multi-award winning business is changing the face of wedding and event catering and what’s more they are based right here on the Wirral!

While some brides prefer to do their own make-up, the majority will rely on a wedding makeup artist for their big day.

But with so many out there, there’s almost too much choice and it can be hard to find the perfect one to suit your taste and nail the look you have in mind for your big day.

We caught up with acclaimed Wirral MUA Victoria Ellen to find out her top-tips to get that gorgeous glow and flawless finish on the most important ‘make-up’ day of your life…

We met Vicky in her gorgeous salon in Upton Village just after she put the finishing touches to another bride-to-be.

Making waves in the make-up world for over five years, Vicky and her team have built quite a reputation both for their skill and their lovely, friendly approach.

‘I absolutely love doing bridal makeup’, commented Vicky. ‘I love meeting with brides beforehand, getting to know them and understand what they want from their makeup for the biggest day of their lives. It’s such an honour to be involved.’

What tips would you give to brides when choosing a MUA?

Practice Makes Perfect!

“Trials are absolutely key to getting that perfect look. I offer unlimited trials for brides as part of the overall package. Often brides come in having seen a certain look which may be a massive departure from their usual style but often they end up with something a bit closer to their usual look. Its so important to practice different looks – we only do one look per trial too as removing and then re-applying makeup can alter the skin tones so you don’t get a true finish. By offering unlimited trials we allow our brides to explore different looks until we find the perfect one.”

Do Your Research

“Most MUA’s have a signature style and so it’s important you find the right one for you. Whether its glowing skin or stand-out eyes you are after and go for someone who can create the look you are after. I get so much of my work through recommendation and this is important too. If you know someone who has used your MUA and loved what they did you are half way there.”

Instagram Stalking Is Good!

“Instagram is an amazing tool to help you pick your preferred look. If the same profile keeps popping up and you love their style this could be the MUA for you. It’s also a great idea to scroll through all of your chosen MUA’s work so you can shortlisting the looks you love.”

Personality Is Key

“My job as your MUA is not just to make you look fabulous, its also to keep you calm and chilled on the crazy busy wedding morning. Choosing someone you click with and you know will help keep you calm whilst your in the hot seat is an absolute must.”

You’ve found your dream destination and you can almost feel the sand between your toes. For many couples, combining their wedding and honeymoon in one is the dream option for their big day.

With UK weddings coming in at an average of £25k +, travelling abroad with the promise of guaranteed weather, beautiful sunsets and that full-on holiday feeling makes financial sense as well as being a lovely treat for your guests.

Follow our top ten tips to make sure you plan your destination wedding to perfection!

They are your greatest support, your number one fans and often your very best organisers. They listen, advise, don’t get bored when you talk about your flowers for the umpteenth time and are as happy as you are that you are about to become a Mrs.  They are your childhood friends, your favourite cousin, your beloved sister. They are your bridesmaids…

Although it is undoubtedly an honour to be asked to be part of ‘team bride’, it’s still crucial that your gorgeous girls look and feel as fabulous as you do on the big day.

With that in mind we’ve gathered together some of the top looks for this season’s most beautiful bridesmaids. Think big bold statement colours and subtle twists on tradition. Thanks for shaking things up 2019 – it’s going to be a wonderful year!

Show-stopping street food, terrific tipis and the coolest camper vans in town – Matt and Lou Hardy are Wirral’s very own Mr & Mrs Weddings! From a love affair with food and festivals to a full-on wedding day empire, our loved-up pair are now creating extraordinary events for cool couples from across the land

We caught up with Mr & Mrs H to find out what fabulousness they have in store this season…

When you first meet Matt and Lou it’s easy to see why this partnership works. Matt the easy going (and super-talented chef) and his bubbly wife are the perfect match in life as well as in business.

When they started their first foodie venture, a gorgeous neighbourhood café, back in 2014 their beloved camper van affectionately known as the ‘Big Dub’ was left parked up and sad on the driveway.

Eventually, inspired by their three great loves, food, festivals and camping the pair hit upon the idea of combining their passions into a business and The Big Dub of Love was born.

 

Food, Festivals & Fabulous Events

Now transformed into an all-singing-and-dancing street food truck; once the Big Dub hit the road there was no stopping them.

Having quickly gained a reputation for excellence, Matt channelled his passion for globally inspired street food into an eclectic offering which was perfect for couple’s looking for a full-on festival theme or just a cool food-slam vibe for their night time nibbles.

Although the guys do offer a range of foodie packages from more traditional wedding breakfasts to gourmet style themed feasts and perfect picnics, its been the street food offering that has really captured couple’s imaginations (and taste buds!)

‘The Big Dub burger has become a bit of a signature dish,’ commented Matt, ‘They are so instagrammable and really do taste as good as they look – but we do offer a crazy range of dishes inspired by cuisines from the four corners of the globe.’

Couples can choose from delicious dishes including Tandoori & Garlic Infused Stir Fried Vegetables with Couscous; Harissa & Coriander Falafel; Panko Crumbed Cod with Asian Slaw; Halloumi Bites with Sweet Chilli Sauce & Crispy Onions; Salt & Pepper Fries… The list is endless!

 

The Big Tipi of Love

Not content with being the region’s street food supremos, the duo have now expanded their loved-up empire to include uber-fabulous Big Tipi of Love.

‘Having worked on over fifty weddings housed in tipis over the last couple of years we got to experience the highs and lows of weddings under canvas,’ commented Lou. ‘We always work so closely with our couples, inevitably we ended up helping out with planning and sourcing advice that went way beyond food. We found that couples’ experiences with tipi companies varied wildly from really good to agonisingly frustrating, so taking the leap with our very own tipi seemed like the next logical step.’

‘We can now help couples with their entire day from finding a suitable location to sourcing lighting, dressing, entertainment and of course the food!’

‘Having complete control of the day means we can eliminate a multitude of problems and take away the stress for our couples so they are just free to enjoy their day.’

 

So What Is Next For The ‘Big Love’ Empire?

‘We are in talks with Wirral Council about hosting a major Big Tipi of Love Easter Event at a totally iconic Wirral location. If the event gets the green light we will be running our cool street food offering alongside showcasing some of the Wirral’s best wedding and event specialists – so watch this space!’

You can find out more about the Bid Dub and Big Tipi of love by visiting their website at www.hardyscatering.co.uk or follow them on social at @bigduboflove @hardyscatering