It is with great regret that I am back – yes, back and doing a big blog post, like back in the day. A far cry from my recent re blogged picture here, and re blogged picture there – NO, it’s time for some original content from H&R to be seen at long last.

This post comes soooo late, and I’m ashamed but it’s very important I get it out, and that on international women’s week (day yesterday) I share with you some of my incredible women. Lat night we went to see the launch of The W Projects W.O.W exhibition (Go check it out in Hoxton asaps) So I was prodded to get this post in, to all encompass the gal dem in the creative industry – MORE POWER TO THE LADIES!

So without further or do, I present to you ladies I regard as hot property in the wedding / events/ creative industry. BIG THANKS to the equally brilliant and stunningly talented, Alexandra King from Make Me A Dress, who lent us all the amazing outfits to frolic around in for this shoot. See her latest creations, off the rack or bespoke made here

Last year (yup) back in August we all rocked up to Katie’s family farm, and ya now sat around on hay bails drinking Cava – being the classy girls we are. There happened to be a camera, and so we shot away, and 6 months later, I manage to get round posting. HERE ARE MY WOMEN…

Woman – Sarah Baily, creative director of Sarah Baily, she is interior stylist, designer, leather making cushion fluffing, super Mumma! Check out her site for some recent work, and keep an eye out for her latest leather creation, The Baily Bag (It’s my birthday soon, Sask) Sarah makes uh-maze gifts for weddings in the form of huge leather cushions, bespoke to you or her signature hearts and stars.

Women – Alison Dunwell, make up and hair stylist. I’ve worked with Ali on various projects and weddings, and she is the don when it comes to all the pretty stuff. She does all manners of hair / beauty work, from BIG TV stars, to beauty brides and hot models. I use her to my advantage at the likes of festivals when we all line up and get our hair did by Ali – them hands can do a ‘do’ ! Check her here

Women – Katie Franklin is the one behind Pomp de Franc, and if you’ve not heard of PDF, get to know. She recently worked up some sushi cake style for AW12 LFW’s Fred Butler, and made the giant gingerbread house for Mulberry. I have never meant it so much when I say, this girls ability is insane, her creations blow the flour off anyone I’ve met in bakers world, and she’s so talented – girl has mad skill, y’all.

Woman – Rebecca Holt..Oh am I on…! Yeh…look at how freaking funny I am, I can barely stand it’s that hilarious. So, for those who don’t know, I am boss lady ,like Rick Ross of Harlequin & Romance – wedding and event design, styling, planning and production, plus the odd styled shoot from time to time. See website here

And the rest of the day went something like this..Enjoy

Ali and I agree that we could / should be a girl band – Corrs part 2 or something was it?

Still so funny, goodness…see how they all think I’m well funny too..yeh.

The last supper – with cake

Wow

Flower Bomb

Girls gone mad

Photography is amazing, right? So amazing in fact that I can’t disclose name or details of said photographer, but you know who you are, and you did us girls proud, and thank you for shooting us (wink nudge wink nod nudge) <3

Leave a comment and show us some nice lovin’

H&R x

CHECK IT OUT!
I’ve been away for aggggggges. Long story. Another time….

BUT, I’ve got a crafticlicious wedding this Friday – Keep up to date with my handy work via the tumblr blog HERE! ONE picture a day, and more on the day of set up at location.

Wicked and bad.

H&R / Rebecca Holt xx

Show produced by us (Katie G and Rebecca) at the wonderful FAMILY LTD 

Colour pops

Katie Gorman – Producer. This lady rocks, and has tooo much energy at 5+ months pregnant. x

Me + Tea

Olivia Palermo, innit. 

Essentials

Show produced by us (Katie G & Rebecca) at the amazing FAMILY LTD

Show day at The Savoy

Erdem 

My favorite runner of the week, Mr Ben!

Line up

Essentials

Shows produced by Amy & Mikal @ FAMILY LTD 

My ‘cous’ Joel Bough from BOYO (Casting director for MAN – Martine Rose)

‘S’ @ Shaun Samson MAN

BOYS

Caterpillars @ Martine Rose – I NEED me a pair of these now (inc all the metal)

The Royal Opera House

It was exquisite & cool - Some shots from last Thursdays on location shoot, directed & styled by moi, and shot by Mr amazing Johnny Dufort (think, genius stands behind camera and shoots magic style)

The goodies are still to come when Johnny retouches us up real good.

Shoot #2, starring…

Sarah Baily - She interior designs and she fixes up furniture bespoke for wedding gifts REAL good!

(Little Lily also got in the action, and ‘werked’ it)

Alison Dunwell - Girl ‘dun too well’ (get it?) with hair & make-up. Mwah!

Katie – The cake gyal from Pomp de Franc, not the average creator of baked goods, thank god!

AND Mr Johnny Dufort or as I liked to call him, Todd! to the left, to the left) shooting,

Rebecca Holt / Me - Stylist, bossy boots, organiser, and do-er of all things wedding

THE SHOOT – COMING SOON!

Harlequin & Romance

Now available in the form of these BAD ASS Miu Miu pumps – HOT!

These are perfect for bride, either during wedding – good dancing shoes, no? Don’t shake your head, I’m right – Imagine these sparklers under your dress at 9.30pm when the pain has just got too much, or if you can’t do a shoelace on your big day -The post wedding day outfit winner. Every girl / bride needs a pair of these in their life. I’m currently constructing a mental list of why not to be buying these…so far it’s empty. SOLD!

Harlequin & Romance x

image source here Working Girls

To the ladies, women of work, women of business. Hi there.

Today I am blogging, where there is less of me and more of somebody else in the form of a very helpful and informative blog post. Not so much for the brides-to-be (but could be useful) but for all people, inc myself who have their own www.

This post came about after I went cross eyed at the prospect that, there is possibly more to analysing ones website traffic that google analytics, and also what we are looking at. For a gal who spend her days putting on about 8 different hats, client facing, design, styling, marketing, PR, analytics, admin, friend, sister, auntie and so on..whilst also locking into facebook, tumblr, word press, twitter, and my new love, pinterest, I don’t know what the heck is going on for mad moments at a time. In the interests of what I’d call my stable ‘home’ my website  - I want to know who is coming into it, how long they’re staying for and who directed them into it. If they’re not staying for long, I’m offended and want to know why, or why, all of a sudden, some folk in Paris have their eyes on me! This is where my little saviour, google analytics, comes in. It’s that wonderful online analytics tool that no boss lady, or man, with online credentials should be without.

For those who aren’t aware, I moonlight from time to time in my, now past, full time role where online analytics is part of the day job. It isn’t the best as numbers don’t do it for me, apart from 8 (lucky, yeh) BUT, seeing as I have a fairly comprehensive idea of what the numbers mean etc etc it makes sense to tap on everyday and get some clarity on who’s been round the day before. (I love how I’ve turned this into a ‘who’s been in my house’ …)

ANYWAY, Janina from Handpicked hotels, heard on twitter that a few of us were, perhaps in need of some explanation and more clarity on google analytics, and she came forward to help clear things up! She lays down words that are super succinct. Take it away, Janina, and thank you for your fairy god mother like aid x

Google Analytics: The simple guide

By Janina Downey, guest blogger, e-commerce specialist and lover of helping others

Online networking engages like-minded people, friends and professionals to tweet, like and poke whoever they wish, including being asked by some fellow twitter followers to co-write a guest blog post explaining the ‘techy, geeky bit’ of what is Google Analytics and how does it work?

Here I go…

Google Analytics is a ‘must’ tool for anyone or any business with a website presence. For one it is free but most importantly it is a very powerful way of analysing each and every visitor who clicks onto your site. Using this tool will help you make decisions, decide what works on your site, what type of people visit your site and how they got there in the first place. It will help you convert and shape your business successfully and also help you understand your visitors and potential customers.

Deciding what information you choose to track depends on what questions you want answered. Where do they come from? Which keywords are my top 10? Did that promotion boost sales and traffic?

Keeping in touch with keyword searches can help you create an SEO friendly page and boost your search rankings whilst knowing which products or items convert into sales can help decide where you place these on your site to be more visible to the web user.

Right now you have all rushed to set up your account – but now you are asking; what is it telling me?

The data information tells you what phrase a visitor used to end up on your website. It will tell you where they are and which search engine they found you from. It will tell you if they arrived at your site via Ad Words, a portal or by the natural or organic search engines using a mobile device, Apple i-pad or computer.

You can track a visitor to see how long they spent on a page and which page of your site they were on when they left and the list goes on and on and on.

With Google Analytics, figuring out what you measure is the head scratching ‘mind shower’ discussion part but how you measure; well that is the easy bit – Google Analytics.

Any questions setting up or understanding your data please just contact me, but now I hope you are all using and understanding your website data to its maximum potential!

*Claps furiously* Thanks, Janina!

See over at Savoir weddings blog for Part 2, where even more of this technical beauty will be discussed soon!

For now, more power to you, ladies x

Harlequin & Romance

Dear Mary,

Far nicer than a google invite, at least.

Harlequin & Romance x

1,2,3,4,5,6

It was the knives and forks I found today on tumblr that inspired a vent of neon. I do love neon, not in a nu rave kinda way, more a touch her,e and neon manicure there, but here I have gone all out on neon and brights for this Saturday’s wedding (I actually am attending one as a guest!) If Christopher Kane could be so kind as to throw me something neon of his and I’ll pop it on for the wedding, K, thanks, Chris. Otherwise, I’m planned to go matching with my dear friend, Lloyd – We’ll be like the William & Kate Will & Grace of ultimate wedding guests.

Harlequin & Romance