The other day I was thinking about my time as a catwalk model and how, in those days, each designer fashion show had a bridal finale. No matter what the collection was like, it culminated in a bridal dress finishing the show and every model vied for the opportunity to be the bride as it was literally the icing on the cake of the show. It would be the most beautiful, the most expensive and most coveted dress in the show and it was the ultimate compliment to be chosen as you were inevitably photographed with the designer as you escorted him or her off the catwalk after their curtain call. 
I had the good fortune to be a bride in many fashion shows and it made me think what it must feel like on a bride’s wedding day to have that experience for the first, and hopefully last, time! How many women wear a long dress, high heels, a veil, carry a bouquet and have the eyes of their friends and family on them down the aisle and the rest of the day? The bride is the star of the show just like a designer catwalk show and she, above anyone else, wants to glide down the aisle seamlessly with confidence, elegance and great posture. But where do you go to get this kind of advice?
Well, I’ve spent years being a model and years training young girls who want to be a model and I thought brides to be are under even more pressure than young models to look great in their wedding gown, heels, veil, with cameras coming at them from every angle throughout the whole day. This is a lot of pressure for someone who may not have worn heels and a long dress before. Even models who have done a bit of modelling would struggle with this kind of pressure with the eyes of friends and family watching their every move. Then you have to pose for the photos and look at them for the rest of your life…whether you like them or not! What you may not realise is that you have quite a bit of control over the outcome of your photos if you know a few simple techniques of the professionals. It can make all the difference between a good photo and an awful one and if you know your best angle, you can offer that up to the photographer instead of the photographer trying to find it for you are under pressure with time constraints and hungry guests.
So, instead of having the same kind of hen party, invite me to spend a couple hours with you and your bridesmaids and girlfriends. We will learn how to walk in high heels elegantly and without pain, how to pose for the camera, techniques for staying calm no matter what goes wrong and how to enjoy every moment of your special day. We will have a lot of laughs, learn lots and you will go home feeling and looking better with no headache in the morning!
The Bird of Paradise Blog 
