A Guys Guide to buying the Perfect Valentines Lingerie

Its that time of year again guys...The dreaded Valentine's Day, where you want to treat your partner to something a bit special but have no idea what she wants or would like!

Well, you are in luck! We are here to help... with some amazing hints and tips, you will be sure to get it right this year.

Firstly there are the traditional Chocolates - Women love chocolate! Other than the Christmas advent calender and Easter, it is the only time women can eat chocolate without thinking of their diets. 

Secondly there are Flowers - Women love to get flowers, it makes them feel special and shows them that you care.

Finally there is LINGERIE - Lingerie is a tricky one but if you get it right then you will definitely be in her good books... if you know what I mean.

To help you along, here are a few suggestions and pointers on how to win those vital brownie points:-

*What size is your partner?

Yes, you've guessed it...you must go and check through the dreaded top draw to find her correct size.

If you are looking to buy a bra set you will need both her bra size including the cup size (which is the letter after the number, ie;36C) and also her brief / thong size. The brief / thong size could be either Small, Medium, Large and so on, or it could be UK8, UK10, UK12 ect. 

I would advise you check a few different ones to make sure you haven't picked up an old one that she just hasn't thrown away yet.

If you are choosing a Babydoll, Basque, Bustier, Chemise or Corset then the size will normally be her dress size of which you will find on many of her clothes. Again I would advise that you check more than one item to make sure you have the correct size (check something that you know she wears a lot). I would also say to check both tops and bottom to get a better idea of the type of lingerie would best flatter her. 

For instance if your partner is pear shaped (bigger on top than bottom) then you require something that will even her shape and flatter her, rather than something that will fit on top and be too tight on the bottom half of her... this will just make her feel uncomfortable.

Babydolls are great for pear shaped figures as most of them are fitted around the bust area then flow down her body and whisp out around the bottom, making her look and feel sexy.

Here are a few examples...



Great Valentine's Lingerie Ideas

If your partner it tall and slim then there are many types of lingerie that would be a suitable choice... 

There is the traditional Bra Set this always goes down well, but look at purchasing a set that your partner could also wear again as it will inspire confidence when she wears it and the set will also make her feel as special as she does on Valentines day more often through out the next few months...always a plus!

 

 

Next there is a simple Thong. There are many out there with stunning detail like the one below, this will help promote a sexy seductive feel and it shows her that you have thought about her and not just bought any old lingerie in the hope if will suffice.



Gorgeous Willow Thong, just great for a Valentine's Gift

 Finally, you have very sexy... If your partner likes wearing extremely sexy lingerie on a regular basis, how about a Teddy? not only is this make her feel sexy but it shows that you notice what she wears and that you have taken the time to look for the perfect Valentines Gift for her...everyone's a winner.

 

Beautiful & Seductive 'Victoria' Teddy with rhinestone heart!

If your partner is curvier and smaller them the are still plenty of options to choose from...Many of the above are available in plus size as there is no reason why a curvier lady should not wear pretty sexy lingerie! Other options are Bustiers and Corsets as these help to shape your ladies natural figure.

The stunningly sumptuous 'Savannah' Satin Corset

 Babydolls & Chemises



Elegant lace babydoll with matching thong

Briefs

Sexy Jasmine Brief with runching & front satin bow

Hold Ups

'Georgia' Red & Black Hold Ups - Perfect finishing touch for Valentines Day

My final piece of advice would be to keep an open mind when choosing the colour of lingerie. Women like a wide variety of colours so don't just stick to red... look at others such as pinks & blacks and when you are in that dreaded top draw looking at sizes, keep an eye open on the colours that she already has in there and also if you know her favorite colour then use that to your advantage too!

Happy Shopping!

A Year On & Happy to be A Working Stay at Home Mum

Christmas is a time for reflection and on looking back over the past year and a bit, I'm hoping this post will serve as an inspiration to any new mums or mums to be about the advantages of being a working stay at home mum. I've been working from home for nearly 2 years now whilst still looking after our daughter and am so grateful for all of the benefits and happiness that it brings. That's not to say it's not without its difficult times and certainly not without a few challenges thrown in along the way to test you!

  My husband and I set up our business nearly 3 years ago with the intention of replacing my full-time job working as a Passenger Agent at Edinburgh Airport. We therefore planned and prepared ourselves for a period of time to allow business to grow and understood from the outset that it would be a while before we could begin to replace my previous salary. I have to admit I wasn't quite prepared for the enormity of the challenges that lay ahead. The idea of starting & running an online lingerie store specialising in bridal lingerie sounded great, I could choose when to work which would allow me to work around looking after our new arrival. It sounded easy; processing orders, placing orders, packing and sending between 9-5 and then paperwork, research & marketing etc could be done as and when time permitted. Hmmmmm! Combine this with a few sleepless nights, other household chores and the odd week of illness from a cold working its way around the family and all of a sudden you have a 'to-do' list as big as the till receipt from your monthly shop.

The other aspect I never really considered was that when our little girls routine changed, sleeping patterns, feeding habits etc, then so did my work routine. I've frequently been in the position of just finding a system and time schedule that works & then shortly after having to find a new method and switching things around to fit everything in. Our business has steadily grown and my husband spends just as much time working behind the scenes; accounts, website programming & optimisation as well as doing his fair share of household chores & parenting!

Now our little girl is a little older she spends a few afternoons at nursery which does help a little but life in our house is never slow and there's always lots on our plate, but a year and a half on being a full time mum I'm proud to say "It works". I get to see our little girl grow and enjoy so many special moments as she learns & develops, moreso than if I left the house to do a 40 or so hour week, and that's so important for me and so many other parents.

It's a great feeling working for yourself & building your own business for the future and I love the thought that I'm helping brides to look their very best on their wedding day. I get involved with so much lovely lingerie which has been a passion of mine which helps you get through the busy weeks and keeps the motivation high. It's certainly not for the feint hearted, so for any of Mums (or Dads) thinking of setting up business, going it alone and staying at home to look after the new arrival, be prepared for a lot of hard work & a few sleepless nights, but when you reap the rewards, it's definitely, definitely worth it!

Trick or Treat

Did you know that the word Halloween is first thought to have been used as far back as the early 16^th century and is thought to represent a Scottish enterpretation of the full title – All-Hallows-Even which itself represent the day before All Hallows’ Day otherwise known as All Saints Day. However the words All Hallows’ was found in Old English.

Halloween celebrated every year on the October 31 all around the world, and the most common ways of celebrating this day is by children going out Trick or Treating and the adults having fun fancy dress parties.



Cheeky Little Devil

Whilst Halloween is a day and evening originally meant for remembering all our Saints it is traditionally remembered and celebrated as a time of ghosts and witches as well as Pumpkin Lanterns and scary films.

  

Halloween Fact!

Did you know that the carving of pumpkins (otherwise known as Jack-o-lanterns) on Halloween was infact originally turnips! It was originally Scotland and Ireland that used to carve turnips in to lanterns as a symbol of remembering the souls that had been purified or temporarly punished so that they had been made ready for heaven.

It was Americans during the mid to late 19^th century who used pumpkins to carve in to lanterns as they were much easier to cut through and they also grew much larger than the traditional turnip.



Wicked Witch of the West

Halloween themes and colours such as purples and greens, witches and ghosts  have developed throughout the centuries and more so over the past 50-100 years. It is now known as a fun time rather than the serious nature it once was about.

Stockings & Garters for the Finishing Touch!

As with most things in life 'the devil is in the detail' as they say and your wedding ensemble should be no different. Even though you may have been a step ahead of most and sorted your bridal underwear out in time for your final dress fitting, don't forget those essential accessories to finish off your wedding day lingerie.
There's still lots of choice when it comes to the hosiery for the big day and a few little useful tips to consider, so whether your preference is toward lace top bridal hold ups, wedding stockings with matching suspender or even a pair of back seamed fishnet bridal stockings, here's a few of our favourites;
Wedding Bell Stockings


Wedding Bell Bridal Stockings

Fishnet Thigh High Hold Ups


White Lace Top Bridal Fishnet Hold Ups

Sheer Thigh Highs with Backseam

White Sheer Thigh High Bridal Hold Ups

Now if you've reaaly pushed the boat out on your bridal lingerie then these luxurious 2 tone silky hold ups will be the perfect finishing touch. They're rather unusual in the way that they are tan in colour and yet still have a beautiful white lace top band to give that exquisite bridal feel.
Luxury Bridal Stockings


Luxurious Silky Two Tone Bridal Hold Ups

For those brides who simply can't get on with stockings and a suspender belt and also aren't too keen on hold ups then a garterbelt and pantyhose all in one maybe the answer.

Garter Belt & Pantyhose


Wedding Garterbelt & Stockings All in One

No bride is complete without her leg garter for the special day, after all it's always a good 'something blue' to keep with the 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue' tradition.....
Something Blue Garter


Something Blue Wedding Garter

Blue Ribbon Garter

Blue Ribbon Wedding Garter

Do make sure you have your wedding lingerie & accessories in plenty of time and do get them out of the packaging to check there's no holes, nicks or faults with them. Last but not least, it's a good idea to have a spare pair of bridal stockings or hold ups, even just a cheaper pair in case of any unwanted nicks or ladders on the day, and you can always leave one of your bridesmaids in charge of them!

Get the Perfect Wedding Day Figure from Bridal Shapewear

It's quite surprising to see over the past year or so that there's an increasing number of brides choosing to wear some form of bridal shapewear beneath the wedding dress, as their choice of bridal underwear, to help get that perfect figure for the wedding photos. Modern shapewear designs cleverly use different materials and panelling to provide varying shaping effects to specific body areas. The more common shaping areas include the waistline, hips, tummy, thighs and bum. Bear in mind also that bridal body shapewear can be a very subtle style of shaping to achieve a nicely contoured silhouette to your figure for the big day. I've included some of our more popular bridal shapewear solutions, each shaping specific areas in their own particular way.

Pin Thin Bodywrap

Pin Thin Bodywrap Shapewear

This pin thin bodywrap has the unusual feature of including a thong design within it, it's a very stylish and elegantly finished high waist bodywrap. It's ideal for providing maximum shape around the hips and waist line, and would suit many column or mermaid style dress styles.

Catwalk Bodywrap


Catwalk Bridal Bodyshaper

The catwalk bridal bodyshaper provides excellent shaping around the hips and waist line but also gives excellent support and shape around the derriere and tops of the legs. Perfect for many styles of wedding gown especially closer fitting gowns where a smoothed figure outline is desired. It's a very comfortable style of shaper and does a marvellous job of shaping the figure.

Strapless Bridal Bodysuit


Strapless Bridal Underwear Bodysuit

An excellent bodysuit perfect for bridal underwear on the big day, its moulded cups and bodysuit design is ideal for an all upper body shaping effect and gives great support. Although it's shown with straps it can be worn with multi way straps or as strapless for many off the shoulder gown designs. In white or ivory it will compliment many gown colours and styles.

Although your bridal shapewear is going to help give you that perfect figure and that amazing feeling of self confidence that goes with it, it's true to say it may not create that magic first impression you're looking for on your wedding night with your newlywed! If you do opt for a shapewear option for your wedding day lingerie, then it may be worth considering a nice white babydoll, a charmeuse wedding gown or some more sexy underwear to change into after all the celebrations and put the perfect ending to your special day.

Just Married Chemise


Just Married Wedding Night Chemise

Lace Front Babydoll


Lace Front Babydoll - Honeymoon Lingerie



Bridal Lingerie for the Plus Size Bride

For far too long there's been a limited choice of nice looking plus size wedding lingerie for cup sizes say above a DD or a waist size much above a 16. At the point of starting Moonrise Lingerie it was always an important of my business plan to provide a good choice of quality and sexy lingerie available for bigger busted brides. Being an F or a G cup depending on bra style, this was one of the main reasons of Moonrise Lingerie coming to fruition. Since starting the business I'm pleased to say we offer a good selection of beautiful plus size wedding underwear designed for the bride in mind to give support and comfort throughout the wedding day. Many of the styles include low backs, deep decollettes, seamless and strapless designs to suit many styles of wedding gown.

I've chosen a few personal favourites for this post, I hope you enjoy them, and for those brides to be out there, maybe it'll give you some more of an idea of what's available on the market....

Satin Bow Bustier




 

Plus Size Wedding Lingerie - Satin Bow Bustier

If you’re not feeling the need for the full body support and waist cinching effects you get from a traditional wedding corset, then a bustier is a nice compromise. The satin bow bustier is both beautiful and exquisite in every way. The lightly padded underwiring gives medium support to emphasise and wonderfully define your figure whilst the lace overlay and ruffled lace hemline makes for a stylish looking outfit. The satin bow is a great all rounder as its perfect for both the wedding day and also that special first wedding night. Available up to UK24 sizes and complete the look with a matching thong, bridal stocking or hold ups and you’ll create a jaw dropping reaction that won’t be forgotten.

Miette Corset

 

Larger Cup Sized - The Milette Wedding Corset

Traditionally a corset was used to train the hips and waist areas of ladies in order to reduce the size of the waist by up to 2 inches and by wearing the modern day corset you can obtain a more hourglass shaped effect to your outline. This Miette wedding corset has some absolutely stunning embroidery detail finished off with a ribbon bow and tiny diamante brooch on the centre panel of the bust and one the strap. It comes in a subtle cream colour and sizes now go up to a 38C to accommodate larger cup sizes.

Juliette Corset

 

Beautiful Juliette Lace Corset

This Juliet Lace corset although less of the traditional styling it does have some exquisite lace detailing. It gives a nice medium level of support with its underwiring and light boning. Wonderfully romantic with its delicately laced edged finishing and light lace up ribbon tie featuring on both the corset and the matching thong. Available in the more traditional bridal white and with detatchable suspender straps it’s a fantastic choice for brides looking to enjoy a spring/ summer wedding.

Madonna Bridal Bra Set

 

Madonna 3 piece Bridal Bra Set

This Madonna Bridal Bra set is a gorgeous little set with a beautiful balconette bra, perfect to provide uplift to the bust, and we are pleased to say also goes up to a 38C cup size. The cups are decorated with delicate lace embroidery and beautifully adorned with Swarowski crystals to add that special sparkle for the day. Shown with straps, they are detachable giving you a fabulous strapless bra, so if you're a bride with an eye for detail and want your bridal underwear with a hint of elegance about it, then maybe the Madonna Set is the one for you?

The Glow Bra Lingerie Set

 

The Glow Balcony Bra Set

This Glow bra is well suited for the Mermaid or Column style bridal gown, a very elegant dress type that would need a smooth style and shaped bra. Glow is a fabulous balcony bra, beautifully decorated with Swarovski crystals. The ¾ profiled cups provide perfect uplift and help support the weight of the breast, better allowing the dress to stay in a comfortable position throughout the day, giving comfort and confidence. Available in ivory, it is a very stylish option with detachable straps and removable push up pads for more flexibility. Now with cup sizes up into DD, E and F and backsizes up to 38 it's becoming more popular with todays modern brides. Combined with the matching thong and a pair of ivory bridal lace top hold ups, it would finish off your wedding underwear with a look of chic sophistication!

Hopefully this has given some good ideas for any plus size brides out there who are finding it a bit of a struggle to find some nice bridal underwear for their big day. We'd love to hear any of your thoughts or opinions, just leave us a comment. x

Bridal Underwear with Strapless Support

One of the most important things for the bride, if not THE most important is of course the wedding gown. Now if your perfect dress happens to be an 'off the shoulder' style and you're like many women who feel a tad uncomfortable and exposed without any support for your bust then this post is for you!


The options for your bridal underwear will lead you to a strapless bra, bustier or indeed corset which is pretty much a given, but which is best? In the past strapless options have been a little uncomfortable but designs have changed and this has lead to there being many strapless options available. This avenue is a little more trickier for the bride with a large bust size as the straps on underwear are used to transfer some of the weight to the rear to ease the effects on the lower back and improve posture.


Fortunately there are now ample solutions on the market for brides looking for a strapless solution for their bridal underwear including some excellent choices in plus size lingerie categories, with many still retaining that look and feel of elegance to leave the bride feeling nothing short of fabulous. Here are some of our favourites;

Floral Tapestry Corset

Strapless Wedding Corset

The Floral Tapestry Corset is hugely popular and is clear why. It’s made from a stylish jacquard material and finished with an absolutely gorgeously detailed Venice trim. Fastening at the front with a standard hook and eye fastening, whilst at the rear there is a double tie waist cinching lace up ribbon allowing for greater flexibility in fitting to suit personal taste, giving a wonderfully defined waistline. Strapless in its design and offering excellent support, along with removable and adjustable garters gives you the option of bridal stockings or hold ups. Available in plus size lingerie options with a matching thong a great all rounder and very popular.

Madonna Bridal Bra

Madonna Strapless Bra

The Madonna Bridal Bra set is a gorgeous little set with a beautiful balconette bra, perfect to provide uplift to the bust. The cups are decorated with delicate lace embroidery and beautifully adorned with Swarowski crystals to add that special sparkle for the day. Shown with straps, they are detachable giving you a fabulous strapless bra, and the look is completed wonderfully with the matching thong and suspender belt.

Madonna Bridal Lingerie Set

Jonquil Strapless Bridal Bra

Jonquil Balconette Bra

This Jonquil Bridal bra set complete with matching thong and suspender belt is truly beautiful with its gorgeous detailing and decoration. The bra itself is a fabulous balconette style with delicately decorated cup edges with foliage embroidery and finished with Swarovski Crystals to add that bit of sparkle. It’s a great supporting bra with the boning in the wings and a silicone strap beneath the bust to provide a wonderful uplifting shape. The straps are removable if the gown style requires it, available in ivory, it’s a great complete lingerie set for the wedding day.

Seamless Elegant Bustier
This seamless bustier is beautifully designed with the close figure hugging styles of wedding gown in mind, the last thing you want your guests to see is the underwiring, boning and beautiful lace detailing of your underwear! So with close fitting gowns with thinner material, seamless lingerie is the way to go, you can always change into some more sexy lingerie for the wedding night itself to create the right mood.

Elegant Strapless Bustier

This bustier has moulded cups which provide a great level of support for the bust and with sizes going up to 44D it’s a great plus size lingerie option too. The material is very soft and also surprisingly forgiving for the support it provides, a great, comfortable choice.

The Crystal Basque

Crystal Strapless Basque

Crystal is an absolutely gorgeous basque featuring pretty embroidery detail in the front panelling. The satin ribbons add to the elegance and beauty of the design and it's beautifully fininshed with Swarovski crystals to add that little extra sparkle. Although shown with straps the cups have underwiring for support and the light boning in the body provides for a fabulous waist slimming effect to give a fantastically shaped silhouette figure.A stunning design.