30 Before 30: An Update

Happy New Year everyone!

You know how it is...new year, new you and resolutions like 'must get back into blogging'. So here I am! Lame

I thought that a good start would be to update you on my 30 before 30, as I can definitely cross of at least one of the big ones!

1. Get Engaged
2. Get Married*
3. Have a Baby
4. Buy a House
5. Save Enough for Our Wedding*
6. Have £10k in Savings
7. Earn at least £30k/year
8. Work for Myself
9. Be a Stay at Home Mummy
10. Buy a Mulberry Bag
11. Write a Book
12. Write a Recipe Book
13. Visit Australia
14. Visit New York
15. Visit Italy
16. Go to Harry Potter in Florida
17. Visit Disney
18. See the Northern Lights
19. Swim with Dolphins
20. Go on a Hot Air Balloon Ride
21. Grow my own Fruit, Veg & Herbs
22. Go Camping*
23. Have a Spa Day*
24. Crochet or Knit a Baby Blanket
25. Learn to Drive
26. Run a Marathon
27. Own a Pet
28. Cook through a Cook Book
29. Do a 365 Project
30. Own less 'Stuff'

And more of a breakdown...

2. Get Married - this one is OFFICIALLY crossed off and I am now unofficially Mrs Willmets-Secker (waiting for my passport to be reissued to prove my name change). The wedding was wonderful, I'd like to do a proper blog post, but I'm also hoping to get it feautred on a proper Wedding Blog, so I'll hold off for now.

5. Save Enough for Our Wedding - well obviously this one has to be crossed off now, and if I didn't get it done it's too late now...however, I am pleased to say, that even though it all got a bit muddy at the end with being so busy, having no internet and no time to keep track of the budget, I saved enough. I am so proud of myself.

7. Earn at least £30k/year - now that the wedding has happened, we've moved into our new flat (just 1 week before the Wedding!) I am going to get back on that job trail and find myself a new job and I will certainly be aiming to hit that £30k mark!

10. Buy a Mulberry Bag - now that we've got the crazy wedding saving out of the way and we can actually relax a little, I'm going to try and build up some good savings. And then one of my goals for 2016 is to buy myself a Mulberry bag (even if it's only teeny tiny).

22. Go Camping - this one can go too, now it wasn't awful, but it was by no means a picnic! We staying in Cheddar and it was gorgeous, the campsite wasn't too bad either. But the ground, not so comfy...and our tent, bloody boiling! Plus is absolutely poured on our last morning when we had to pack everything away, perfect. 

23. Have a Spa Day - now I don't know if it was a spa day as it wasn't technically in one place, but I've had a full body massage followed by a facial. Both were fine, not amazing and both could have been way longer. Want to redo this one somewhere proper and go all in for the pamper!

24. Crochet or Knit a Baby Blanket - right, so I started trying to crochet, I didn't get far..I actually can't manage more than one line, so unless this baby blanket is very long and thin, it's not going to fly. Officially removing this as a failed attempt.

25. Learn to Drive - so T is getting me some driving lessons as part of my Christmas present...this one's on the horizon

26. Run a Marathon - just a note to say that the new 2016 me isn't loving this one, new 2016 me feel lazy

30. Own less 'Stuff' - last update, this one is kind of happening, whilst I've definitely gained a LOT of makeup this year (hehe) and I now have  a large box of wedding 'memories' (or crap in T's eyes)...I am definitely doing better here! Our new flat is bloody tiny, so there's no choice but to throw stuff away. I might get the Marie Kondo book 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing'

And now my questions is...is it cheating to change the list?

Oh and a wedding photo, because I want to show everyone that there is. It's my favourite.

 

Wedding Make Up: The First Steps of DIY

So after I was deliberating on the Professional vs. DIY aspect of my wedding make up, I've come to the conclusion that I'm going the DIY route for now. Oh God, what have I done?!
And if my practice runs all go terribly wrong then I can revert back and pay someone to do it for me!

I decided to look round the make up counters in Boots one Saturday with T, I promptly got terrified and overwhelmed by the choice - what do I need? Where do I start? What shade will suit me? The most pale, obviously.
After my minor panic/breakdown (it put me in a foul mood), we went into Debenhams to try and look around the Bare Minerals counter...typically, the woman had just gone to lunch! The lady at Clinique came over and seemed so friendly that I ended up going to speak to her.
Turns out they do a free 'make up lesson', aka make over. But for free, why turn it down?!
So after a quick colour match and a nice little sample pot of the Superbalanced Foundation in Alabaster (yes, only the palest for me!) I pencilled in an appointment for two weeks time to have my Bridal Make Up Lesson.

I trialled the Superbalanced Foundation over the next couple of weeks, I really like how light feels and looks on my face and the colour is perfect.
I also got my hands on a sample of some Estée Lauder Double Wear foundation (I'm not sure which shade, as the lady at the counter wasn't really that helpful), I tried that one a few days ago and it was so much heavier than the Clinique Superbalanced.

Two weeks later, back I went to the Clinique counter, with one of my bridesmaids (Clara) for moral support and to observe.
An hour later, a lot of wedding chat and me not really learning too much, my face looked like this.

Not too shabby eh?

My feelings were...I like the overall look, I quite liked the peachy shade of blusher and the gold/bronze eye shadow was lovely!
I really didn't like the way she did my eye liner and eye lashes, I have super long eye lashes and so they just got tangled and clumpy - I think she a little overwhelmed with how long they are!
I also didn't like the lipstick; the colour was ok, but it had a bit of sparkle in it, which left me feeling like a 15 year old. It also dried my lips out like crazy and by the time I got home they had gone all crusty, as if I had spent several days in the arctic.

Still, I think it was a fantastic starting point for me. I walked away with the Superbalanced Foundation in Alabaster and the Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel.

Wedding Make Up: Professional vs. DIY

Recently I've been thinking about my wedding make up, umming and ahhing about what to do.
I had originally thought that I would hire a make up artists to do it. I'm not really the most make up savvy person and I don't really wear very much, so it seemed like the sensible way to go.

But then I started researching and it became apparent that to get someone who's good I'd be paying around £150-200 for just my make up trial and on the day make up - no extra people included in that. Yes, there are cheaper options, but looking at their portfolios, you can see why they're cheaper. There's also a huge risk that whoever I pick, expensive or not, will make me look like a clown and then I'll have paid loads of money for me to just have to take it off and do it myself. I've definitely read some horror stories.

The other option is for me to do my make up myself. It would definitely an element of pressure on the day, but it would allow me to buy some really good quality products that I can use after the wedding.

It my true style I've made a list...or several lists and maybe a spreadsheet, to compare the options.
Here are the lists of pros for each:

DIY Pros

• I get to spend a reasonable amount of money on good quality make up, which I can keep and use after the wedding
• Cheaper than hiring a make up artist
• I have control over the products that I use
• I have control over my look
• Less likely to go horribly wrong (oh the horror stories)
• I don't wear much make up, so why pay someone to put more on me
• Gives me the chance to learn a useful skill
• I have pretty good skin anyway
• I can do my own trial runs, which I don't have to pay for
• I can involve my bridesmaids
• I don't have to worry about choosing the right make up artist

Make Up Artist Pros

• Less pressure on me on the day
• I don't have to choose my own products (I'm pretty terrible with making decisions)
• I don't have to worry about lack of knowledge
• Likely to be much better than I am with make up
• Make up would stay on better/longer

I would say that at the moment there are more pros to me doing it myself, but I do need to think about my lack of knowledge, the extra pressure and making sure that my look isn't too underwhelming and that the make up actually stays put on my face! But I can definitely research and learn and go to make up counters and have make overs where they talk me through what they're doing, which I think would be a big help.

At the moment I am leaning towards DIY, but I have time to research and practice and if it all goes horribly wrong I can try and hire someone last minute - let's hope that doesn't happen!

What do you think? Is this a good idea or totally mad?

Lucky Sixpence

So we've all heard the rhyme...and yes, little old me with my love of weddings and tradition is trying my hardest to incorporate this into my wedding. I'd not worked out all the aspects yet, but I've got ideas for each line at the moment. Sadly, the last line of the rhyme is often the most forgotten, but for me it's been my main focus so far...

Something old,

something new,

something borrowed,

something blue,

and a silver sixpence in her shoe.

The idea of having something lucky with me, I love. And I love the idea that I can keep it after for the rest of my married life, giving me luck.

I'd done my research, I'd looked at the ones you can get from the Royal Mint, but they will set you back a slightly eye watering £28 (plus £5 p&p!)..for a coin that was for 1/40 of £1 in it's day. Yes, the idea of having a 'new' one, packed nicely in a box from the 'proper' place was tempting, but was it a valid wedding cost?

Next I turned to ebay, of course. And low and behold there were loads of sixpences, starting at the bargain price of 99p! I browsed through a few a noticed that you could choose the year that the coin was from...I then noticed that these years covered those in which my parents were born.

I then decision that I was going to buy one from the year my Dad was born, the perfect way to remember him at the wedding and keep him with me.

But today when I was browsing (again) I saw that someone had an Australian sixpence from the year that my Dad was born...and seeing as he was Australian, it just seemed to good to be true. But it didn't feel completely right, I do live in England, am marrying in England and am marrying an Englishman...

Ten minutes later, I'd bought an Australian sixpence from 1946 for $6.60 (~£3.60) and an English sixpence from 1949 for 0.99p...one for each parent and from each of the countries that they represent.

I'm feeling pretty chuffed with myself and had to share it!

Now my only question is, if I have two lucky sixpences, will they cancel each other out?

A Crazy Week - Mark 2

So I had told you about my crazy week last week...well this one's basically been along the same lines...CRAZY.

I found out I didn't get the job I interviewed for last week (sob), and I had the interview for the other job yesterday.
I got so focused and panicked about having to do the test part of the interview that I don't think I'd prepared myself for the interview itself. The test was a doddle and the interview was really hard, so I'm not feeling too hopeful right now, but it's all good experience.
Just sitting on the edge of my seat today, waiting to hear something.

I've also managed to book myself to go on holiday in the summer! I didn't think it'd happen, so I'm super excited, even if it's a short one. T isn't coming, so he's not best pleased, but we'll try and go on another little trip together.
So I off to France again, for the 4th year in a row I think, to a gorgeous little town called Duras in the wine regions. I just can't wait...and I'll get to revisit the bench where T proposed!

And finally I got thrown into a little tizz about my wedding hair plans. At the weekend my hairdresser said that the idea I had for my hair wouldn't really work, because it would cause a whole washing and restyling fiasco...so I've been coming up with some other plans. I also found out that my hair dresser will be charging me a fee, which is fair enough, it's his job after all, but it is a little bit disappointing.

So that's my week so far...I'm looking forward to this weekend and a nice little trip away to see family & friends!

Photo Friday #12

With only 9 months to go we've paid off another chunk of our venue costs!

Birthday: Planned...sort of

So after my worries over my birthday (don't I sound self centred!), the plans have been made...

Hell Yes!!!

Harry Potter Studio Tour on my Birthday, I get to open the doors of the Great Hall!
We've got quite a late booking, so I'm hoping we can grab some yummy lunch somewhere first!


Overall it's going to be a pretty good weekend really. My work have given everyone an extra 2 days off over Easter, hello SIX DAY WEEKEND!

The day before my birthday I've got a mini wedding trip planned with my Mum, off to see the florist, venue and cake shop. Then the day of my birthday is HARRY POTTER!! Saturday I'm hoping to do something with friends. Sunday I'm going to see McBusted and then I've got 2 more days of freedom after that before work!

Pretty awesome eh?

Wedding Dress Shopping: Finding THE Dress!

So after failed attempts one and two and a rant about not being able to find the right dress...I've done it!

I have my dress...now I'd love to tell you all about it, plaster this page with photos of the dress and me in it, but that would be telling!

Instead, I'll tell you about my day and the amazing experience I had at Bridal Gowns at Jodi Ltd. in Maidstone.

I picked this shop because they had one dress I knew I wanted to try on, plus some other dresses that I wanted to try on again. With my came my Mum, sister and my mum's best friend (our closest family friend), little did I know the daughter of our family friends had also got her dress in that shop! Surely a good sign?

We arrived and I started telling the ladies in the shop which dresses I wanted and they duely went and collected them all up for me, I then went and looked around, picking out a few other dresses to try as well. Last but not least I stumbled upon a lovely dress, not similar to the others I'd picked, but I though...go on, I'll try it. It was on a total whim and I also thought my Mum wouldn't like the dress, based on her previous likes and dislikes.

On the dresses went, some were discounted straight away. I tried on the dress that I came to the store to try and really liked that one, it was different to the others, but really nice.

Then next came the 'whim' dress, I came out the changing room and my Mum LOVED it. I really liked it, but no where near as much as she did. After a while I went and changed and put on the next lot of dresses, the ones I'd tried before.

These are the ones from the second trip that I really liked, they were my top picks. After the whim dress, they were boring. Everything got compared to it, and at the end I put the whim dress back on.

After standing there for a while, trying it with accessories, looking at the dress online etc. I just felt more and more happy and comfortable in it. I got a little bit emotional and decided that it was the dress.

I went to take it off and the woman in the shop asked if I wanted to have my measurements taken and order it. I knew then that if I didn't say yes I'd go home and start doubting myself and decide not to order it.

So I took the plunge, had my measurements taken, a size 0 ordered and paid the deposit.

The dress is mine!

Since then, I've looked at the other dresses I was going to try online and now I know I picked the right one, the others just don't stand up against it and I like it more and more.

The shop was fantastic, they have no appointments. It sounds strange, but it works so amazingly well. There's someone waiting to see you, then they give you all the time in the world. I tried on 8 dresses, with no time limit, got to put on a dress again, try accessories and I didn't have to rush my decision.

The staff were so helpful and friendly, offering advice when it was needed and even staying after the shop had shut so we could finish.

It was truly a wonderful experience and I couldn't recommend Bridal Gowns at Jodi Ltd. more highly.

10 Months To Go...the finishing touches

And last but not least, those little extras at the end!

Stationary

Half done and somewhat dusted. We've done the Save the Dates, they went out as a combination of hard copy and email a few weeks ago.

What's left is invitations, menus, programmes, table names, place names...etc?

Most of these things are being made by us on the iPad app Makr - it's pretty damn good and we get to make it look how we want and get everthing to match. We then download it from there for a very small fee and print it via an online printer - et voila!

Rings

Nearly forgot about this one. This is still a little bit up in the air, we know exactly what rings we want, bother plain platinum bands. But where to buy them, not sue yet!

Decorations

And this is my biggest thing yet to sort. We've got the florist, so at least I know where any flower decorations will come from. Further than that, I'm not sure yet.

I know we get a large floral arrangement included in our ceremony room booking (yeah!), and this will probably be the only large floral display we have. Although this isn't coming from the florist I've hired, but the venue's recommended one so I really hope it turns out nicely.

For tables I have a few ideas of what to have as centres, but these keep chopping and changing and I can't make up my mind at the moment.

As for other decorations, I'm not really sure what I need...the venue will have their Christmas deocrations up, which means the mantle places will have garlands on them and there will be a big tree, but I'm not sure how it'll fit in with what else I want. But at least it's some of the decoration done for me!

I want a sort of wintery, rustic yet classy look. Not too much to ask for ;)

Anyone have any good ideas? 

Now I'm pretty sure that covers all the main areas, but if you want any extra details, just let me know!

Have I forgotten something?!

Catch up on...

The Date is Set

Vendors

Outfits

Beauty

Food & Drink

10 Months To Go...the food & drink

Onto one of the best parts in my opinion! I know it's wedding food, and in no way as I expecting for the food or drink to be amazing, I am still super excited. And when people say 'You'll be too busy to eat anything all day and you won't want to your at the Breakfast either'...well, they clearly haven't met me and T. There is no way that we will be missing out on the food drink and cake!

Food and Drink

All included in our wonderful venue package! We got the top level one, so Champagne for all!! We have a four course breakfast with coffee and petit fours, canapes at the drinks reception and probably ore booze provided than is wise! For the drinks reception we're going to have some mulled wine and Champagne (not together obviously), then everyone gets half a bottle of wine at the Breakfast, a glass of Champagne for toasting AND the additional wine we're putting on the tables.

We've been to weddings where there were 2 bottles of wine between 8-9 people and 'sparkling wine' and we were like, what is going on here? That was one thing we knew we wanted, ample booze and for it not too be too bad quality either!

So all we really need to do is the menu tasting which isn't until a few months before the wedding, I am really looking forward to that!

Although the venue don't allow additional food and drink (except for cake!), but we managed to sway them into letting us have some extra wine on the tables. We managed to convince them on sentimental reasons - now you might think that sounds pretty stupid, but I can ensure you it's quite the opposite. We're having some wine from a region of France called Cotes de Duras, it's a place where my family have been on holiday for the past few years (we're quite a wine-y family), of course with T tagging along, he is family after all! It also happens to be the place where T proposed (good boy!) and it's also wine that my Dad loved and so I want it on the table to remember him and drink to him.

Wedding Cake

Not booked, yet. But we're all decided, of course!

Last year we went to the National Wedding Show in London, there were a few cake places there where we nabbed a few taster pieces. There was one absolute stand out place, La Papillon Patisserie, to which we kept going back to to get more cake!

When we got home I looked them up, only to find that there are in the closest town to our venue, less than a 5 minute drive away - I'm calling that one fate!

We arranged a cake tasting and chomped our way through 12 amazing flavours of delicious, moist cake!

We've picked our three falvours for our three layers and the outside decoration. Now the only thing to do is order...

The only problem is, the tasting was so long ago, I think I might need a reminder session ;)

Cheese Cake

Yes, you heard me! Now I'm not talking about a cheese cake as in the pudding, but of course a stack of cheese wheels that resembles a cake - and why not?

Both T and I love cheese, and back at the good old National Wedding Show we saw a cheese cake put together by Godminster. They let us try each of the cheeses whilst explaining what they were and I'm hooked! The cheddar they make is so yummy and the cake had a good mixture of the more 'plain' cheeses whilst having a few different once thrown in.

If it was up to me, we'd have ordered already, but T things there might be a better one out there, so we'll see.

But there will definitely be a cheese cake there!

Better than this?

[Godminster]

Still to come...

Finishing Touches

Catch up on...

The Date is Set

Vendors

Outfits

Beauty

10 Months To Go...the beauty regime

Now I'm not really one for our next category. I don't fuss with my hair, I wash it and it air dries. I wear minimal make up, have never had a manicure and don't both with any sort of beauty regime (except hand cream when I remember about once and week and taking my make up off).

Hair Stylist

Lucky Duck no.2! I've had the same hair dresser (Ian) since I was about 5, so around 20 years. Obviously him and his wife are invited to the wedding, the out come of that is...free hair stylist for the day (I think!). Last time I saw him I was talking to him about it and asking prices and he got a little secret smile and wouldn't tell me the prices. So I'm not worrying about it at the moment!

Make Up

Drawing blanks. I have two options here...DIY or professional.

If I go DIY I have the potential to save some money, I got to make up counters, look online and get ideas on how to do it myself. The huge gigantic flaw in that, I'm not really a make up person. I didn't start wearing make up until I went to uni and I only wear eyeliner and mascara everyday.

If I go professional, I don't have the worry of getting it wrong, or the make up coming off in the day. I'm leaning this way, I've just got to find the right person.

I might still go for some counter sessions though!

Manicure

Lucky duck no.3 - ha, bet you didn't see this one coming. Ian's (the hairdresser) wife can do professional manicures! He was as talkative about this as he was my hair, but with a 'We'll work something out', I'm leaving it alone for now!

General Beauty Regime

I know I've got to be better at this, I want to look good on the day...glowing as it's usually referred too.

It's winter so I need to make sure that my lips aren't chapped, my face isn't dry and my hands aren't scaley, peeling or bleeding. The skin on my hands get pretty bad in winter last December (aka 1 year to go) my hands had cuts all over them from having dry skin. Not a good look.

So I really need to up my game and take better care of myself...it's not going great at the moment. But I will formulate a plan!

Still to come...

Food & Drink

Finishing Touches

Catch up on...

The Date is Set

Vendors

Outfits

10 Months To Go...the outfits are coming together

Update no.3 in the series! Onto the outfits, not you've heard quite a bit about my dress shopping so far, but what about everyone else I hear you say!

Bride's Dress

Things are coming along...I've been on shopping trips one and two and had a bit of a stress, but shopping trip three is coming along nicely.

I'm not going to expand too much, because that would be releasing the secrets of my dress!

Bridesmaid's Dresses

Boom - bridesmaids done...I hope!

After finding (in my eyes) the perfect dress, on sale, in the right sizes and just over budget (we're paying some the bridesmaids make up the rest)...I got home from work one night and went to order the dresses. Typically, one of the sizes was now out of stock.

Fast forward by a few days, I'd found various other options and was still checking the original dress and emailing around various shops to find it - breakthrough! There was a store that had one size I needed and the others were still available online. After a long phone call to order the dress from the store (I had to spell out every work od the address - the woman didn't know how to spell Leicester...I also got a call back to check the spelling of Leicester again) and a quick online purchase the dresses are on the way to me, and I cannot wait to open them and check them out! I am praying they fit!

In terms of other accessories we're yet to sort those, but I'm hoping the main hurdle is done!

[my pinterest]

Groom's Outfit

Another things that is near enough ticked off. The suit is done, a rather expensive tweed jacket, waistcoat and made to measure matching trousers! I'm not letting more info than that slip, T wants his to be a surprise too!

Groomsmen's Outfits

Not done yet - I am totally slacking! Joke, obviously.

Because of the nature of the groom's suit, there was no way we could get them to match. At the moment the thoughts are that they're going to hire something nice and elegant from Moss Bros, probably a navy 3 piece suit. Nothing really set in stone yet though!

Still to come...

Beauty

Food & Drink

Finishing Touches

Catch up on...

The Date is Set

Vendors

10 Months To Go...the Vendors are lining up

Here's the continuing ramble about the wedding count down and where we're up to.

No doubt you'll find it thrilling ;)

Photographer

The lucky ducks that we are, we managed to bag £1,600 worth of wedding photographer for free!

One of my parents oldest friends, Trevor Godfree, is a wedding photographer. And in his words, 'I tell this to all the people I like, if I'm going to do you wedding photos for you, I'm going to do them for free'.

Bob's your Uncle!

Florist

I spent ages trawling the internet, unable to find a florist that didn't have photos of their wedding flowers that included calla lilies, palm leaves, plain roses and sparkly bits...gross.

Not matter how much promise they showed, they always had one of those photos, which was a total put off for me.

I turned to Pinterest and started searching for florists in Surrey, of course nothing much came up. But a few things cropped up that looking very promising. I followed through to a website...Blush Floral Design.

One look through, my eyes turned to the shape of hearts and I knew this was the florist for me. No tacky, boring or plain floral displays, everything was gorgeous, textured and rustic.

After a fair few emails with the wonderfully helpful and friendly Bex, I took the plunge, and we're all booked in!

Just got to work out what flowers we want now!

[Blush Floral Design]

Entertainment

We've hit our first stumbling block! After not much research at all we ruled out the possibility of live music, I know it's a wedding and everything is overpriced, but live music = overpriced!!

We're stuck between hiring a DJ and putting together our own music playlist.

Both have pros and cons.

If we hire a DJ we just give him a list of songs and let him do his thang (so to speak), but we have to shell out some cash.
If we put together our own list, we know we can get exactly what we want, and with a Spotify premium membership, that is basically sorted (except Tay Swizzle - damn you for removing yourself from Spotify!). The cost is minimal. However, do we then need to get someone at the wedding to overlook this and take charge. Does that mean they have to sit in the corner on their own all night?

Still to come...

Outfits

Beauty

Food & Drink

Finishing Touches

Catch up on...

The Date is Set

10 Months To Go...the Date is set!

As today is officially 10 months until the wedding I thought I would do a little update on where we're up to.

I think we're doing pretty well so far, and T most definitely thinks that everything is done - to which I have to firmly tell him that it is not.

I was going to keep this in one post, but I rambled so much I've decided to split it up! And I've ended up spliiting it up quite a lot, so keep your eyes peeled for more posts, with more details!

Date

The date is set, we get married in just 10 short months! We decided on a Winter wedding, as I do love winter and the date is quite close to Christmas, so we can have a touch of sparkle! It was also cheaper to have winter rather than summer...every little helps ;)

Venue

It didn't actually take long to pick, it was the first place we visited and we'd basically ready to sign on the dotted line before we went to visit it. The place had a big tick next to it for everything we wanted - all in one place, manor house, nice gardens, lovely rooms, great package, good location, good transport links, bedrooms for guests etc.

It's set up just for conferences and weddings, so they definitely know what they're going. Even better, T used to work with their company and got us an extra discount through one of his contacts.
And to top all that off, the hotel is part of a small chain of conference hotels, the same group that own the hotel where we first met, and then (3 years later) where I actually caught on and realised that not only did T like me (I already knew that one), I liked him too! So we're continuing our tie with the hotel group by having our wedding with them too!

[Gorse Hill]

Ceremony

For us it was a no brainer to have this in the same place as the reception. We're not religious and so it would seem false to marry in a Church - plus neither of us like the stuffiness that assocaite, let along the singing (yuk!).

The hotel has a gorgeous Lounge, where I can walk up the aisle between two giant pillars and we can get married in front of a bay window with french windows overlooking the gardens. Plus the room will have a fire lit (in the fireplace of course) and a giant Christmas tree - hooray!

Registrar

Just a matter of finding out which was the one for the area, and then paying some pretty heavy fees to secure them. But hey, it's the most important bit of the day. What's a wedding without a ceremony?

Still to come...

Vendors

Outfits

Beauty

Food & Drink

Finishing Touches

Wedding Dress Shopping: Mark 2

A week ago on Saturday I had my second experience of Wedding Dress shopping!

Accompanying me were my mother and my 3 bridesmaids. I picked two dress shops based on what designers and dresses I liked and which particular dresses they stocked. And spent a lot of the week before going through lots of pictures of dresses and deciding which I should try on!

I can a good idea of what dresses I wanted to try from my first trip, nearly 2 months before!

The shops I picked were rather fitting in their locations, as the first was less than 5 minutes from where I live, the closest shop to me, and it stocks loads of the deisgners I like, cannot believe it!

The second is in Islington in London, which is where I had my first date with my future husband, perfect!

The day started when I woke up 2 hours earlier than I was meant to...who knows what time I'll wake up on our Wedding day?

Shop one was Confetti & Couture in Romford, Essex. They were so lovely there and I felt totally comfortable and I wasn't rushed at all.

Shop two was Angelica Bridal in Islington, London. We were defiinitely more rushed there and didn't feel so relaxed, but they had some lovely dresses which I'd like to go back and try on.

Overall the day was sucessful, I didn't find THE dress, I did have that WOW moment, but I found a few dresses which I really like and are beautiful.

I'm going to carry on my search to try and find the one, wow dress...but I'm not sure I'm cut out for that moment!

And it means there's a lot more research to go!

I really wish I could post some of the few photos I was allowed to take, but it's probably better not to have them floating around for anyone to see. After all, I want everyone to be surprised by how fabulous I look on the day.

So exciting, nearly at 10 months to go!

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Wedding Dress Shopping: Mark 1

This is a bit of a throwback to November when I went on my first dress shopping trip, how can it have been that long ago!

I was feeling pretty nervous and excited, I went with my mum to a shop near where she lives to try and get an idea of what I wanted.

I'd done quite a lot of looking at dresses in advance and I thought I knew the style I wanted, but why not go crazy and try on everything the shop has to offer.

Which is exactly what I did, I think I ended up trying on about 7 dresses!

Being a size 6-8 in the UK and 5ft, I was pretty sceptical about how they were going to make a dress that's size 12-14 fit me in anyway.

A little later when I was clipped and pinned into a dress, I could see what a fantastic job they could do! However due to the amount of clips on the backs of the dresses, I can never get a proper idea of what that'll look like.

The style of dresses I thought I wanted was exactly right, I tried on some of the big poofy ones, but looked totally ridiculous being so small.

Overall it was good, I didn't get any sort of 'wow' feeling, but we did some ground work!

Keep an eye out for the next installment of my Wedding Dress Shopping!

Wedding Dress Shopping: An Uphill Struggle

So would've thought that shopping for a Wedding dress would be SO STRESSFUL.

In my head it's all lovely, lunches out, floating into lovely shops where they give you glasses of fizz (or at least a cup of tea), coming out of the changing room to gasps of delight and swirling around in beautiful dresses.

The reality, lunches out cause me to eat too much and give me a tummy ache during the appointment, the shops all seem to run late and so you run out of time. I'm too small for all the dresses, so I have to be clipped, pegged and pinned into them, meaning I can't bend down to pick up the dress. And as I'm so short, the dresses are all far to long. Cue me tripping out of a changing room and stumbling into a block to make me look taller.

Galmorous!

All in all, that makes it sound a lot worse than it is, it is very fun (as long as you don't mind standing in your underwear in front of a total stranger!)

What I'm running the real stress and struggle is finding the right dress, and then once I've found a dress to try on finding somewhere that stocks that dress!

I've been on 2 trips, spanning 2 months and I haven't found the dress, I haven't had the wow moment. I'm not even sure I'll have that moment.

Everyone had a bigger and better reaction (bridesmaids, my mum and the ladies in the shop) than me to all the dresses I tried on.

I feel like I'm striving to find some perfection that isn't there, to find a better dress that won't exist. Because how would I find the dress that has everything perfect and within a budget?

I currently have 4 different spreadsheets open, all with multiple tabs, I've sent nearly 30 emails to dress shops in the last day and a half about designers, dresses and appointments.

To try on the dresses I want to I'm going to have to travel miles to try on just one dress. Then miles to somewhere else to try on one more dress.

Should I give up on that and settle for one I've found?

And meanwhile I've got the wedding timeline in my mind - must buy dress by 8 months.

I'm at 10 months now, that only gives me another 2 months to get this in the bag!
But my bridesmaids aren't free for another month, the dress shops are booked up for a month and a half.

How do I do this?
Why is it such a difficult task?

Am I the only one that has so much trouble?

I'm feeling so confused, stressed and overwhelmed by this.
I just don't know what to do next.

Photo Friday #9

A sneak peak at the florist I've booked for my wedding!

[Blush Floral Design]

Down Day

So I'm having a bit of a down day today...I think I'm feeling down and a bit stressed for a few reasons.

I'm hoping by writing it down I can sort things out in my head a bit and feel a little better!

1) Money

I'm feeling quite stressed about money, we're saving for the wedding at the moment, as well as everything for the new flat. Both things will be very expensive, and whilst the wedding has been budgetted for and I know what I have to save, the falt is currently a total unknown.

To add to this I bought a Pocket Finsbury Filofax the other day, and whilst I onl'y sent £14.99 on it (bargain!), I've realised I won't use it and I'm feeling stressed as I've spent money on it. I'm looking to sell it and hopefully make a little bit of money, so that might make me feel a bit better.

The problem is that at the moment, to save what I need to for the wedding I'll have about £20 spare every month, for anything else I need/want, including presents, clothes, travel, meals out etc. And I'm feeling that it's not really enough and I'm just going to have a sad year stuck at home doing nothing.

Resolution: Sell the Filofax, try not to stress. The end of this year will be a fantastic one for me with my wedding and moving into the first place that we own.

2) Food

I've posted before that I was losing weight and on a healthy eating plan. I've not passed my target and have lost around 4 stone! In terms of weight loss and my body I'm as happy as I've ever been and I love being smaller (and at 5ft the size I should be!) and having more energy.

But I'm still struggling with food and getting on the scales...I still want to eat all the food in the world, especially unhealthy things, but I'm ruled by guilt and so if I do eat too much or what I want I feel terrible.

I also feel awful if I get on the scales and they've gone up. I'm not sure what I'd think if I went above 7 stone. And I feel really good and happy if the number goes down, even though at 6st 9lbs I was technically underweight. I want to be back to that.

I can't eat a full sized chocolate bar, I haven't eaten one for over a year, 16 months...and I still can't bring myself to do it. When I started losing weight a Snicker's bar was a yard stick. In my new diet it was more calories than my breakfast, more than my lunch, maybe more than them combined. The same as having a pint of beer.

The thing is now, I will happily accept a pint of beer, but I can't get my head around a chocolate bar. I bought one the other day when I was only having a 290cal sandwich for dinner, but I was too scared to eat it.

Yesterday I ate too much, I was at a work thing where lunch was provided and I ate too many big and bready sandwiches, not to mention had 2 mini pastries for breakfast and a free glass of wine at the end of the day. Today I feel awful and guilty and I don't want to eat.

I'm panicking cause tomorrow I'm going wedding dress shopping with my mum and bridesmaids. We're meant to be going out for lunch, and in today's mindset I'm not sure if I can eat anything that's unhealthy. But if I fuss over what I eat my mum will pick up on it and make it a big thing. I'm scared.

I'm worried that if I carry on like this, panicking about what I eat, scared of putting on any weight that things might get worse...I don't want this to turn into an eating disorder.

Resolution: Again, try to worry less. As long as I'm not piling ont he pounds my weight can fluctuate a bit. I am also allowed to enjoy having treats every so often, as long as I balance them with heathier meals.

3) My Daddy

Very sadly my wonderful Daddy, who I was so close to and loved so much passed away last year.

I was at a Graduation Ceremony with work yesterday and it made me think of my own graduation, how proud he was of me. And I found it really hard. I was stood there looking at the students and their parents trying not to cry.

I've been finding it difficult lately, I don't think I've dealt with the loss completely yet, and I'm not sure how to.

Resolution: I don't know.

I can say that after writing that down and having a think, I do feel a bit better. The problems aren't magically sorted, but I feel ok.

Blog Changes

Lately I've been reading lots of other people's blogs and nosing into people's instagrams, it's made me wish that I had my own outlet where I can post what I like and generally waffle about my liv.

Which is silly, because of course I have that outlet....I have this blog.

Now I don't post often, not many people see it, not many people comment...but does that really matter? If I want somewhere to write down my thoughts, then what does it matter if someone reads them, I'm not particularly trying to get my thoughts heard.

So I'm not going to try and use this blog for what I intended originally, whether it was cooking or planning or my Filofax...it's just going to be somewhere for me to share what's going on in my life and it will hopefully cover all of the above and much more.

The next few years should be interesting anyway...we've got a Wedding to plan for this December, a flat furnish, decorate and move into in December/January. Plus after that there'll surely be a baby on the cards, job updates, job moves, more house moves and who else knows what?!