Monday 13 November 2017

THE MUSIC LOVER'S CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE



Hi lovelies! Today, I wanted to put together another Christmas gift guide type post as whether you love it or hate it, Christmas is not so slowly creeping up on us and it's time to get shopping! For this one, I thought I'd do something a little different and put together a gift guide for music lovers. Music is just my favourite thing in the world and gifts that reflect that are just the best! So, I've pulled together a few of my favourite music-themed gifts.

Everything on this wishlist is from HMV, just because it's one of my favourite shops ever and I think it's so important to support the music industry with digital downloads always on the up. This brings me onto my first suggestion - a turntable! This Crosley turntable is just gorgeous and as cliché as it may sound, you really can't beat the sound of music on vinyl. This'd make a fab gift for someone who really loves their music and bonus - they'll be super easy to buy for in future as you can add to their vinyl collection for gifts later on. To go alongside something like this, or for someone who already owns a turntable, a box set full of vinyls from their favourite band is an amazing gift! I've been eyeing up this Blink 182 box set, which would be perfect for a big fan of the band!

Band tees are always a safe bet for a music lover andI just had to include a Green Day one in this gift guide as they're my favourite band ever! HMV have a huge range though, so you'd be bound to find the perfect one. For something a little bit different though, I thought these Pink Floyd shot glasses were seriously cool. They have a few different versions of these with different bands on, so it's definitely worth checking out if your music lover is also an alcohol lover! Another quirky gift idea I found was this Amy Winehouse Pop figure. Again, they have a few different artists so these are a fab idea as something a little bit more fun.

Possibly my two favourite things on this gift guide (or perhaps I should call it wishlist as I seriously want everything!!) are the David Bowie tea towel and the Guns N Roses doormat. I feel like these would instantly make any house a hell of a lot cooler! They have a few variations of both of these so definitely take a look!

So that's it! I'd love to know what you think of this slightly different spin on a Christmas gift guide!

Tuesday 17 October 2017

L'OCCITANE CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE


Hi lovelies! My first Christmas post, eek! I generally don't like to mention the C word before November at least, but I'm determined to be organised this year, so that means I've started at least looking if not actually buying gifts already! Today, I wanted to share a few gorgeous gifts from a brand that I absolutely love, L'Occitane. Ethical beauty is something that's very important to me and with L'Occitane being a cruelty free brand, they're a firm favourite of mine, especially when they start bringing out their beautiful festive gift sets.

I'm obsessed with the Baubles they have this year, the Cherry Blossom one being a particular favourite, because who doesn't love pretty miniature products inside a Rose Gold bauble? If you really wanted to treat someone before Christmas, the Natural Beauty Advent Calendar is bound to be a winner. Mini luxury bath and beauty products every day in December definitely trumps cheap chocolates any day!

For something on the lower end of the price scale, the little Terre de Lumiére Golden Star is a fab idea for friends or as a stocking filler, it contains a mini perfume, perfect to test out the scent before getting a full size - perfect Secret Santa material! For something a little different, they also do home fragrance, such as the Verbena Home Diffuser set. This would make a lovely gift for someone who's generally a little difficult to buy for - the ideal gift for the person who has everything.

They've got a ton of Christmas gift ideas for her, but I didn't realise how many gorgeous bits and pieces there were for men too such as the Cologne and shaving gift sets. I think these make a gorgeous gift for the men in your life as they're useful, but just a little more luxurious than the products they might use every day.

So, that's it! What do you think of L'Occitane's Christmas offerings this year? I for one am totally obsessed!

Monday 16 October 2017

ESPRIT WISHLIST

Hi lovelies! Today, I wanted to share with you all a little Autumn/ Winter wishlist, this time from ESprit. I don't have a store near me, so it's not somewhere I've been too many times, but when I had a peek on their website, I fell in love with so many things!

I've pulled together a few favourites to show what the site has to offer at the moment. The yellow check skirt is a particular fave, total clueless vibes! I thought this would look adorable paired with black tights and the knee high boots when the weather cools down a little more.

I thought the check print dress would look fab with the little camel coloured boots too, I'm all about the check and tartan prints all over the high street at the moment and I thought this dress was too cute! It'd be fab on the weekends with boots and a biker jacket, but also appropriate for work too, which is always a bonus! The scarf is a huge, shawl type scarf, which I just love for this time of year, they're perfect for those not-quite-winter nights when it's still not too cold, but you want something you can cosy up in as it cools down!

Perhaps my ultimate favourite on this little love list is the gorgeous velvet high top trainers - I love casual footwear like these anyway, but the velvet material and gorgeous deep red colour makes them a little different and slightly more dressy which I just love.

Finally, bit odd, but I wanted to include the lovely little candles because something I didn't realise how many gorgeous homeware bits and bobs Esprit had! These candles in particular were one of my favourites as I love the muted pastel colours. I love lots of candles around the house in the cooler weather and pretty ones like this are just perfect.

Have you checked out Esprit before? What are your favourite trends this A/W?


HOME INSPO


Hi lovelies! Today, I just wanted to share with you all some home decor pictures that I've been gathering at the moment - kind of like a Pinterest Board on my blog! I'm obsessed with all things homeware right now so this 

☆ @iolandapujol ☆ Uniqwa Furniture (@uniqwacollections) • chambre bohème chic
How gorgeous is this?! The white brickwork wall is just beautiful and I'm obsessed with the earthy tones along with the bright white. We're in the process of decorating our bedroom right now and this is definitely the vibe I plan on going for!

Driftwood Jewelry Display Wall Mounted Jewelry Organizer Necklace Storage Hanging Jewelry Holder/boho bohemian decor reclaimed gift for her
This is definitely more of a DIY than a home decor pic, but I had to share it as I just thought it was an incredible idea! Defintely something I'll be considering in the future.

Amber Lewis marries California boho with rock ’n’ roll touches.
Anyone who knows my Husband Darren and I knows that we are music obsessed. As I love our home to show a bit of personality, I think having pictures showcasing your favourite bands and artists is a really simple and classy way to bring what you love into your home.

Velux Windows | Clayridge Roofing- Clayridge Roofing Contractors, New Roofs, Guttering, Soffits & Fascias, Flat Roofs - Roofing Contractors ...
Kitchen goals. I'm obsessed with the light, bright colours of this one and I just love that it has roof windows like these from Velux. I've mentioned these before as I just love skylights and roof windows - in fact, the fact our place has them was one of the main reasons I fell in love with it! I think they look perfect with the layout of this gorgeous kitchen. I love the glossy finish on the doors and the sleek white breakfast bar. Absolute dream house material!

So that's it, a sneak peek into a few of my home decor design dreams! What would you do if you could redecorate your whole house? What's your favourite style? Let me know!

Tuesday 3 October 2017

LOVING LATELY: PINK


Hi lovelies! Today, I wanted to share a little wishlist of items from the prettiest trend around, pink! Pink was huge this summer but it does definitely seem to be sneaking its way into A/W too! I found all these items on Love the Sales, which is a really easy way to browse through lots of different sales. I've mentioned them on my blog before but I had to mention it again as they're just fab for looking at sale items all in one place!

I've already got a Pink denim jacket for this season, but I think the suede jacket from Superdry would be perfect for when it gets just slightly cooler still. The two handbags were instant heart eyes for me, I'm loving the faux fur trend and the little Carvela clutch combines the two in the cutest way! The other bag is Dorothy Perkins and I'm living for it. It literally looks like an actual Barbie accessory and I am very okay with that. Pink is such a girly trend that I think having a bit of edge along with it is really cool so you don't look like you're literally five years old and I can imagine using this bag to go to a gig with a band tee and ripped jeans. Obsessed.

What do you think of the pink trend right now? Are you embracing your inner Barbie girl this A/W?


Friday 15 September 2017

IT'S JUST ROCK N ROLL



Hi lovelies! It has been a hot minute since the days of daily outfit posts on my blog, so excuse the minimal photos on this one, I promise I'll get back in the game soon!! Today though, I wanted to share one of my favourite trends with you all and how I'm styling it - band tees!

For someone as thoroughly obsessed with music as I am, seeing band tees making a comeback in mainstream fashion made my heart sing. I have to admit, I am definitely one of those people who will not wear a bands logo if I don't listen to the band at least a little bit, but I do understand that some logos are just too cool not to put on a t-shirt (looking at you Pink Floyd). I love that this trend can look super casual, but be dressed up also. I've lived in band tees since around 2008, so having them pretty much everywhere in high street stores right now makes me a very happy lady. 

Major bonus, the trend ties in with another of my favourite trends - denim! Almost all of the denim I'm wearing in the post was very provided by WearAll. I'm aware that in the second set of pics, I'm not actually wearing a band tee, but I figured the double denim was 'Bon-Jovi-esque' enough to pull it off as a Rock n Roll outfit, right? Right?! The blue denim skirt in this outfit is one of my favourite pieces in my wardrobe right now, I am honestly obsessed with it. I love how it looks so casual, especially paired with a simple tee like this one, but the distressed look makes the whole outfit just a little bit more edgy and a whole lot cooler! 

As for actual band tees, the first of the two is the super adorable ACDC bodysuit, which was a Primark bargain! I paired this with these distressed high waisted jeans which again, are a firm favourite right now and will definitely be a staple going into Autumn/ Winter which looks like it is well and truly upon us (sob), distressed denim really is something you need in your wardrobe right now and it's everywhere so go get you some! The other is a Ramones tee that I got in Luxembourg of all places, though you'll find similar all over the place. I paired this with this black lace up denim mini, this skirt is great as it's a kind of stretch denim material, which makes it seriously comfortable to wear while still having a nice snug fit. I love this with a leather or denim jacket in a contrasting colour. All about the double denim right now and I am not even sorry.

What do you think? Do you love the rock n roll trend that's going on right now? What are your A/W Wardrobe staples?

Thursday 14 September 2017

MAKING A HOUSE A HOME


Hi lovelies! Today, I wanted to share a quick little post all about our house and how we've made it out own on a budget. I’ve been meaning to do this since Darren and I first moved into our (not so new) home, but Wedding and life got in the way! When we moved, we moved from a rented house that was fully furnished when we moved in and our place was literally a blank canvas, so as we were starting from scratch, we decided to go very basic with our furniture (charcoal sofas, black coffee table and side table etc). I’m all about monochrome and keeping things minimal so while this suited me, it also meant I wanted to add a few touches to make our place feel like our own!


Honestly, when choosing where you're going to live whether you're buying or renting, I think making sure you love the actual space itself, a mistake we made with our last place, we picked the first rental we came by that'd allow a dog and while our little cottage served us well as our first home together, it so just not us at all, very old fashioned and with no garden to speak of and honestly it never fully felt like home like our place does now. When we first moved in here, it felt a bit strange as our place is a first floor maisonette, so while we do technically have a downstairs, it’s literally just a little hallway where our front door is, then you’re straight up the stairs into our open plan living room/ kitchen area. This was very different for me and initially, it felt more like a holiday apartment than our actual house (something I now love!!).  Probably my favourite thing about it is how light and bright it is thanks to several big windows – something our old house definitely didn’t have! The Kitchen area and bathroom both have roof windows, which is fab because it means the light floods the room, but no one can see directly in (though we’re surrounded by forest and trees on that side of the house so it’s not too much of an issue!). You can get Top Hung Roof Windows from Roof Windows Veluxshop – it’s an investment and luckily our house had them already but I’d thoroughly recommend them. It may seem like an odd one recommending windows, but because the room is so light and bright, it meant that we could have dark furniture, which I absolutely love.

As we went with black and grey furniture, that means we can bring in other colours as and when we fancy a change, this is particularly good for those on a budget as it's a really easy way to make a room feel really different without having to spend a lot of money. Try using Laura Ashley promo codes which would help you find furniture at economical prices Personally, I love keeping everything black, grey and white as much as possible as it's a look I love, but to make it feel our own, we've added little touches of things that fit our personalities, particularly in the living room area as it's where we do a lot of entertaining and I love that you can get a feel for who we are just by looking around our home.

I got the Globe from Home Sense and I am obsessed with it. We both love to travel so that was a no brainer for sure! The guitar speaks for itself, both Darren and I play guitar and our love for music was what we bonded over when we first met. I love that little things in our house reflect this. We're not an overly soppy couple in general, but keeping things like the little collage of gig tickets gives a little nod to the early days of our relationship while also providing a reminder of some of our best memories together! We've got a real mix of the both of us with the dream catcher and plants with the Star Wars figures. That particular little corner of the room is a work in progress, but it's definitely one of my favourites! The little marble pots were Primark bargains for those wondering! Another favourite of mine is our Movie Camera lamp, which we got from The Range. It's nice to have something a little different from a standard lamp and at only £14.99, this was a really inexpensive way to add a statement piece to the room.

I think what made this place feel like home so quickly was just filling it with our favourite things and things that reflect us and really that would be my biggest tip for those moving into a new place. Put photos everywhere, stick silly toys on the shelves, get some big fluffy cushions and make it somewhere you're excited to come home to every day.

I hope you enjoyed this rather random post, I've wanted to share some snaps from our home for a while and thought this was a good way to start! If you'd like to see any more interior themed posts, please do let me know!

Sunday 10 September 2017

BLOGGY BRIDES: OUR PRE-WEDDING SHOOT AND WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE ONE TOO


Hi lovelies! Welcome to another #BloggyBrides blog post! As you may know from previous posts on here and my socials, I'm married! Our Wedding Day was just perfect and I'm so excited to tell you all more about it, so if you have any post suggestions, please send them my way!

Before I get into this post, please don't forget to check out last week's #BloggyBrides post on losing your Wedding mojo from 'Lady Law Student' Catriona!

Today, I thought I'd post all about mine and Darren's 'Pre-Wedding' shoot. I call it this and not an Engagement shoot as we literally got engaged over a year ago and to call in an Engagement shoot feels like milking it, even for me! So pre-wedding it is.

As part of our package with our amazing photographer Alice, we got to do some practice shots before the big day arrived. Pretty perfect as Darren and I are more of a peace and pout/ dab like it's not totally uncool kind of couple in front of the camera (I'll let you guess who's who), so needless to say, cutesy poses didn't initially come naturally to us! So, last weekend, we headed off with Alice to Down Hall Country House, which is near where we live to get snap happy. We decided to go for a casual, yet vaguely coordinated vibe with our outfits (I decided, Darren got briefed before getting dressed), so we'd look like we didn't totally clash, but weren't too matchy-matchy either. I also decided to wear my wedding hair extensions, which if you're planning on wearing anything like this for your big day, I'd totally recommend as it gave me a feel for how my hair may look and feel on the day/ if I'd want any length off etc. Of course, I styled my own hair for these photos and I'll have a pro do it on the day, but like I say, it gave me an idea.

Really, the point of the entire session, other than to get some cute photos of the two of us together was to get us a little bit more prepared on the day. Alice said it'd be a good idea for the two of us to go through and look at the photos and decide which poses we did and didn't like, or what side we prefer, basically, figure out which photos we think we look shit in and avoid doing those things on the Wedding day. Not only will it save bitter disappointment when you realise your Bridesmaid has been blocking your good side in 75% of all your wedding photos, but it'll also save time on the day, as you can skip right to your fave poses.

Another reason that I'd totally recommend doing this if you can, is that you and your photographer can get to know each other a little better. I was lucky in that I found Alice through work, when we first got engaged, I was working as a beauty therapist and Alice was a client. So I'd already spoken to her a good few times. However having these photos taken meant that she got to know Darren and I a little better as a couple and we learned a little about how she works. Alice is a total sweetie anyway, so we're very lucky, but whoever your photographer is, I think it's so important that you feel comfortable around them and you feel like you can really tell them what it is that you want.

So to sum up, my top reasons why you should definitely have a 'pre-wedding' shoot;
You get to know your photographer
They get to know you as a couple
You'll get to see your photographer's style and request any slight changes (though hopefully you'll know and like their style before you book them!!)
You get more comfortable in front of the camera
You learn which poses do/ don't work for you
You'll have pretty couple photos that your Nan will want to frame.

So that's it! Would you consider a pre-wedding or engagement shoot? I'd love to know your thoughts!

Don't forget to check out the other Bloggy Brides, Clara from Utterly Feral, Catriona from Lady Law Student, Rebecca from Rock&Roses Mama, Lianne from Mrs Mummy Harris and Sophie from A Beautiful Ride


Wednesday 6 September 2017

OUR WEDDING DAY: A SNEAK PEEK

Hi lovelies! I'll keep this short and sweet as I just wanted to share a few snaps of our Wedding day! I will do a full post when the professional pics eventually roll in, but for now (exactly four weeks later would you believe!!) I wanted to share a few of my favourite moments with you all!

If you have any Wedding themed posts you'd like to see, please do let me know as I'm so not ready to stop talking Weddings yet!

 

Monday 21 August 2017

ACCESSORIZE LOVELILY PERFUME REVIEW



Hi lovelies! I honestly cannot remember the last time I wrote a perfume review, which for someone who loves perfumes as much as I do, is really something! I went through a phase a couple of years back of buying all of the perfume. And when I say all of it, I mean all of it. I literally used to spend all my spare money on it searching for my 'signature scent'. While now I do feel as though I have 'my' scent (Victoria's Secret Bombshell if it's anything to you!), I do like to switch my perfumes up a lot.
First of as always when talking perfume, right or wrong, I can't help but just a scent by it's bottle. While this bottle does look cute on my shelf among my several other (mostly hot pink) perfume bottles, I wouldn't say it's my favourite of the bunch. That said, it is cute and it's by no means bold and hideous (like a certain celeb perfume bottle with pink plastic hair but we won't go there). It's simple, it's sweet and it'll make an inoffensive addition to your perfume collection.

Onto the actual important part, the scent itself. The top notes are Bergamot, Raspberry and Orange, middle notes are Jasmine and Lily of the Valley and the base is Vanilla and Musk. Rather simple, but sometimes when done well, there's no need to over-complicate. I definitely get the Raspberry right away, there is a slight citrussy scent there for me, but it's not overwhelming, which I like. As it settles down, the fruity notes and light florals combine with the vanilla to create a light but warm sweet fruity floral. The musk isn't very strong at all and I think it's really just there to add a little depth to the Vanilla, which it definitely does and I think it takes the edge off of the sweetness too, which keeps the fragrance from being too cloying and 'immature'.

The Fragrance Shop are currently running a deal where you can get the 75ml perfume with the 100ml Body Lotion in the same fragrance for just £12 - that's cheaper than buying the perfume alone! Check it out here.

What do you think? Have you found any unexpected gems while fragrance shopping? I'd love to know!

Tuesday 1 August 2017

FEATURED POST: HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR WEDDING PHOTOS



Five Ways to Share and Use Your Wedding Photos
Weddings are really special. They are one of those rare occasions where everyone you love is together in one place. Everyone is dressed to impress and in the mood to really let their hair down and have a great time. Even your normally grumpy Uncle Jimmy is being sociable and may even be caught smiling on camera.

Usually, you get fantastic photos of everyone. Unfortunately, a lot of them only see the light of day once or twice. This is a pity because there are so many great ways to share and use them to brighten up your life, and that of your guests.

Turn them into art for your walls
A great approach is to take one of your favourite snaps and ask a firm like Hello Canvas to turn them into a canvas print. These beautiful pictures look fantastic and are designed not to fade quickly, so they are a nice way to decorate a wall in your home. 
You can potentially give them as gifts too. If you know a member of your family likes a particular shot of them and their kids send it off and have it turned into a print. It does not necessarily have to be a canvas one. The best print firms offer photo on wood, metal and poster style prints as well, which makes it easy to choose a style that works for any home.

Phone cases and other items
Another idea is to take one of these photos and have it turned into a phone case or other similar item. This type of gift is useful as well as thoughtful and personal.

Make your own photo related gifts
If you are even the slightest bit crafty there are lots of items you can make using photos. One idea, most people can manage to do, is to buy some interesting shaped ornaments and cover those using photos.This approach creates surprisingly striking ornaments. All you need to do it is the right glue, your photos and some sort of lacquer to protect the item. There are some other interesting ideas on this Pinterest board. A lot of them do not look like they would be too hard or expensive to make.

Share them online
Another nice idea is to set up an online photo album and send everyone the link. There are quite a few services available. Some of which are free, others are paid. The best ones allow you to break your album up into several sub folders, which makes it far more likely people will click through and take a look.

Create a photo calendar
If you have friends and family that still like to pin a calendar on the fridge, you could create one for them using your wedding photos. Try to personalise each one, so you are not effectively giving the same gift to more than one person. You can use photos of yourself in the calendar, but be sure to mix in a few of them and the rest of their immediate family in as well. 
x

Sunday 30 July 2017

KIDS WEDDING FAVOUR IDEA: ACTIVITY BOOKS

Hi lovelies! Another Wedding themed blog post because yes, I am obsessed. If you know Darren and I at all, you'll be aware that we're not exactly 'kid people'. This isn't to say we don't like Children, but it is to say that we aren't very experienced with them, so when it came to having kids at our Wedding, we were a little unsure of what to do. We don't have our own kids, nor do we plan on having any any time soon (if at all) so we weren't sure if we needed to get anything to keep them entertained, whether they'd even need anything and if so, what?!

So, I asked those more experienced than I, work colleagues, family members, the good people of twitter, the list goes on. I got a few ideas, but one that came up with almost everyone was colouring books. See, actual games or toys can be a little too distracting or loud, which during speeches is just not a good idea. Sweets and treats may not go down well with parents. Arts and crafts and people's best clothes don't mix. You get the gist.


Armed with this knowledge, I went on the hunt for Wedding themed colouring books. I felt like something personalised and themed around Weddings would look more suited to it's intended purpose of giving the kids something to keep them happy and not bored out of their minds by all the speeches and grown up stuff going on around them, whereas any old colouring book may look like we're just saying 'we really hope your offspring stays quiet right now, so have this'. That could just be me overthinking it, but as much as we aren't too clued up on the ways of small people, we do appreciate them coming and celebrating our big day as much as any other guest and want them to feel like they've been thought of as much as the grown ups.Weddings are long and potentially boring days for kids, the speeches being arguably the most difficult part for them what with all the sitting still, so these little activity books will (hopefully!) provide a little entertainment.


I found these adorable little personalised activity books on eBay (that site really has been a saviour when it comes to these little wedding details!), they're A6 in size, so not too big and not too tiny either and come with this really cool multi-colour crayon/ pencil thing. I lived for these kind of pencils as well as anything with my name on it as a kid so I'm hoping they'll love these too! Pro Tip - pencils and crayons don't stain clothes, avoid felt tips at all costs, accidents happen! What I liked most about these - other than the adorable design on the front and the personalised cover of course - is the fact that they don't just have colouring pages. There are 20 pages of colouring, word searches, mazes, dot to dot, colour by numbers, spot the difference and little tasks like 'decorate the cake' and 'draw yourself at the wedding'. Because of this, I didn't feel the need to vary the gift for children of different ages as there's something in there for all of them.


For such a low price, I'd highly recommend getting these books or something similar if you're going to have little ones at your Wedding. Not only will it keep them happier during the boring bits, but it also shows their Parents that you've not forgotten about them. As much as a Wedding is about you and your partner, it is nice to show your guests where possible that they matter to you and that you're grateful for them being there to celebrate with you.

What do you think of this idea? What do you think of Children at Weddings?

Chloe x

Sunday 23 July 2017

BLOGGY BRIDES: DON'T CALL ME A BRIDEZILLA!


Hi lovelies! Welcome to my very first #BloggyBrides blog post! If you don't know already, I am now one of the 'Bloggy Brides' (follow us on twitter here) and will be posting regular Wedding themed blog posts. We're basically a bunch of Brides-to-be/ Wifeys who like to talk all things weddings! In the last Bloggy Brides post Catriona from Lady Law Student posted To Elope or Not to Elope, a fab read if big, elaborate Weddings aren't your thing!

With only a few weeks before my Wedding, I'm super excited to be able to post about my Wedding prep, my big day and everything inbetween both before and after the event. Really, I just love that I have a good excuse to keep talking Weddings after mine is over! With that in mind and such a short time to go before our Wedding Day is upon us, I've found myself reflecting on my time as a Bride-To-Be and wanted to share my thoughts.

A word you'll see thrown around a lot when planning a Wedding, reading about Weddings, scrolling through Pinterest or just mentioning the fact you're getting Married/ being a Bridemaids/ breathing the same air as any Bride ever, is 'Bridezilla'.  I'm fully aware that many people say this in jest and in my case, I don't think I've ever personally had someone say it seriously to me, but I have heard countless stories from girls I know that have been called it for real and for the teeeeniest things and it's just not fair!

Make no mistake, Bridezillas exist, some of the loveliest ladies are pure evil the second an Engagement ring is slipped onto their finger, but these are not who we are talking about today. Today, we're discussing the average Bride, the very normal, reasonable Bride who is unfairly and incorrectly labelled a Bridezilla. I have spoken to lots of lovely ladies in the same position and many of us, myself included once or twice have unjustly had the label thrust upon us. Let me explain.

When you're planning a Wedding, your friends and family (understandably) want to be involved. This is fine, however, despite the good intentions of your loved ones, it's important to remember that your Wedding day is about you and your fiancé and while it's nice for others to help, the final say is yours. So when you've got ten different people providing you with their ideas and opinions, you are inevitably going to have to say no from time to time (a lot, you're going to have to say it a lot). In fact, even with a pleasant 'nice idea but we're going to...', you can start to feel like you're constantly shutting down ideas and telling people no.

Because of this, I honestly feel as though many Brides get the dreaded title just by knowing what they want and sticking to it. I mean, are you really a Bridezilla if one of your Bridesmaids suggests you all wear flower crowns and you're just not feeling it? Or if you put an absolute ban on any kind of inflatables or penis straws at your Hen do? What about telling 15 people that no, for the 100th time, I will not have the Cha Cha slide, the Conga or the Ketchup Song played in the evening. I can't even remember how many Dresses I had to say 'thanks but no thanks' to trying on in Bridal stores just because I knew I didn't want them. And suddenly, you're no longer simply a Bride that wants her Wedding Day the way she pictured it, you're 'having a Bridezilla moment'.

The thing is, Weddings are exciting for all involved and it really is so lovely to have so many people want to share their ideas and thoughts with you, but when you've got ten different opinions and ideas about what your centrepieces should look like, you're going to have to say no to at least nine of them and while those whose ideas got put in the maybe/ not a hope in hell pile might feel a bit bruised, it doesn't make you a Bridezilla. When you tell your DJ that under no circumstances is a single Katy Perry song to be played at your Reception or you tell your Photographer that you hate too many photos of people standing in a row or you say that actually, you'd really rather not try on the blue 'Elsa' Wedding Dress (really Mum?) you're simply being a Bride that knows her mind and that is 100% okay. Your Wedding Day is your day and us Brides have got to be able to unapologetically say 'No, I'm doing it this way' without being labelled a stroppy diva*.

* Telling your Bridesmaids to dye their hair, throwing a tantrum because someone can't afford the Hen do/ expensive gifts you wanted, forcing your Bridesmaids into ugly dresses to make you look better or writing your Fiancé's speech for him so he says the right stuff about you does make you a Bridezilla, stop being a bitch.

Don't forget to check out the other Bloggy Brides, Clara from Utterly Feral, Catriona from Lady Law Student, Rebecca from Rock&Roses Mama, Lianne from Mrs Mummy Harris and Sophie from A Beautiful Ride

Sunday 16 July 2017

INEXPENSIVE DIY BRIDESMAID GIFT IDEA


Hi lovelies! With less than 4 weeks to go until we get married, I wanted to squeeze in as many wedding themed blog posts as I can before our big day arrives! Today, I thought I'd share something a little different as I know many people out there getting married right now have budgets to stick to. While some budgets are larger than others, finding little ways to save money here and there is never a bad thing!

On your Wedding day, it's tradition for the Bride to give her Wedding party a little gift on the morning of the Wedding to say thank you for being there with them and for all their help in planning the day. I didn't want to share the gifts I actually have for my girls (though if your interested, I will show these after we get married so that there'll be no snooping from my girls beforehand!) but I did want to share with you a little DIY I've done for them (and myself!) as I think this alone would make an incredible gift, especially if your budget is pretty tight.


I'd seen these personalised Champagne flutes a lot on Pinterest and when I searched for them online, they were pretty expensive! A lot of the nicer ones that I found were around £15 each, which when you have 5 Bridesmaids, a Maid of Honour and a Mother of the Bride to buy for, really adds up (especially if, like me, you want one for yourself as well!). At that price, I'd have been spending £120 on glasses alone, which even if I had the budget for, I absolutely would't do! So, I had the idea of making them myself and headed off to trusty old eBay for a hunt around.

I searched for wine glass decals and loads of options came up at seriously low prices. After a pretty quick browse, I found these ones, listed here, the listing is for 10 decals, which got me all 8 of these as I got 5 Bridesmaid ones, a Bride, a Maid of Honour and Mother of the Bride (MOH and MOTB count as two words, this is explained in the listing). All of these were just £4.75 with free shipping and you could choose your own wording and which colour you wanted. They arrived on clear transfer tape and were super easy to apply to the glasses, you simply cut around the wording, place it on the glass, ensuring all air bubbles are gone and then carefully peel back the tape, leaving your pretty wording behind! Now I haven't tried, but I'm going to go ahead and assume these aren't washing up bowl/ dishwasher safe, so while they can be used on the Wedding day and for photos, it may be best to give them a careful rinse and keep them as a keepsake after that.



As for the glasses themselves, as I almost always do with glasses (they get broken far too often in our house), I headed to Wilko's. These very pretty and super sturdy Champagne flutes were just 50p each! So I got all eight for £4. This brings our total for the lot to a mere £8.75. Not bad when you could've been spending £120!

When you've put your words on the glasses, you can then pop in some tissue paper in the colour to match your Wedding theme (I'll be switching this out as mine isn't pink, though I do think this looks super pretty!) and you're done! You could pair these in a gift bag with a miniature bottle of Champagne or Prosecco and you've got a super impressive and very inexpensive gift! If your budget stretches a little further, these would also make impressive wedding favours for all of your guests, as you can get 10 names for £4.75  and a glass for each guest for 50p, would work out to a litter under £1 for each guest, which is an absolute bargain and could double up as place settings for each guest - win win!

What do you think of this gift idea? Will you be doing something similar for your maids on your big day? If you've done any DIY for your Wedding, let me know as I'd love to hear about it!

Chloe x

Thursday 13 July 2017

4 WEEKS TO GO, WHAT I'VE LEARNED WHILE PLANNING A WEDDING


Hi lovelies! I can't believe I'm writing this post, it feels so soon! It's been more than a year since my fiance Darren and I got engaged and in 4 weeks, we will officially be Husband and Wife! It's been a whirlwind of a year, we moved twice, both started new careers and all the while planned a Wedding! It's been a mixture of emotions, mostly all consuming excitement but despite being mostly pretty chilled about everything, Wedding planning has had its stressful moments for sure! So, I thought I'd share with you all a few of the things that I've learned, or have surprised me along the way. I'll throw in some tips here and there so if you're a Bride to be, this may or may not be helpful for you! And if you're a Wedding guest, Bridesmaid, MOH etc, listen up too as this may be useful for you!

I'm really bad at saying no.
Something rather frustrating that I've learnt throughout the entire process is that I'm just terrible at saying no to people and probably too worried about upsetting people. Example, I was at first, talked into having a style of wedding ring that I really didn't like and despite my own doubts, pushed into getting a smaller size by the pushy shop assistant, said ring turned up, too small and looking very old fashioned and 'blah' next to my engagement ring. After having a bit of a cry about it, Darren took me out, the granny ring was returned and we replaced it with a much more modern, much more me ring, which is exactly what I should've done in the first place. Do not be pushed into decisions you're not 100% sure on, even by the 'experts' (bitch was no expert). 

You need to remember who the day is about.
This massively follows on from my last point. By nature, I'm not much of a worrier. I'm more of an act now, think later type of person. Turns out when it comes to wedding planning, that's not true. I've worried about every friggin' detail. People have said and done things that I've massively disagreed with along the way and at first, I wouldn't say anything through fear of upsetting someone, however your day is just that your day. No one is more important than you and your partner, so when someone pushes their ideas and opinions that you don't like, it really isn't so bad having to remind them who's day it is. I've been so afraid of coming across like a Bridezilla, but actually, we're only planning on doing this day once and we're going to do it our way! Your guests should absolutely respect that too. For the most part, ours have done and while there have been wobbles along the way, we've always gotten through it by reminding ourselves what the day is ultimately about.


Planning the big stuff in advance really does make life easier.
We booked our Venue, Caterer, DJ, Photographer and Registrar fairly early, which meant we could plan the finer details around the bigger stuff. There were so many things along the way, such as the flowers, the shoes, the colour scheme, the style of invites etc, that were pretty dependant on the vibe of the venue we went for, so having that down from the offset made those decisions a fair bit easier. I'd definitely recommend booking the Venue before anything else personally. You don't want to buy a bunch of boho bridesmaids dresses only to fall in love with a super modern, grand hotel. Side note, I also wouldn't get too stuck on the idea of a certain theme (unless you're certain of course!), once you fall in love with a place, sometimes the rest will just fall into place around it.


It goes by so fast.
With all that's happened this year, our Wedding day has honestly come around so quickly. I'm grateful in a way, because we never really went through the 'bored of waiting, what do we do now?' phase that I've heard a lot of other people talk about. That said though, when we booked our venue a year ago, I had no idea just how quickly the day was going to come around, it felt like a lifetime away! Now, while pretty much everything is in place and we're both seriously excited for the big day, I feel like these last few weeks are slipping away so quickly and I almost don't want them to end! I'm certain that our Wedding day will be the best day of our lives, but with all its ups and downs, I'd say planning the Wedding has been one of the best times of our lives together and I really will be quite sad when it's all over!

That's all I have for now, I'll try to fit in a few more wedding themed posts between now and the big day. We've got a pre-wedding shoot this weekend, so perhaps I'll share that with you all in the very near future!

Let me know what you thought of this post and if you'd like to see more. Are you getting Married or attending a Wedding this summer? I'd love to know!

Chloe x


HOW TO MAKE IDEAL CURLS WITH A CONIC CURLING IRON: GUEST POST

How to Make Ideal Curls with Conic Curling Iron
Talking with the girls about hair, the phrase "how many times I tried to do my hair, like on Youtube and in Instagram-video, and failed, they just do not work!" sounds almost all the time.
In fact, it is not surprising that you cannot repeat this fairly simple hairstyle as quickly and dexterously as it seemed at the first sightin a minute video.
Undoubtedly, the girls on the video had trained at least 5-10 times before this video was recorded. Miracles, alas, do not happen whether it is makeup or hairstyle. It is rare when everything works out for the first time, so try to be patient, take your time and take a seat in front of the mirror with a glass of wine. You will do this hairstyle, you will look amazing and will be able to say to yourself, “I am gorgeous and I go date now!”
The process of perfect curls creating.
For this styling, you will need a conic curling ironBe ready that itis not so easy to use this device. You should adapt to it. At the firsttime, almost all the girls have the curls which are straight at the roots and finely wound at the ends. In order to avoid this, you should observe the following rules:
• A lock of hair should not be too thick because largely the shape of the future curl depends on it.
• In order to achieve a more beautiful curve, it is necessary to twist it into a slight band when winding a lock of hair on a curling iron. It is very important that the band is not too tightly twisted, it must remain airy and voluminous.
• Be sure to leave a straight tip! Unwound ends are an attribute of good and modern styling. It is a must when using a conic curling iron, otherwise, there is every chance of making old-fashioned instead of natural curls. And do not be afraid to leave long enough straight ends, especially if the length of the hair is below the shoulder blades. The curve of the curl, which gives the conic ironis very good combined with the straight ends.
• After you have wound all the hair and want to get some extra volume then choose 3-4 small locks (literally 10-15 hairs) from your natural hair parting on the right and left, and twisteach of them additionally. Due to this, extra volume will becreated on the top of your head.
• Next, proceed to styling. Do not forget about thermal protection before starting any styling, it can be a spray, gel or creamy product. The main advantage of these sprays is that they give the hair a texture. In other words, they help to divide your styling into separate locks due to which the hair does not lie flat and get an additional volume and easy fixing.In addition, depending on your desires, you can choose sprays that give shine or a matte texture.

In the first case, the hair becomes smoother, and in the second – harder, which helps prolong the life of the locks on soft, undyed hair. Spray the entire length of the hair, while breaking and properly shaking the curled locks so that all the locks open and mix with each other.

• In conclusion, for the volume, apply a dry shampoo. Shake well any dry shampoo before using it. Apply it only on the top of the head but not touching a hair parting. After that, massage it well, pulling the hair slightly at the roots upwards.
If you do not have a lot of practice in using a hair curling iron, do not rush to use this model, it's not so simple for a beginner. Try first to use some round curling iron without a clamp, 25 mm in diameter, following the same pattern as described.