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.