What You Should Include On Your Wedding Website

I have a website set up for my wedding for so many reasons. They are a really good resource for both you as a couple and your guests. You can add as much information as you'd like and this can save you some money when it comes down to invitations by not including multiple info sheets. We have our website password protected with the password being only something we would both know, and we are including it on our info sheet. Your website has private information so this is important. Once our wedding has been and gone I'll upload our invitations in a blog post and explain how we made them. For now, here is my advice on what to include on your wedding website.

The info on the invitation

It seems obvious, but what if a guest has lost their invitation closer to the day but saved your wedding website on their phone? Well then, they need the main information. This should include the location, date, time to arrive and whether the ceremony and reception events are in different locations. A lot of other information can be covered in the FAQ.

Your story

It's nice to add a bit about yourselves, not only to bulk up the website and make it look pretty but to give guests some extra information about yourselves. We have added in how we met, the proposal story and our timeline of events. The timeline bit includes each year and what we've done, so in 2012 we met, in 2014 we got a flat together, in 2017 we got engaged for example. We will have been together 9.5 years so I guess there is more to fill in. Your story can include anything you wish. It's nice to add some pictures in where you can too.

Your colour scheme and dress code

I can't stress how important this is. If you don't want guests to wear certain colours, you'd like them to dress in black-tie attire or you want a bit of a theme to your wedding, you really should include a dress code. By including your colour scheme, you can ask guests to avoid dressing in your Bridal Party colours, you could ask everyone to match in say black or white (which looks amazing) or specify if there is a specific colour you do not want guests to wear. The specific colours which come to mind from tradition or superstition are white (bride's dress), black (mourning colour) and red (certain culture's bridal colours and also superstitious from what Google tells me). On our dress code section in the FAQ, we've laid out what formal attire and cocktail attire is (the guests can take their pick) so that those who aren't used to going to formal events can see clear as day what is expected. As a guest, I would find this really helpful, especially if someone wanted tuxes and floor-length gowns because I would see any kind of formal event as wearing a cocktail dress. We have also specified that you can wear any colour and have included the colour scheme in case anyone wants to match on purpose.

How to RSVP

Most wedding website providers allow you to add a page to RSVP on. On our website, we have a little bit of information first, such as what date to RSVP by, alternative ways you can reply (email, posting the RSVP card back etc) and how to RSVP. Ours is on Zola, so you add your guest list in, so when a guest opens the RSVP page it's a lot easier for them. They just have to start typing their first name in the box and a new page will appear. When you make the guest list you check off which events you are inviting people to, for example, the ceremony is an event, the reception is an event, or you could do an all-day event and then an evening event. This works for multiple cultures as you can make separate events for different ceremonies if you're having two, a wedding rehearsal, brunch the next day etc. I would make sure to add to your RSVP, even on a paper invitation too, that dietary restrictions can be catered for so leave space for guests to add in what theirs are. We are particularly understanding as a couple as we're both vegetarians with intolerances!

Travel information

One of the first things guests think of when they're figuring out whether they can attend your wedding will be about the travel. If your website allows it, add a Google Maps feature to pin your locations in. This page overall should include where the wedding is taking place, how to get there, local hotels (if you have a specific one booked out, specify this) and taxi numbers. We have also added some things to do in the area, such as cool places to visit, places to go for walks, and places you can grab a bite to eat at.

An FAQ section

This can include all the extra questions that guests may have on the day. You should include information about parking, whether the venue is accessible to disabled guests, whether plus ones or children are invited etc. You could add in some extra answers to questions like should I bring confetti, what food will be served, whether it's an open bar and so on. All those extra questions that may not be deserving of a whole separate page should be on the FAQ page.

A gift registry, or not

I think it's more common in American weddings to have a gift registry, whereas in the UK it's more common to put money or a gift card inside the card you give. We have added this bit into our FAQ as I didn't end up liking the look of a page being titled something like 'gifts'. We added a simple poem to explain if you did want to gift money, and that wasn't expected, that you could add some to contribute to our Honeymoon. We also added in an explanation too as this is the second wedding we've planned as the first one was completely cancelled. Some guests gave us money in advance too so we've taken note of that. 

Here are some other wedding posts you may be interested in

Our Engagement Story

What I've Learned from Wedding Groups

My Wedding Dress Story & Experience

So You Just Got Engaged, Now What?

Read more

What I’ve Learned From Being In Wedding Groups

Ever since we got engaged I joined wedding groups on Facebook to get advice, DIY ideas, helpful tips and a lot more. In order for me to find out what would be useful to have at the wedding, what is a waste of money what people didn't even notice on the day etc. I have combed through the groups for people who have already had their wedding day to see what they had to say and here is what I've found so far.
Favours get left behindThis is probably one of the most common things I found when looking in the groups. People will spend a ton of money on favours for a huge percentage of them getting left behind. Sometimes people don't want to take home a personalised pen, some flower seeds or a mini bottle of vodka. Even though these things might be what you like, you have to weigh up whether you'll be left with 60 favours at the end of the evening to take home. I really wanted to make small cookies or something but with dietary requirements (including my own) I just couldn't justify the cost. Every favour I could come up with cost way too much and if I had a lot left over, what would I do with them? Overconsumption is one thing that is contributing towards climate change and for someone who is passionate about trying to save the planet, there is no way I could confidently say I was happy to risk it. If people don't have bags or pockets big enough too, that may be one reason why favours are getting left behind. Think about it in advance before getting settled on an idea.
Sweet carts often go untouched unless you invite childrenWhen you first go to Pinterest when you get engaged you see all these pictures from American weddings and think, wow, all this would be so good at our wedding. I am a fiend for some vegetarian sweets but so many people on wedding groups said that their sweet carts barely got touched. I couldn't believe just how many people said this, with the same going for other food areas that wasn't part of the wedding breakfast or evening food. Well that idea got swiftly thrown out of the window. I couldn't bare the thought of making custom labels for each jar and buying bags and little tongs and things for all the sweets for them to barely get touched. Now with the pandemic too, I don't think I would want people hovering over food or touching sweets. I feel the same way about buffets too and haven't been to one since. You really need to look at who you're inviting to the wedding and look at it from there. We have one child coming who is my sister. I love her but I'm not making an area dedicated to sweets just for her. 
Breaking traditions to have your perfect dayA lot of people were wondering on the groups whether they should stick to old wedding traditions or switch things up to how they'd like things to happen. This could be eloping, having a different coloured dress or wear a jumpsuit, having their hair dyed a bright colour, having different food at the venue and so on. There are certain things you have to compromise on like having a seating plan if you're having a sit-down meal to make it easier for the caterers, and if you're getting legally married in England at least you need to have a Registrar or get married in a Church. There are so many traditions you can break but it really comes down to what you'd like on your own day. This depends also on culture and religion too.
Look outside of major chains for thingsWe bought our rings from Etsy from two different stores, and we are so glad we did. Not only have we heard horror stories from these wedding groups (think the major UK jewellery chains) with rings breaking, stones falling out, not getting what they were promised etc, we decided to shop small. I feel like even if a store gives you a guarantee it doesn't mean that they won't fight you first before you're able to get what is in the guarantee. Nothing is certain, so we looked at small businesses on Etsy because as a fall back you have Etsy customer service to rely on if something went wrong. You could say the same for outfits as you could use a local business to handmake items instead of buying from big businesses. You could do this for your invitations, your flowers, and little bits and bobs for decoration. You will find that you can find more unique items on places such as Etsy because things have been made by one person, not on a factory line. 
Be present in the momentCherish every second and really be present in the moment. People said that the day goes so fast so you should relax and soak up every minute of the day. Another comment of a similar vein is how you set up your tables. We're doing a sweetheart table for me and my partner as divorced families make a top table difficult but it also means we can sit and (attempt) to have our wedding breakfast just by ourselves. We know we will have to mingle and say hi to people or people may come up to us but if we can, we will just be chatting to ourselves and enjoying a bit of down time.
Don't let others opinions get the better of youAs a people pleaser it is so easy to give up and let other people put their opinions across and just plan the wedding for you, how they'd want it. It's yours and your partner's wedding. So many people have been posting dilemmas about how to do things their way, how to tell someone no, whether they should just elope to save the hassle and so on. Luckily we personally haven't had too many opinions thrown our way, but since we re-planned our whole wedding after we cancelled the first one, we've kept a lot of ideas and things we've bought to ourselves. I personally have spent the last few years setting boundaries and have been better at enforcing them so if you practice being firm with what you'd like at the wedding, hopefully it will really help to stop you trying to always please other people there. You can't please everyone, so you need to think about what you as a couple want to do.
Be careful how much you DIYDoing something yourself or making something yourself does not always guarantee things will be cheaper. Having a read of some Pinterest posts early on really opened my eyes. We bought a Cricut and a Minc foil applicator machine ahead of the wedding as we wanted to make our own invitations and use the machines later on. So many people don't have those machines so you can't just look at a 'laser cut wedding sleeve design' and think yep that is affordable. It costs hundreds of pounds and you could pay someone on Etsy to cut them out for you. Unless you have the items ahead of time, it can cost you so much money paying for all the bits and bobs before you've even made it. You also need to figure out how much you need to DIY; whether you are doing all the decor, just some of it or just the odd bit. You absolutely can put too much on your plate and give yourself a huge workload when you could maybe rent items out. There is a fine line so the wedding groups helped me look at what my ideas were and see where I could rent things and where I could make things myself.
Spend money on things that matter to youWe really value photography, with my partner loving taking portrait photos and his Dad and Uncle being able to take amazing landscape scenery and wildlife photos. We knew that having amazing photos was one of the most important things to us, and that's why we chose Two For Joy Photography. You only do the day once and actually, photography was the very first thing we booked. We got dates from them and booked our venue around when they were available. If you have a budget, prioritise the things that matter to you first. You want an amazing suit, you would like lovely flowers, you want custom made engraved rings, you prioritise them all.
Having a change of outfitI was surprised to see how many people had a second dress, their Groom changed outfits, they changed their shoes, or just did something different later on. I used to see on Say Yes To The Dress people with a lot of money would get 2 or even 3 wedding dresses and I just thought how ridiculous it was. It wasn't until myself and my partner were looking on the groups more regularly that we saw people were having outfit changes later on, for the first dance or for the 'party' part of the day. Some people changed for the first dance because it was easier to dance in a different outfit or their dress was just too heavy. Some people just changed their shoes for this or took off their outer skirt. Some had completely different outfits for the party side of things as they were too hot or uncomfortable wearing the same thing for hours on end. At first I couldn't see how I'd want to take off my dress but I was quickly reminded that because of my illnesses I have poor temperature regulation and I am likely to get really warm from dancing. My partner has now bought me a lovely dress for the party part and he is looking to get a new shirt and new shoes for himself for the same time. On this one day, we want to look good but be comfortable too, and that's the same thing other people said too.

Read more

So You Just Got Engaged, Now What?

I got engaged over 4 years ago now and I have learned a lot during this period. Not only have I now planned 2 weddings, as the first one we fully cancelled in March 2020, but we've changed as people during this time and so has our interests. The two different weddings we planned had two different themes, decor choices, venues and much more. I've also been reading several blogs, magazines and planners to see what exactly you should consider when you begin wedding planning, so here is what we've learned.

Go online and watch some wedding videos

We went on YouTube and searched for our venue to see people's wedding videos there, then searched more broadly like 'Cheshire Wedding Videos' and so on. You may find inspiration for themes or colours, what type of venue you want (like a barn, a hotel, a teepee in a field etc). You can listen to people's vows and speeches, look at the timeline and so much more. Often people write in the description which suppliers they used too so this can be so helpful in the beginning. Look up whether the venues you're considering or have booked have tour videos online too. More venues have started doing this over the last 2 years and it really helps to save these videos and keep watching them as you plan out your day.

Set up accounts on Hitched, Bridebook etc

Here you can search for suppliers and shortlist them, message them, request brochures and read reviews. You can use their checklists to see a timeline and keep track of what you need to do, and when. Bridebook have even introduced a feature where both partners can use the app on their own phone and use it equally. A lot of the time the planning is focused on 'the bride' but you may have two brides or none. It's 2022, these wedding companies really need to modernise themselves.

Consider everything when looking at a venue

I've spoken about this before but before paying a deposit you need to consider everything. Accessibility is so important and this impacts everyone. It impacts the elderly, the pregnant person, the disabled person, the person with a chronic illness, the person who gets migraines, babies and toddlers, the person who broke their leg. It affects the families and friends of all these people too. There should be a disabled toilet, if there are steps you need a ramp, adequate comfortable seating, no flashing lights, highchairs, etc. At our wedding there will be several elderly people who have access needs, myself and at least one other disabled person who will need to use the disabled loo, neurodivergent people and multiple people including myself that are prone to migraines. I know sometimes it feels like access can have a long list but trust me, it's so worth it. If you put in the effort to provide access, the people who need it will be forever grateful.

Have a look at getting wedding insurance

This seems impossible right now, but have a look and see if getting wedding insurance is possible. We went with John Lewis who provided us two lots of compensation (if that is the right word) for our cancelled and postponed weddings. We now have no insurance because we have claimed twice so we need to look again to see if we can get it. Wedding insurance provides you money where vendors haven't shown up, vendors have cancelled, you've had to postpone your wedding and if vendors haven't provided what you agreed upon. It's so useful if you can get it.

Sign the contracts

This is so important! Your suppliers (within reason) should supply you with contracts that list everything that will be provided at the wedding. This helps you know exactly what you will be getting and gives you something to refer back to. On the off chance something went wrong and you needed to cancel or rearrange your wedding, having a signed contract makes things a lot easier, particularly if you are having to claim with your wedding insurer as they will often require contracts to be provided before paying out.

Make a wedding website

Not only can you provide a lot more information on here than in your invitations, but you can provide a lot of helpful advice too. We have made a website on Zola, where we have put down hotels within a 3 mile radius to the venue, taxi numbers, things to do in the local area and more. We have an FAQ page where we have answered a lot of common questions and some that are specific to our wedding. There is an RSVP page for those who are tech-savvy and will respond online. We have written about our story over the years as we will have known each other 10 years by the time we get married. Finally, we have added the timeline for the day so people can know what time to arrive, what time photographs are in case they want to grab a drink and chill out, what time food is and what time the evening events start. It's so useful and if you use a website like Zola or The Knot, it's really easy to add your information and customise the website design to suit you.

Book hotels in advance

You don't even have to pay for them right now. We have provisionally booked a lovely hotel that is 15 minutes drive away from our venue that at this point, we can't afford to pay for with everything else. We know we can slowly save up to pay for this but at least we have put our booking in now so we know we have somewhere to stay. If your venue does not have rooms to stay in, it's so important you book as soon as it's possible to. We have booked somewhere more expensive as not only is it a treat but also nobody will probably be staying in the same place so we can have some rest ahead of the big day. Some hotels allow you to book blocks of rooms in advance which can come in useful for your guests.

See if your venue has table layout plans

Our venue handed us a ring binder with a ton of table layout plans that are catered for the number of people going to the wedding. We took photos of all of them and so far have made two separate plans, one of long tables and one for round tables. You may have a list of everyone you're inviting but not everyone will be able to come, so having different plans you can edit along the way is really helpful. Wedding websites often have the option to make table plans out of your guest list and this has been really helpful too. The app iVow also has this as an option if you prefer to do it on your phone or tablet.

Consider the time of year

Depending on when you are having your wedding, several things need to be considered. The first is the temperature; if it's hot does the venue have air conditioning or fans, if it's cold do they have heating, outdoor heaters or even fireplaces. The second is the clothing, particularly of the Bridal Party. The people wearing suits may have to opt for a thicker material so buying a year ahead is what I'd recommend. The Bride may also consider buying something to wear around them or providing blankets for guests. We have a basket for blankets and a basket for flip flops for sore feet. The final thing to consider with the season is what your theme is and colours. When we planned for a May wedding originally we have navy blue and blush pink/rose gold but our decor was white blossom trees with pastel blue and pink flowers. Now we've moved to an October wedding we have gotten rid of the blossom trees and are looking at adding pumpkins to the decor along with changing the theme to a celestial/starry night theme.

Make specific Pinterest boards

I started off with one big board for everything and it so hard to look through. I recommend having boards for hair/makeup/nails, boards for interior decor, boards for invitations, boards for the theme or colours you're considering and so on. We also have a board for things we are DIY'ing as Pinterest is a great resource for that too. It is so easy to keep on top of when you have smaller board types.

Real or fake flowers?

I was always going to have artificial flowers as the cost of real ones was not something I wanted to spend a lot on. One thing to consider when weighing up your options is, what happens for people with allergies/hayfever? If it's only bouquets then you only really need to thing about the people holding them but if you want flowers on the tables or dotted around the venue you may run into people sneezing a lot. I ultimately went with artificial flowers so that I can keep my bouquet forever and I need to buy a lovely vase to put it in so I can have it on display after the wedding.

Wedding groups

Facebook has a ton of useful groups on it, I have some for chronic illnesses, vegetarian food, crafting and weddings. You can search by your local area, wedding themes, weddings on a budget, DIY weddings and so much more. People even sell things on some of these groups that they've used in their own weddings if you're looking for something more affordable. People ask for advice so group members can help them out, some people ask for ideas or how to budget and so on. They are so helpful and it's honestly the single only reason I still use Facebook. 

Wedding jewellery 

Don't just limit your search to high street jewellers, look online too. We found both my engagement ring and wedding ring, and Andy's wedding ring on Etsy. I have seen a lot of bad reviews from high street jewellers from wedding groups and it made me want to look into smaller businesses. Maybe look online for reviews from anywhere you're looking to buy from before you get set on rings. This also goes for other jewellery you may wear on the day, including earrings, hairpieces, necklaces and bracelets; any kind of jewellery you like. Definitely look far enough in advance and have a look into getting your rings insured in case they end up needing a cleaning or stones fall out etc. Also, don't get set on engraving your ring, mine is so thin that it can't be engraved so I had to drop that idea.

Read more

How To Create A Blog Post For All Types Of Bloggers

It may be tempting to go straight into doing your post but this can sometimes cause you trouble further down the line. Spending a bit of time thinking about what you want your post to be like is always worth it. Some of the key things to identify are what style you want the post to be written in, such as a review, chatty post or an advice piece. When you have the idea in your head, you can set out a timeline for yourself to achieve your finalised blog post, taking and editing your photos, writing your content and then doing your last checks before hitting publish. Starting a blog is quite straightforward, so to really make the most out of blogging you should plan each post out even if you're just writing for a hobby.  

Taking photos for your blog is one of the most vital elements and can really compliment what you're writing about. One of the most important things when taking your photos is to consider the lighting situation. This can make or break the outcome of your photos. Where possible try to use natural lighting as this will give the best balance. If this isn't possible, aim to use some form of artificial lighting such as box lights or similar. Think about where you'll be shooting to make sure you have a suitable background, while the use of props can really bring your photos to life. There are a whole range of camera lenses available and using the right one can noticeably improve your picture and give you different options, such as blurry backgrounds. I use two cameras for my photos, the Olympus Pen E-PL7 and the Panasonic Lumix G6. After finishing taking the photos, there are a couple of ways to get your photos onto your device for editing. One helpful article about 'How to Transfer Images from your Lumix' explains how to do this. Once your photos are on your device, you can choose which way to edit them. I edit my blog photos on Photoshop but similar programmes and websites can help you achieve the same edit.

When it comes to writing your blog post it can sometimes be the point where you don't know where to start. This is where you can refer back to your plan to see how you intended to write the post and what needs to be included, as this will help you break it down into sections. If you concentrate on a smaller section at a time, it makes it easier to write. Letting your creative mind flow is great once you've got hang of it, but even if you get stuck you can look for some inspiration and you'll soon be right on track. Once you feel that your post is finished, go back over and read through it one more time. This will help you to spot mistakes you may have missed, along with slight improvements that could be made to make your writing that bit better.

It can be easy to publish your post and think that your work is complete but promoting your post is really important to get people to be able to see your post. Think about how often you want to share it and one what platform. Make use of the photos in your blog post to include in your social promotion as this will help to catch the eye of people scrolling through their feed. The better photos you get, the higher quality your Pinterest and Instagram feeds will be, and posts with photos tend to gain more views from Twitter and Facebook. Overall, having better photos should boost your engagement and increase traffic to your site, and help you find more blogging opportunities.

This is a sponsored post

Read more

Hair Care Tips & Tricks*

I'm someone who really takes pride in their hair, and from working in a salon a few years ago I've picked up some tips to help you make the most of your locks and keep them healthy.

Hydrate

One key tip to maintaining healthy hair is to keep it hydrated. Dehydrated hair is broken to breaks and is harder to brush and style. I previously dyed my hair near enough to a black shade and then decided I wanted to go back to light blonde and it took its toll on my hair. I had to get my hair cut from waist length into a lob to bring it back to life which upset me since I'd always been so kind to my hair. Products like hair masks or good conditioners can revitalise the hair and give it the moisture it needs to be healthy.

Trim

I need to utilise this trick more myself but trimming the hair regularly or having your style cut back in helps prevent breakage. I never used to believe people when the said trimming the hair every few months allows your hair to grow longer as you'd think the opposite. Trimming the ends takes off any split ends which makes the hair stronger and allow it to grow better.

Restore

Sometimes at-home remedies aren't enough, and further treatments such as hair transplants are required. Advanced Tricho Pigmentation Treatment works to replicate the appearance of naturally growing hair follicles for people with little to no hair. It provides the most natural results as possible and can even be used in the brow area to replicate realistic results. It works in a similar way to getting a tattoo and can be used on people with thinning hair to create the illusion of thicker hair too which is great. 

Dying

If you dye your hair like myself, if you're buying the products yourself you need to look into what the right dye is for you. If you create pastel shades on yourself try to go with semi-permanent colours as they wash out and you won't have to strip the hair of colour to remove it. Toners are another great way to change your hair colour without damaging it and there are some great ones on the high street for an affordable price. I would recommend visiting a hair salon if you're looking to bleach the hair or remove colour.

*This is a sponsored post

Read more

200 Blog Post Ideas For Every Type Of Blogger

Sometimes you get blogger's block and have trouble thinking about your next blog post. I've created a list of two hundred different blog ideas and titles to prompt you into creating the best posts possible. They're created in mind for beauty, fashion, lifestyle, travel and food bloggers so there is something here for everyone. When times are tough and you can't buy something to review, how about using some of these ideas to inspire you to get writing? 1 Inside your makeup bag 2 What inspires you 3 Share a recent haul 4 Write about a makeup collection 5 Facts about yourself 6 Write about a public figure who inspires you 7 Show off a recent vlog 8 An OOTD 9 The best money saving tips 10 Your morning routine 11 Create a cheat sheet  12 How to take outfit photos 13 Bucket list for the year 14 Share a charity fundraiser 15 Write about the home 16 What's in your handbag 17 Talk about what helps your wind down and relax 18 What you've experienced because of blogging 19 A book review 20 Chat about past hobbies and why you enjoyed them 21 Write a guide to working with bloggers 22 'If I won the lottery I'd spend it on...' 23 Talk about a current trend 24 Share what you do to keep you motivated 25 Food diary 26 Review a subscription box 27 Tell a travel story 28 Share some stories others have written 29 Advice for beginner bloggers 30 Guilty pleasures 31 Chat about your education 32 Bust a myth 33 Pros and cons of being a blogger 34 All time favourite songs 35 Ultimate life bucket list 36 Review some food 37 Chat about something that interests you 38 Top 10 TV shows to watch 39 How to complete online courses 40 Share a skill and give tips 41 Talk about your generation 42 Share a Pinterest board 43 How to pick a university 44 How to make a commute more enjoyable 45 Write a recipe 46 How to improve blog writing 47 Experience a technology blackout and write about how it felt 48 How you take your blog photos 49 Tips for choosing a student house 50 'In another life' if you had chosen a different path 51 How to pick a blog theme 52 How to use apps for blogging 53 Write a guide on writing blog posts 54 Share your favourite recipes from food bloggers 55 Show readers who your favourite bloggers are 56 Write about sexual experiences 57 Plan an event 58 How you've changed since you were younger 59 Host a giveaway 60 A list of your most used apps 61 How to use social media to your advantage 62 A decor wishlist 63 Review a TV show 64 Review some sample sized products 65 Checklist of bands you'd like to see live 66 How to get your dream job 67 Your evening routine 68 Crowdsource on a topic and write about it 69 Things you wish you could have i.e. a luxury home 70 Write about something in the news 71 Host guest posts 72 How to choose an Instagram theme 73 Secrets to success 74 How you edit your photos 75 Write about what you want to achieve in the future 76 Talk about an event you've been to 77 A fashion wishlist 78 Write about an illness 79 How to be self-employed 80 Talk about your regrets 81 A blogging wishlist 82 How you've conquered a fear 83 A roundup of your most popular blog posts 84 Review a makeup product 85 Why working at home is a positive thing 86 Music concert/gig review 87 Write about 'behind the scenes' of something 88 Monthly favourites 89 Share your blog earnings 90 How you started your blog 91 Things you wish you had known when you started your blog 92 Write some fitness goals 93 Holy grail makeup products 94 How you met your partner 95 HTML tips and tricks 96 Create a blog series 97 Write about a makeup experience 98 Share your favourite blog posts 99 How to buy a house 100 Seasonal makeup picks 101 Write an FAQ post 102 Recent snaps to share 103 How to turn a hobby into a career 104 Share discount/affiliate codes 105 Monthly blog goals 106 Talk about something kind you've done 107 A university packing list 108 How you can earn money through blogging 109 A makeup wishlist 110 How to start a blog 111 Review a fragrance 112 Create a list of topics you'd like to blog about 113 Write about something you dislike 114 Visit an attraction and write about it 115 A gift guide for the opposite sex 116 Share your blog stats 117 Money saving tips 118 Favourite nail products 119 Share an experience 120 Celebrity inspired makeup look 121 Favourite attractions in your area 122 Discuss your skin type and how to look after it 123 Show off some photographs 124 Organisation tips 125 How to grow your following 126 Yearly blog goals 127 Create a travel diary in photos 128 How to use blog props in blog photos 129 Make a seasonal wishlist 130 Makeup dupes 131 DIY instructional post 132 Write about mental health 133 SEO tips and tricks 134 Tattoo/piercing stories 135 Things you wish you never purchased 136 A week in photos 137 How to organise your makeup 138 The best products to take on your travels 139 CV improvement tips 140 How to get organised when it comes to blogging 141 Blog photography: All about lighting 142 Write a letter to your younger self 143 Do a tag post 144 Create a challenge 145 Write a gift guide 146 Talk about something that changed your life 147 Hairstyle ideas for different hair types 148 Products that didn't work for you 149 Healthy eating alternatives 150 Music playlist 151 Create a brand focused post 152 Horror stories: Beauty and style 153 Travel bucket list 154 Write about a change of direction in your life 155 Your ideal wedding day 156 A list of life hacks 157 Things you're thankful for 158 Share your makeup routine 159 How to increase your blog traffic 160 Share a life update 161 Write a blogging advice post 162 Your wardrobe essentials 163 Write about your camera 164 Top 10 films 165 How to get through a difficult time in your life 166 Write a sponsored post 167 Celebrity fashion: Get the look 168 What you want your future to look like 169 Talk about how you've changed since leaving school 170 A packing list 171 Things you should always include in a blog post 172 Share some deals 173 A day in the life 174 Things that are worth splurging on 175 Things you miss about a previous decade  176 Create a festival look 177 Tell a story 178 Write a product comparison post 179 Things you find in the bottom of your bag 180 Favourite restaurants to visit 181 Blogging mistakes that nobody should make 182 Fancy dress/halloween makeup looks 183 Creative gift ideas 184 A room or house tour 185 Best places to visit where you live 186 Things that you've learned to love 187 Reminisce about your blogging experiences 188 Q&A post 189 Share your achievements 190 What you got for X (Christmas/Birthday etc) 191 What's on my phone 192 Travel essentials 193 How to create a successful blog post 194 Interview someone 195 How to make an infographic 196 Review and swatch a product 197 Share tips on a subject 198 How to make your makeup stay on all day 199 Revisit your goals 200 Thoughts everyone has when...
If you enjoyed reading this post, make sure to check out similar posts below: The Best Blogging Tips Written By Bloggers How I Take My Blog/Instagram Photos How I Edit My Blog Photos The Best Beauty Hashtags To Get Your Photos Noticed How To Start A Blog

Read more

Pinterest Tips For Bloggers

Up until early 2016 I had no idea how to use Pinterest or how to make it work for me. By the end of the year I surpassed 15,500 followers, and I'm going to show you how you can too. Creating Images If you're creating images for your blog that you want to share to Pinterest, choose wisely how you create your image. I create my Pinterest photos using Canva to create infographics or quotes by either using their free images or designing my own and adding text. I also use Photoshop CS3 to add text to my own images if I'm writing a blog post and want it to reflect my own work, which can be shared to my blog board. Vertical photos work the best as the website and the app are designed to favour long images and they're also more eye-catching. For image sizes, this website shows the best sizes depending on your image. I know it will be tempting to upload all of your photos onto Pinterest, but you should choose your best images that represent your ability as an influencer or personal style. When I have my own photos to pin, I pick images out of the bunch that I feel will do the best. If you want to showcase a few images, create a long photo and add them in as a collage, so a few landscape photos like this, or more of a 'how to' pin like this. Pinned Images Add descriptions to your pins to make them relevant, as it helps the pin show up in searches. Don't add hashtags as they're unnecessary I have found, and don't really add to the photo. Pin high-quality images, as not only will they do better but they're more aesthetically pleasing and will make your boards more appealing. Brighter photos catch the eye almost immediately, so having a range of colours in images you're pinning has helped me improve my profile. Pin images as often as you can. I try to set out a few times a day to spend pinning, mostly in the morning during commuting hours, around lunch time and around tea time as these are the most active times I've found, based on following mainly UK boards. If your following seems to be based around the world, try and pin over more hours when possible or use a scheduling website to cover more hours in the day. Be consistent to help build your audience and keep them engaged with your content. 
Growing Your Following Join group boards as they often do really well since a range of different people will be pinning into it. If people follow the group board they often click to see which members are pinning to it, and are more likely to follow you as a result. Group boards also bring new pins to your attention so you can pin them to your own boards, which is another great way to discover pins without going onto your feed or using the search feature.
Follow suggested boards that come up on your feed. Not only are the boards related to images you've been pinning but you'll see that people may follow you back too. Follow other people too as this will help to grow your own following but will also open up other boards to follow to gain more inspiration. If you're a blogger like me, ask on Twitter or Instagram for blogger's Pinterest usernames and you'll soon find if people are interested in your other content, they'll want to follow you here too. If you follow bloggers whose content you enjoy, this will most likely be the same for them too.
Profile When it comes to creating your profile, you need to do a few things to make it clear who you are and what you're interested in. Try to make your username the same as that on other social media platforms to make it easier for people to find you. Mine for example, is laurahadleyx which is consistent throughout Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, but also the beginning of my email address. In the same way, if you have the same profile image across platforms it will help people recognise you.
If you're a blogger or own a website, add your url to your profile. You'll notice on your referral traffic that people will click through and you'll see Pinterest under 'sources' in whatever you use to view your analytics. Adding your url helps your profile look more professional. Another feature that I love about the profile page is there is a recently released feature where you can put your favourite boards to your profile page which you can see on my profile. If has a slideshow function to show off your chosen boards and since installing it my followers have been increasing at a faster rate.
Boards & Titles When creating a board, keep the title relevant i.e. Makeup Organisation. A user searching for boards under this name will find this easier that if you named it under something broader, like just 'makeup'. This relates to my second point; split boards up into more niche categories. For example, split up food and drink into savoury food, baking and drinks. If someone is interested in, say for example 'drinks' but your board is 'food and drinks' they may not follow it as it's too broad. 
Make seasonal boards for events or holidays. These will be searched a lot and will cycle round every year so can won't get old and can be updated when needed. If you're starting off a board for the summer months but you're currently in Autumn or Winter, keep the board a secret until you've built it up enough, then make it public at the end of Spring. 
Make your boards have bright, interesting covers to allow pinners to be interested in what you pin. Switch your covers up every few weeks to mix things up and to show you're active on the platform. Move your best boards to the top of your profile page on the desktop version as potential new followers will want to see relatable content first, and boards with the most pins on when they first view your profile to see that you're active. 
Widgets For Your Blog Until a few months ago I didn't have a Pinterest widget on my blog, and I was really missing out. My widget shows a selection of my most recent pins, which may intrigue blog readers and encourage them to click through to follow or explore your boards. The widgets will often display the last few pins so make sure the last few images you pin are high-quality and intriguing.  Pin from your blog and social media. Adding a 'share to Pinterest' button helps promote your blog posts which will in turn help create more traffic from Pinterest to your website. On chrome add the extension so people can hover over your images to pin them themselves. Analytics View the analytics function on Pinterest to see statistics and use them to your advantage. You can see your profile visit numbers and impressions, activity from your blog, pins that have performed the best, and the people that you reach. You can see where in the world people are viewing your content from, what your audience demographics are like in terms of gender and language, your most favourable boards based upon viewer activity and views from pins from your own website. There is a wide range of information you can analyse from this function and I'm using it almost daily to help tailor my profile and boards to suit my audience to help it to grow to its best. I hope this post has helped you! Make sure to check out my other tips posts for more advice on blogging and social media.

Read more

Jamie Oliver's Barbecoa Steakhouse - A Guide To Cooking The Perfect Steak

I love cooking, especially being able to take restaurant classics into my kitchen at home. Jamie Oliver's Barbecoa Steakhouse London have published this guide to cooking the perfect steak, including the best steak to buy, what to look for, ingredients, cooking methods and serving suggestions that will help you to cook like a pro. I'm personally a big fan of Jamie Oliver's food content, whether it be his restaurant Jamie's Italian, his cookbooks or even his channel on YouTube called Food Tube. I follow a lot of his guides to cooking, but steak is something I'm yet to venture into. I'm definitely going to be using this guide to aid me preparing, cooking and serving a steak for my partner as steak is one of his favourite choices from the menu.
Since reading the advice, I'll definitely pick up my steak from a butcher's and ask for the feather blade as it's inexpensive but packs a lot of flavour. My partner would love it served with grilled wild mushrooms and onions as suggested, with a side of polenta chips and a glass of red wine! He loves his steak rare/medium rare so this is the perfect guide to helping me cook his favourite meal. 


*This is a sponsored post

Read more

How To Make The Most Out Of Your Living Space

People are struggling to get their foot in the housing market, and many people are turning to rented properties, either to save up for a mortgage or because they're not ready to commit to a house yet. I know I'm one of those people, having to live in a smaller space in order to save up for a deposit on a house, nevermind a mortgage. For someone who has lived in student rented property too, I definitely know how to make the most out of your living space. Here are my tips on how to live clutter free whilst in a small rented property.

Decluttering 

If there is anything I've learned from my own experiences, you can't hoard items. I was holding onto clothes that no longer fitted me, items from when I was a teenager and things I considered memorable items when I didn't need it all. I condensed my clothes down to what I needed and donated a lot of items to charity shops. I had two full memory boxes and instead I bought a scrap book and stuck everything into it. I even went through my makeup storage and threw away items that I didn't use or that were about to go out of date. You can make your living space much cleaner if you declutter your room. 

Bed storage 

This is something I didn't consider until I moved into my most recent property. You can store a lot of items in under bed storage, or in the headboard of your bed. I have a bed at the moment that has drawers underneath to put shoes, out of season clothes and things I don't need immediately. I don't have a headboard which is my next aim to purchase, as you can buy headboards with shelves on the sides to store items. 

 
Bed Size 

Bed Guru have launched the Landmark Collection that has beds in 17 different sizes, with variations of single, double and king size beds. They come in six high quality pieces so you can build it once you're inside the room, or take it apart easily when you move house. With clip-into-place designs, you can buy a smaller or shorter bed than would originally, in order to have more space in the room. If I were to buy another bed now, I would definitely be picking up a shorter double bed in order to have more space in my room. 

Shelving 

I have floating shelves in my room to place my books, dvds, cameras and photo frames instead of placing them in a drawer. They slot into place onto your wall and they're incredibly strong and fit so many items onto them. Since they're off the floor and you can place them anywhere in your room, they're a perfect solution to additional storage. 

Stackable storage 

I have items like the Ikea Kallax storage which is basically square storage with four spaces in, to either put boxes in or display your items. I have eight boxes inside both of mine, filled with blankets, technology items, onesies and excess makeup products in. They're so handy and quite affordable, and you can place them anywhere in your house as they're plain in colour. 

Alternatives 

Until I downsized and moved into a smaller place, I didn't realise there were so many things you can do differently to make the most out of your space. You can use clothing rails instead of wardrobes as they take up a smaller amount of space, or rolling your clothes in your drawers to fit more items in. You could put your shoes and bags on floating shelves or use vaccum bags to fit more storage bags into drawers. The opportunities are endless!

*In collaboration with Bed Guru

Read more

How To Save Money When Buying Christmas Presents

I'm one of those gift givers that aims to make the receiver overjoyed. I want to see them smile, which often takes it's toll on my purse. Over the past few years I've been trying to give people presents they will love, without it putting a huge financial burden on me. Here are my tips on how to save money when buying Christmas presents.

Plan ahead

I write down a list of everyone I'm buying for, for multiple reasons. First off it means that I can see on paper who I need to buy for so I can keep a note as I'm buying gifts. Second of all, it means I won't forget anyone who I intended to buy for. Once you have your list, you can put those people in priority of budget you're going to spend on them and start looking at potential gifts.

Set yourself a budget

In order not to go above and beyond like I have to the extent where I used all my birthday money on other people, you need to set a firm budget. Say you can only put a few people on the top of your list, set a max budget for those people. If there are people you need to buy just a token gift for, set a little budget for those too. If you've managed to buy the same gifts but with money off them then you've saved yourself money.

Look out for store offers

Stores like Boots and Superdrug often to 3 for 2 on Christmas presents where you can save quite a huge chunk of money. Debenhams have 3 for 2 on stocking fillers at the moment so it's always worth looking to see what deals you can get your hands on if you're buying those items regardless. Around certain times of the year, such as Halloween, Bonfire Night, Thanksgiving etc all seem to have at least 5% or 10% off, so make sure you sign up to receive emails to be the first to know when you can save yourself a buck or two. If it's a place that does student discount, for example Superdrug, you can actually most of the time use your student discount on top of the 3 for 2 offers. Make sure to check out the Unidays and NUS websites to see what student deals you an get.

Black Friday

There are websites that promote their Black Friday offers a few weeks ahead, see keep an eye out. Last year, there were rumours that Boots had a huge discount on the Olympus Pen E-PL7 on Black Friday, so I looked out for it and could you believe it, I actually saved more money than I spent on it. Every year on Black Friday I put my game face on and head online to look for exclusive deals on places like Amazon who put heavy discounts on just for a day (unless they do ones for Cyber Monday too). I actually bought Andy's drone last Christmas on Black Friday which I wouldn't have been able to afford if it hadn't been for this day after Thanksgiving that has made it's way over to the UK.

Buy in bulk and split them up

Some people I won't buy a main gift for, inspired by a favourite Fairy Godmother Kat, who spends a lot of time creating festive goodie bags. They're filled with chocolates, token mini alcohol bottles, scratch cards etc and they are one of the things I look forward to every year because I know she has spent so much time putting them together. You can pick up gift boxes from a lot of stores, Amazon and Etsy in particular, and fill them with items that you can buy in bulk such as sweets, candy canes, lip balms and so on. Instead of buying someone another Lynx set or body lotion pack, give them the gift their inner child will love.

Don't always buy presents in the festive aisles

I can't stress this enough. Not every present that you will give to people will be from the Christmas section in the store or on the online website. Say fragrances for example, in the present sections they have boxes with scented body creams or novelty items like mirrors in, for a significantly more expensive price. If you look for the individual fragrance around Christmas time, you can often make a huge saving. You can buy items such as alcohol and chocolate from the normal sections of the store instead of falling for pretty packaging that adds money on top just for a red or green label on the front of it.

Get on Google to look for deals

Often places like Vouchercloud host exclusive discounts by clicking on their site and it takes you through to the brand's website. Places like Groupon often put discounts on if you buy through their site, and they only take a few seconds to search for. If you type in 'discount code' or 'offers' into Google then you will see a ton of results to tempt you with money off. Even if you use these discounts, if you're a member of any cashback websites such as Quidco or with your own bank that do cashback deals, you can have that small percent put back into your bank the following month, making January not a sad month after all.

Look for giveaways and competitions

Head over to Twitter and Instagram to see if there are any giveaways for products you're looking at buying yourself. You can always enter, buy the item anyway and as long as you keep the receipt, if you won you could return the item (check store policies) and have then saved yourself money if you strike lucky. I have two giveaways that are live at the moment: Win an Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette and Win an Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette.

Think outside the box

So you're thinking of what stores in town you can pick up your presents from, right? How about supporting smaller businesses, where you can often save yourself money and buy more personalised gifts. Places like Notonthehighstreet, Etsy, IWOOT etc have options to personalise gifts with money off, and you often get better customer service as a result of dealing with a brand with a smaller customer base. In some stores you may be looking at makeup bags that have items inside them, but online you could buy personalised makeup bags that are cheaper and look a lot nicer.

Read more