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?

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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.

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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.

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Celebrating What Would Have Been Our Wedding, Under Lockdown

On the 16th of May 2020 it would have been our wedding day. But thanks to Coronavirus, it was cancelled. We decided to celebrate anyway and have a lot of fun with it. It wasn't a sad day for us at all. We got dressed up and took photos and had a lot of fun. We listened to some songs and picked out our first dance song, which has changed since the original one we had picked in University, which was Twenty One Pilots cover of the Elvis Presley song 'Can't Help Falling In Love'. We have decided to definitely have that feature somewhere during the wedding somewhere.

We dressed up nice to take some photos because I did not want photos of me in pyjamas to go on Instagram, even if I do refer to them as my 'workwear'. Andy wore a navy suit that he's had for quite a few years but doesn't wear often so it looks brand new. He also wore the tie clip that I had bought for the original wedding, with the date 16.05.2020 inscribed on it. He has since decided that he is going to wear it on our new wedding as a nod to the original date but also because it looks nice and he is not about wasting money. I had already bought some nice dresses from Chi Chi London for multiple events I was supposed to be attending this year, which all but one have since been cancelled. I straightened my hair twice, but it kept frizzing up so I left it as it was. We then went back into the living room and played our new favourite game, Dead By Daylight Mobile. I had bought the PC version a while ago when it was on a discount on Steam, but my laptop can't run it. It's fine with The Sims and all the expansion packs I've been collecting since September 2014, but this game it does not like. But the new mobile version means me and Andy can both play so every evening now we have a 1-2 game time which is nice. No this is not sponsored, we just really like the game.

Andy went out to the shops, as he was finally allowed out after a 14-day quarantine after I had an unexpected trip to hospital in April. He bought us a red velvet cake which I love, and we cut that with the cake slice device that his Grandma Peggy bought us for our housewarming. We very cringelly (is that even a word?) fed each other a slice like you might do at a wedding. Notice how I made Andy's piece a lot bigger than mine. After this we had a healthy picnic with some of our favourite foods. We had a salad, cheese barms, beetroot and pickled onions which are my favourites, sliced canteloupe and honeydew melon, crisps, houmous and carrots. Since I went vegetarian last year, I've enjoyed eating different foods and trying them out. Later on, we ordered a curry from our favourite takeaway 'Landmark Indian Restaurant' in Liverpool. We had Quron Massala, Quorn Passanda, pilau rice, garlic naan and a poppadom each. We couldn't have rounded the day off without this. All in all, it was a lovely day. You can read about what it's like to cancel your wedding in this post here.

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What It's Like to Cancel Your Wedding Due to the Coronavirus

May 16th 2020. That was the date of our wedding. We were supposed to start the ceremony at 2:30, photos shortly after, a three-course dinner and a lot of dancing afterwards. We knew this wasn't going to happen two months in advance. On March 14th we went on our 'STEN' Do and I was so anxious about going. Lockdown still hadn't been announced and Andy was still going into work every weekday. We went to play bowling, arcade games, and pool with our Groomsmaids and their partners. We followed this by a lovely meal and for me, some mocktails. I've pretty much given up on drinking alcohol now thanks to the amount of medication I have to take for my chronic illnesses. Anyway, one of the first things Abbey said to us was "what do you think will happen with your wedding now?" and we had rehearsed this response ahead of time. We knew we would have to postpone because the virus was only spreading further in the UK.

Within a week we had rearranged our entire wedding. We had contacted our venue and asked to postpone for the following year, as my Dad had advised me not to have it later this year due to how bad the virus was spreading at this point. The venue said no, that the wedding was still going ahead. We clearly were not happy with this. Not only would I not be able to go to my own wedding, but some of both of our families wouldn't be able to attend due to being in the at-risk group, whether it down to age or medical conditions. I was not having this, absolutely not. So we asked them again for the following year, and they said no, but it could be postponed to Autumn/Winter 2020. I'd had enough. After this email, I immediately started enquiring with other wedding venues and asked our photographers what dates they had available for Spring 2021. Although our original date 'weekend' was available with the venue we chose, the photographers had a wedding booked in. And because the venue price had jumped up, because let's face it, we were definitely settling on the previous venue due to price, we couldn't afford the extra cost. It was an extra £1,900 ish to have a May wedding, so we settled for March. Now it will be colder unless the environment continues to get worse and we have another late Winter/early Spring heatwave like we did in 2019. But because our venue allows you to rent out outdoor heaters, we've agreed to fund this extra cost to keep guests (and me) happy.

Since we've had to move venues, we've also been in limbo about how we're getting legally married. We gave notice on January 27th of this year, therefore our notice is valid until January 2021. So not only did it run out too early, our venue is now in a different county. So do we cancel getting married by a Liverpool registrar and choose a Cheshire one, or keep the Liverpool one and get married in the Registry Office? We chose the latter. I'm not revealing the date, because as of yet only 2 witnesses would be allowed to come with us and due to unfairness, we have decided it would be 2 friends because it's not fair on our families, who are both divorced, to pick between who gets to attend. But we are getting married in Liverpool City Centre sometime this year, to still have a 2020 marriage date.

We've clearly had to make some tricky decisions. Due to this, we've decided that the Registry Office 'wedding' is just going to be a formality for us. Not our real wedding. We're not going to wear out wedding rings until the real 'do', we're also not changing our names until after the real 'do'. Although I will technically be Mrs Hadley from this date, we will both be Mr & Mrs Hadley-Smith come March. Now this was a decision we made during University once we had started dating. Andy doesn't like how frustrating it is to have common his name is and how his email addresses all have to be like 'andysmith18472' because so many people have the address already. I really like my name, and Hadley means a lot to me (fun fact, if my Dad hadn't had changed his name to his Mum's maiden name after his Dad left, I would have been a Clark), but at the same time, I wanted to have Andy's name. He seems to really like my name, so we've decided to double-barrel it. Oh and I forgot to add, we need to find a Celebrant now since the second 'wedding' won't be a legal one.

If it wasn't obvious, this isn't a 'woe is me' type of post. I've lost a pet during this bloody virus who I was only allowed to see once during this whole thing, and I know to some it's not the same as losing a person but I'm genuinely heartbroken. But moving a wedding is not the worst thing ever. Yes, we are down about £4,000 and are desperately trying to get some money back from our wedding insurance because we clearly do not have that amount of money sitting around, but it is not worth crying over. If you've had to do the same, make sure to contact all vendors and try and come together for a good date you can all do. Luckily, all of ours have been wonderful.

I do think it's a bit amusing that we've actually booked our venue without seeing it aside from photos and videos (and Abbey toured it when looking to book her wedding venue) and also chose our caterer and the food we're choosing without tasting it. It really is okay. We can have two wedding dates. We did actually celebrate our original wedding date which you can read about here.

Stay safe everyone.

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My Wedding Dress Story & Experience

I have always been really into weddings; watching the tv shows associated with them, adding pictures to Pinterest boards and flicking through the magazines. One thing that I did not expect, however, is that not everyone has this overwhelming day of joy when picking out dresses to try on. The films always go back to the person being young and dancing around in a little white dress or robe, with a bunch of flowers and pretending to get married. Having an extensive scrapbook that won't close properly because there are so many pictures taped into it. For me, there was on Pinterest board (albeit that is the modern-day scrapbook) with images for an entire wedding. I never once knew exactly what I was looking for because I had seen from Say Yes To The Dress that often 1. you don't know your own body type well and 2. that you have to try a range of different styles and fabrics. To add an extra point, I have seen from Facebook groups and sometimes people don't just find 'the' dress and are torn between a few because we're human after all and dress shopping is a one-time experience ideally. I got engaged in December 2017 so I did leave it almost two years until I went dress shopping as we weren't in any rush. 

I went to The White Gallery, a bridal store that I found through a wedding show I went to last year. When I saw their dresses at the time I knew that they had a range of different styles and colour options and because I'm a very indecisive person, I knew this would be the best route to go. I did have a feeling I wouldn't want a ballroom gown/princess style dress as I'm 5ft 4" and my fiance is 6ft 4" so even with heels on I would look smaller and wider instead of trying to look upright and a bit taller. I also had a gut feeling that anything strapless wouldn't look good thanks to my larger chest so my options were slightly limited. I did try the most beautiful dress by Noya and it came in a non-white colour too and it was absolutely stunning but my chest just didn't work with it. I didn't fit in it properly there and felt a bit 'naked' in it.

I tried on a fishtail shaped dress that was suggested to me and I could barely walk in it. Comfort is a huge thing for me so I knew this shape was immediately in the 'no' pile. I tried a fitted dress and just felt so uncomfortable, picking out all my flaws and it was exactly what I wasn't looking for. After about 7 or 8 dresses I went back to the second dress. It is a fit and flare style with a little strap and a stunning train. I never even wanted a train but it was so pretty I couldn't pass on it. The reason I tried it on again was that I thought if I wore a strapless bra with it, it would look a lot better. And it did.

I didn't cry, but my Nan did. And that made me feel like it was meant to be. My best friend who I've known since our first year in primary school really liked the detail on the dress which reassured me. There wasn't an overwhelming YES moment but I should have figured it wouldn't be like that because I'm not a really emotional person. I probably get that from my Dad. Speaking of which, when I showed my little Sister my dress he wanted to see it. I showed him a picture and although he isn't a man of many words a lot of the time he said it was really nice, so that made me happy. 

On the day there were a few mixed opinions and it gave me a huge migraine. I left the store not wanting to leave the dress behind, knowing obviously I couldn't bring it with me as it was a sample, but still. I couldn't enjoy the lunch we all had together because I felt a bit of pressure to look elsewhere and try other dresses. I didn't want to go anywhere else though. I cried on the way to the car after I had left the store because I don't like being indecisive and I thought everyone I took would love the dress but it was 50/50. Andy hugged me as we walked back and told me to pick whatever I loved best and it was my dress at the end of the day. 

At lunch I showed him the dress on my phone in front of everyone and he really liked it. It's not to everyone's taste as it is a bit unusual but he liked it so that really meant a lot to me. We don't care about traditions in our house. The following week we went back to The White Gallery just the two of us, and I tried the dress on in front of Andy. He liked it even more than on the photo and said it was my style. Even Francis who dressed me said I seem to have a particular style, liking dresses from designers based in Australia and Israel. She said I looked my happiest in this dress. I decided to go for it that day and left a happy gal.

Last weekend I went back to try on my dress. It had come into the store earlier than expected so I got to try it on again and pick my veil. I went for a single-tier veil that is as long or a bit longer than my train. I can't quite remember as I didn't take pictures this time around. I don't have my seamstress fitting for a few months but I can't believe this part of the wedding planning is pretty much over! I couldn't thank Francis and the girls at The White Gallery more. They pay so much attention to what suits you best, what you seem to like, and gave some great recommendations for dresses to try on. They said when I tried the sample of my dress on I was the first person to order it so they've made the dress a permanent addition now. I definitely recommend going to the National Wedding Show and looking at bridal stores there because that is where I found these amazing women. I knew I had to get my dress from them when I saw their dresses. They show a lot of them over on their instagram too.

Once I've had my wedding in the Spring I will do a whole post on the dress itself and a run through of our wedding day. I do have my wedding posts and tips coming up so keep an eye out for them.

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Getting Wedding Ready | AD

In collaboration with Cosmetify

Weddings are one of the biggest and most important events you will probably attend, whether this is as a guest, part of the wedding party or it's you that is getting married. Preparing for a wedding involves a number of things, including sorting out everything beauty related. This is where Cosmetify comes in. It's a website that lets you discover all things beauty, be it hair, makeup, skincare, grooming, toiletries or electricals. You can search the site for the items you're wanting, and with nearly 1,500 brands, over 155,000 products across 29 beauty retailers there should be more than enough for you to choose from. Having a user-friendly website makes things nice and easy to find what you are looking for, with the filter option allowing you to compare items by price, ingredients and brand. This time of year signals the start of the most popular time for tying the knot, and with my own wedding being in May next year, I'm starting to look at the various items I'll need for my big day.

I've been thinking for a while about what types of things I'd like for my wedding and what I need to be doing to prepare. Getting my skincare routine sorted will be important to ensure my skin is as good as it can be, so being able to search through the different options would come in very handy to help find something. I've used various skincare products previously and have wanted more choice to ensure that what I find will be best suited to my skin. Nails are another key consideration for the day, and I've already been looking around to see what style and colour options I could go for but have yet to have any luck so I'm keen to see the ranges on Cosmetify. When it comes to makeup for a wedding you can do it a few different ways. Some people will pay to get this done by a makeup artist, and others choose to do it themselves. I'm swaying more towards doing it myself as I know what style I like and don't want to worry about someone else doing it how they think I should have it rather than what I want. It also means I can practice as many times as I like to perfect the look I want.

When it comes to wedding prep it might be easier to overlook what the groom may need. Cosmetify doesn't just cater to the brides, as they have a big range of men's grooming products too. I know my husband-to-be will be wanting to find some items including an aftershave for the day, something to help sort out his facial hair along with some hair wax that he can test out to ensure that his hairstyle will remain in place all day. For doing a wedding party proposal for both the bridesmaids and groomsmen, we made a box and filled it with a mix of products to help them get ready on the day, along with some token gifts, so a website like this allows you to not only search for yourself but to find goodies for others too.

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Being Engaged - Why So Many Questions?

You think that when you get engaged that nothing really changes aside from the fact you've both agreed to get married. I didn't think I'd feel different, but I've noticed that interactions with friends and family have been different in a good way. I didn't realise how many people would congratulate us and ask questions. I didn't think my position in my fiancé's family would change or that our Christmas cards would have different writing on. Here are a few of the things I've noticed in the past month.

All The Questions

So many people who are even really close to us wanted to ask us loads of questions about how it happened, where it was, did we already have a date for the wedding. I know people would always love to find out about it but I think as it wasn't a huge leap for us as we already what we wanted, but it would have seemed like a big step for other people so they would obviously have more questions. I even have questions myself, and we still don't really know what the plan is yet.

Peoples Reactions

When we arrived back from the weekend away, we went on Facetime and spoke to our immediate families to let them know the good news. It was really nice to see peoples reactions and they differed to what we initially thought as some people were much more overwhelmed and animated than what we expected. Some of those who we thought may have seen it coming were actually caught by surprise and others gathered their thoughts and wished us well. We saw the most emotion from Andy's Dad and Brother, and it took us by surprise too. It was one of the happiest days sharing our news with others and it makes me so excited to be married.

Feel like we have to plan everything now

As we are currently saving for a house we knew that we wouldn't be getting married for at least two or three years. Even though there was no immediate need to start looking at things, I felt like I needed to start planning it all out and be able to know where it was going to be, what date and so on. This may have come with multiple people asking these type of questions which meant I started to think about this more and more. Once it's official that you're engaged you want to buy a planner and get to it, almost to get ahead. I must say it has been exciting, especially making Pinterest boards about weddings.

Having a party

We wanted to celebrate once we had got engaged and thought that we may have had our own house by this point so would have invited people around. As we haven't been able to get a house just yet, we ended up booking a function room and have invited friends and family so everyone could get to know each other as some of that had not yet had the chance to meet. I've loved picking up some cute decorations as I'd like to room to look nice and be a nice event to have to celebrate our engagement. It's an important event too, as we're actually introducing a lot of each other's families to one another. Having family with a 2-hour gap in between means only some people have had the chance to meet. Hopefully it all runs smoothly!

Looking at the ring

Whenever someone gets engaged, its kind of natural to have a little nosy at the ring but I wasn't quite expecting how much people would want to see it. After arriving at Andy's mum's when we went to visit and the first thing she did was to grab my hand and have a look at the ring. Whenever anyone else would come in who we hadn't yet seen, they'd ask for a little look to which was quite odd for me. I even met Andy's Aunt for the first time and she immediately wanted to have a look. I think because my ring is rose gold with little silver natural diamonds and a morganite stone, it's something quite different to what older generations have seen. It is so me though and I'm over the moon with it.

Being asked about wedding party

As with most weddings, there will be a wedding party to go with the bride and groom. We already know who the maid of honour and best man are but another thing we have realised is that we need to think about who else will be in the bridal party now so that we can start to plan out other things related to this. How many people will we have on each side? Will the numbers be even? Do they need to all be of a certain age or will we allow children? Who knows. There is definitely a huge pressure to include particular people in the wedding party but we've agreed that we're not going to choose before the engagement party purely just to relieve some of the weight on our shoulders about it.

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What I Got For Christmas 2017

Every year I feature a few gifts I received for Christmas not only to say a thank you to those who very kindly bought me them, but to also have a recurring post I can write every year. It's also fun seeing other people's posts which gifts seemed to be popular that year as well. My previous posts (2016 and 2015) seemed to go down really well so I'm back with a few items photographed and a few not. I seem to be creating a new tradition of bringing some presents with me 2 hours away to my fiancé's family house (yes the engagement post will be up soon) so I didn't bring everything with me.


Vans Old Skool Burgundy
I've wanted a pair of Old Skool Vans for ages now, and when I was ordering them on behalf of my Dad, the black and the pale pink pairs seemed to have sold out everywhere. In hindsight I'm really pleased that I went with the Burgundy pair as they go with so many things that I own. I was looking at a really autumnal pair but they just wouldn't have gone with some items of clothing. The whole Christmas theme for me this year seemed to be burgundy and pale pink which is a welcome change.

Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Palette
If you've read my Anti-Haul post you'll notice that I said I'd never buy a full-sized Huda Beauty palette as they were quite expensive. Well, this doesn't break any rules as Andy actually bought me it so it's fair game. This is the Desert Dusk palette with a range of eyeshadow finishes that I'm desperate to start using. I'd look out for a full review, most likely including whether or not I think £56 is justifiable and I have a bad feeling that Huda has swayed my way of thinking by the means of glitter.

L'Oreal Galaxy Holographic Strobing Lip Gloss in Polaris Pink
This was from my little sister and it's such a 'me' product. I love holographic products and although I'm sure I've not worn a coloured lip gloss since 2008 I really like it! It's a clear base with lilac shimmer that shines pink and gold in the light. I've not worn it on top of a lip liner or other product yet but I'm betting it will look stunning. L'Oreal never seems to disappoint me.

Wedding Planner
With the recent engagement, it was very kind of my family to (at the last minute due to the timing) pick us up a wedding planner. I've seen so many around and I love the different categories for planning with items on the checklists that I'd never even thought about. It's a good job our wedding won't be for 2/3 years.

Carvela Mia Across Body Bag
I saw this bag online and I fell in love with it instantly. I do love a good Carvela bag, not necessarily for the name but I find the bags to be high quality with an affordable price tag. As you see with the Vans, there are plenty of items I own that will match or go well with it.

Adidas Originals Navy Suede Gazelle
I tried a pair of Gazelles a while ago but I wasn't sure if they were 'me' enough but they were a bright pair. Mine are navy and look far nicer n my opinion. I've never been one for nearly neon trainers so I'm glad I didn't pick those up now.

Huda Beauty Faux Filter Foundation
After watching countless reviews about this foundation, I'm glad Andy picked one up for me. I chose the shade Cashew and it's pretty spot on with my skin colour, and the guide online is incredibly accurate. It doesn't seem to oxidise much and blends in well when using a beauty blender. I did see some comments online about it encouraging blemishes but I'm yet to see this. Most likely I'll write up a full review.

Ikea Vouchers For Our House
Andy's Mum & Grandma have been kind enough for both our Birthday and Christmas presents to gift us Ikea vouchers to go towards our new home. We get spoilt enough with presents so have some vouchers in place didn't make much of a difference now but will really go a long way when we've just moved in. We found a sofa we love from there so we'll have to try it out in a showroom.

Ban.Do 2018 Agenda
I'm not the most naturally organised person so in 2016 when I saw the Ban.Do Agendas I knew I had to add one to my list. I have the Rose 2018 Agenda which includes monthly views, yearly views, a huge notes section, stickers, artwork, a double-sided pocket and much more. It's by far the best agenda I've ever had and I think I'll be taking it everywhere with me now.

Huda Beauty Mauve Obsessions & Huda Beauty Smokey Obsessions Palettes
I love these handy little palettes. They're £25 each and include 9 shadows per palette with four different palettes in total. I already had enough warm tones for the Warm Brown Obsessions Palette and plenty of bright ones for the Electric Obsessions Palette, and paired with the Desert Dusk palette I have a wide range of shades to play with now. Plus I really can't turn down glittery eyeshadows.

Pink Chenille Jumper
The Chenille jumpers have been brought back in a big way in 2017 and with the millennial pink trend also hyped up it seems that I have a very 2017 jumper on my hands. I'm head over heels for it. It's so soft and warm but not too frumpy on me with having a larger chest. I'm finding it so hard not to pick it up in a ton of other colours too.

Makeup Revolution Liquid Highlighter in Unicorn Elixir 
I do love a good liquid highlighter and this one by Makeup Revolution is so unique. The unicorn trend was another 2017 hit and this does not disappoint. It has shimmery particles in, reflecting blue and pink into a silver. It's definitely not an everyday highlighter but it's bloody beautiful.

Affiliate links included in this post

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18 Goals For 2018

Be more adventurous with photography.
Last year I bought my third lens for my Olympus Pen, and a Macro Converter too. I'm hoping this year I can use my photography kit to take better beauty shots, photos of food, travel pics and just so much more. I want to push myself outside of my comfort zone and take some incredible photos.

Manage my pain better.
I have my own techniques for managing chronic pain but I'd like to try new things out to see how they affect my body. I've already tried Pilates but I think trying out Yoga would be great for my body and my mind.

Daily blog.
Since I work on the blog full time, it doesn't always mean I'm posting every day. I'm setting myself the goal to write every day, even if it's a photo diary with a bit of text. I'm hoping to write about more beauty releases and travel features too.

Begin to freelance more.
I started my freelance journey in December and I'm ready to research into more opportunities and see what I can offer the world. I really enjoy writing and transcribing so I have my fingers crossed that I can make my own place in the freelancing community.

Start writing about wedding planning.
If you haven't seen my Twitter or Instagram, last month I got engaged! I'm over the moon and I couldn't be more happy right now. I've done a few pieces on weddings but now that I can plan my own out I'll definitely be featuring it on this blog soon.

Get a proper skincare routine in place.
This is one of the most difficult goals for me. I have combination skin that got really unhealthy when I was sick for the last quarter of the year. I need to set a proper routine in place to clear my skin up and balance the hydration/excess oil situation out.

Push for what's best blog-wise.
It frustrates me so much when bloggers accept sponsored posts (with dodgy links too!) for like £10 as it makes a ton of brands/prs offer really low rates. This year I need to stick to my guns - if people want sponsored posts on my blog then I need to be firm with my rates. Quality over quantity I say. Plus I shouldn't be spending hours on posts without good pay..

Buy a house.
Possibly the biggest goal for this year is to my a house with Andy. We had a little flat when we were in uni together but since moving home to my Dad's we've been saving for our own house to hopefully stay in until we're old and grey. We'll be staying in Liverpool and we've already seen a few houses that we're keeping our eye on. If you have tips for first time buyers feel free to let me know!

Have a weekend away.
I prefer little weekend trips compared to week or two-week long ones, but I'd love to just go to one place this year so we can still save money. As much as I want to go back to Berlin I think I need to explore Italy or maybe somewhere else in Poland.

Wash my makeup brushes more.
I was so bad at this last year that this is kind of like a guilty admission to make me wash them more. It's probably one of the reasons that my skin has been bad in the past few months too, so I need to make use of my beauty washing tools.

Vlog more.
I already vlog along with Andy for our travel YouTube and we need to start filming more. We don't do chatty vlogs, they're more showcasing different places and filming some arty shots so it's not like we have to prepare ourselves for what we have to say.

Track blog stats monthly.
I have done this on and off the past few years and the blog turns 4 next month so I need to keep track of stats more to see what works and what doesn't. I mean I know roughly, and you'd hope so by now, but with plenty of social media accounts to look at I could do with a more detailed chart.

Adopt 2 dogs.
This comes with getting a house but I'd love to adopt two dogs once we have a place. My family dog Charlie was adopted from the RSPCA in 2008 and she's still living her best life but I did wish she had a friend. My Dad can't accommodate another so I hope when we're looking for dogs we're able to have two at the same time.

Practice calligraphy.
My best friend bought me two calligraphy books for Christmas so that I can start practicing in order to make our wedding invitations. I'd love to create cards and prints too so the quicker I start, the better.

Host an engagement party.
Hopefully in April we'll be able to host a party with both of our families together to celebrate. Despite being together almost five years there are still quite a lot of people who haven't met eachother yet and I feel like this needs to be done before the wedding!

Take photos on my phone more.
This goes without saying that my iPhone 6S doesn't really cut it, and I'm going to get an iPhone 8 Plus if all things go to plan. I've seen that the camera can take some amazing photographs on it, and with this I'd be able to post on Instagram more often.

Start driving lessons.
I've said this for the past 7 years now but I really need to learn how to drive. I'm 25 this year and I should have already learned by now. It would be great to be driving around in a car by myself, just imagine all the blog prop shopping I could do!

Save up for a new laptop.
I've been sharing a laptop with Andy since 2015 and we really need two to both be able to blog. I was thinking about getting a Chromebook as it could be used just for typing posts up, but I've seen laptops with good storage on them for a fair bit cheaper. I'll have to look out for some good deals.

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