The wedding of my dreams

Like most little girls, I dreamed of my perfect wedding day as I was growing up. I flitted between ideas of castles, stately homes, summer and winter weddings, big cinderella dresses and sleek gowns. I always knew that I wanted my wedding to be a grand affair, requiring meticulous planning with no stone left unturned. Luckily, I am a very organised person, so planning my dream day came easy to me, and I enjoyed many happy hours planning the tiny details that would make my wedding stand out!

Firstly, fashion and beauty. I have always had a very clear picture in my head of my dream wedding gown: strapless, covered in crystals and sparkle, with a massive full cinderella style skirt. When it came to it, I ended up preferring slightly less dramatic skirts - in terms of fullness that is. I must have tried on a good 30 gowns, however, like the old saying goes, when its the one you just know! My chosen gown was the 'Rowena' by the award winning designer Maggie Sottero. It was indeed strapless, covered in crystals with pleating and a caught up skirt that artfully draped and swished - it really was my perfect princess dress, and fit my venue perfectly. I wanted my shoes to be equally as dramatic and princess-like, and went for the super-sparkly 'Spyra' sandal from Moda in Pelle.

Like with my dress, I had a very fixed idea about my makeup. I love makeup and creating new looks but I also wanted the luxury and stress free option of a make up artist on my wedding day. I was very lucky as I found a fantastic make up artist called Emily Rose who understood my vision perfectly. I don't really do the 'natural' look even on a day to day basis, so I definitely did not want to go down this road on the biggest day of my life! I wanted flawless skin, defined cheekbones, dramatic smoky eyes, big eyelashes and glossy lips! In terms of hair, again, I have always had a very fixed idea about how I wanted to look - none of this soft curls and waves, I wanted a proper bridal up-do, high up on the head and dramatic! I have always been told I have good cheek bones and can carry off this look so I felt quite confident about picking this style. To get the dramatic style I craved, my hair stylist used some hair extensions which I loved. Finally, I completed my look with a dramatic cathedral length tiara and beautiful sparkly tiara.

This shot shows off a bit of my make up and hairstyle. My veil is still on but I removed the tiara after the pictures were taken. How cute is our magician?? (A pupil from my school and very talented : )

Lastly, our wedding venue, style and a confession. I bought EVERY single wedding magazine on the market during our one year engagement. I dread to think how much I spent on magazines alone (The majority retail at £4.99 or thereabouts). I just loved looking at all the different decorations, themes, styling ideas and DIY ideas. I was determined to emulate the beautiful weddings I saw in these magazines, and to make every little detail count (I even wanted bride and groom loo roll but hubby said no!)

Boys Hall, our beautiful wedding venue

We chose the beautiful 17th century stately home Boys Hall as our venue: the most expensive place we looked at but one we simply fell in love with. Both of us adore antiques and historic houses, and we really wanted a building that had original details and a story to tell. Our venue was everything we had ever dreamed of: breath taking, luxurious and original. We were very lucky to have a gorgeous sunny day, so our guests were able to enjoy drinks and canapes on the lawn, and mingle outside in the sunshine. In keeping with this look, I styled the venue in a shabby chic style, spending hours designing table plans, purchasing bunting, antique jars for our candy bar, bird cages for the centrepieces, antique tea cups, saucers and cake plates... so much fun! I loved the overall look and would not change one single thing!

My wedding day really was the best day of my life and made all the hard work and expense worth it! Hope you enjoy the pics and thank you for all your lovely comments, I really love reading them xoxo

Style at home

Once a month, my best friend and I take a shopping trip to a town nearby known for good antique and homewear shops, we shop a lot, and it is a good way to mix things up and keep things fresh. Plus, we both became homeowners in the last couple of years so buying things for our houses is a new vice! I love shopping for home goods. Almost as much as I love shopping for clothes! I think this new fascination came only when we purchased our own house - I was nowhere near as concerned when we rented. As our house is our own, I want to style it and fill it to the brim with things that we love, things that show something about our personalities, and things that remind us of the many trips and holidays we have taken over the years. Whenever we go away, I have to bring at least one thing back to remind me of the fun time we had, and the beautiful place that we visited.

Just like with clothes shopping, I like to seek out new and interesting places to purchase things for my home. I would say that I like a good mix of old and new, I adore antique furniture, but I like to mix it up with new home accessories and furnishings. Charity shops are always worth a rummage - one of my favourite finds was a beautiful glass decanter that I pour bubble bath into, and which stands proudly on the end of the bath - so much nicer than a cheap plastic bottle! I also really like some retro items and the shabby chic look. Above all, I do not like things to be too 'matchy matchy'. I also cannot stand clutter or sparsity in a home. Minimalism is a no go for me!

Below are some of my favourite and latest purchases, let me know what you think xoxo

New embroidered leaf rows cushions, £14.99 each Dunelm Mill


Our bespoke wedding invitation created by a talented year 11 boy at my school. We have framed it and hung it in our hallway

Pictures I made myself by pressing flowers from hubby and mounting on a stripy green and white card. Frames from Ikea.


Wooden elephant from Thailand to remind us of our amazing elephant trek at Khao Sok national park.

Russian dolls from my nana xoxo

My amazing new artwork! Photo in white frame created by a GCSE photography student at my school, print in black frame from www.folksy.com. Hubby will be hanging these for me this weekend, for now they rest on a shelf. Both frames from Ikea. The pink bird ornament is from TK Maxx and the white bird ornamant from a little homeware store in Tenterden. (Can you tell we like birds??!)

Purchases today, my new wooden plaque that I will be hanging somewhere in the kitchen - I really like the message.

Cute little hanging sign from Dunelm Mill.