Summer sandal love

Aaah sunshine. Just what the doctor ordered. The weather has been absolutely glorious this week and I have really been enjoying the simple things : eating lunch in the garden, indulging in lots of icy cold smoothies and desserts, basking in the sunshine after a long, stressful week at work, and relaxing with a glass bottle of wine and my friends. My pinked skin is grateful for the heavy dose of vitamin D and even as the light floods into my bedroom and disturbs my slumber at 5:30am, I don't mind. Everything is so much better in the sunshine, don't you think?

The other thing I love about Summer and sunshine is the chance to give my feet some much needed TLC. I dust off my brightest, prettist nail polishes {in particular Barry M's Flamigo Pink ♥} and choose some eye catching footwear to show off my less~than~perfect pedicure.

Going off on a tangent here but I loathe Primark, really I do. It's always too busy, it's always too messy, and let's be honest, the quality isn't the best. My mother on the other hand? She bloomin' adores the place! Every payday she has a little jaunt and comes away with bags upon bags of things for less than £100. She doesn't care if things last five minutes, because she only paid £3 for it. Logical thinking. However {I'm bringing this post back to it's original topic} I was very pleasantly surprised when I fell in love with two pairs of sandals she gifted to me. From Primark. They were very charming with enough jewels to appease my inner magpie, and were true to size, even fitting my fat ankles, which is very rare to find in a 'normal' sized shoe ~ I usually have to venture into the wide~fit sections. Above all, they were the most comfortable sandals I've owned, and that is saying a lot.

You can imagine my horror when I looked out at Ted relaxing in the sunshine with one of my sandals hanging in pieces from his mouth. What made it worse was that it was the second pair that the little rascal had demolished beyond recognition. What a yob.

 Don't be fooled.

This is why my mother is so logical. And this is also the reason I put my loathing aside and ventured into the Little Big Shop of Horrors this weekend. I came away with six pairs of Summer sandals for less than £35. I'm impressed, but stocking up also means I don't have to venture into that damn store again until next Summer. There's my logical thinking.

First I spotted this lovely pair of Gladiator style plaited sandals. I wanted them in a tan colour but they didn't have my size, so I settled upon this pale gold colour instead. I could've downsized in these as they are very wide, even on my wide feet. They are comfortable to wear, though the zip at the back rubs a little in this heat, and the woven details add a little something extra to an otherwise boring sandal.

Then I spotted this gold plaited pair of strappy sandals for £1.90, so I couldn't leave them behind. Again, the plaits add a nice element and the gold colour will look lovely on bronzed skin {when I eventually get round to fake tanning, as opposed to going pink, red, blistery, then white, as I would naturally}.

The moment I saw these glittery beauties, I knew they'd be coming home with me. The pink heel and the gold glitter t~bar compliment each other nicely and the thick ankle straps make them comfortable to wear. I took this picture with flash to highlight just how sparkly they are. I love them.

These floral beauties were a last minute addition to my basket ~ I love the little flowers and this is a cool style to wear when temperatures are soaring. I am partial to daisies, and I know these aren't daisies, but I love how the colours remind me of them.

This pair is a 'repurchase' as these are the ones I found Ted chewing in the garden. They are white with rose gold and silver gems on the bow. The picture makes them look pink, which is ironic as my original pair was a dusky rose pink colour. I prefer the pink colour to be honest, but I couldn't see them in my size.

And this is my most favourite pair. I'd even go as far as to say that these would be my wedding shoes if I was marrying abroad on a beach. Again, these are a repurchase thanks to Ted, and they look absolutely stunning whether worn with a summery dress or a pair of jeans. The gems are surprisingly sturdy and when my Mama first gave them to me, I was expecting them to fall off within minutes. Alas, I was mistaken, and you have to prise these babies off my feet.

Hope you've had a lovely weekend in the sunshine ~ and remembered your sunscreen! What have you been buying to prepare for the weather?

Love Laura x

Veils, tiaras and... tantrums?

For many brides, how they will look on their wedding day is an image that has been firmly imprinted onto their minds since they were little girls. I was no exception, until I became a 'real bride' and realised that I have a whole realm of Bridal Idols to look to for inspiration, besides a Disney Princess.

Before I even perused the online catalogues of bridal designers and their divine dresses, the 'real' me knew I didn't want a veil or tiara. Don't get me wrong, the right pieces can look absolutely stunning on the right person ~ the crystals of the tiara can twinkle gracefully as vows are exchanged, and a veil can look so romantic cascading behind a bride or billowing in the wind. I just don't think they are very me.

That said, I don't think you can dismiss these things with a sharp wave of the hand without actually trying them on. You don't get to swathe your head in soft, delicate fabrics and glistening jewels on a day~to~day basis, so how do you know if they're right for you? Why not take advantage of the only occasion you can wear such a charming, elaborate accessory without being deemed a fool?

Because I look like a tit, that's why.

Standing in the bridal shop with the beautiful fabric of my utterly wonderful dress clinging to all the right places, I felt incredible. But something was bothering me ~ where were my Mother's tears? Every Mother cries at the sight of their {only} daughter in a wedding dress, don't they? Not mine, apparently. I've read countless blogposts and magazine articles where the bride had known {before she even caught her reflection} that her dress was The One, as the small audience of her nearest and dearest could barely breathe through their sobs. Don't get me wrong, my Mother was a fabulous wedding dress shopping assistant. She was honest with the hideous ones, she ooh~ed and aah~ed at the beautiful ones, and she had a beaming smile as she gushed that my dress was The One, but I felt robbed ~ where were my bloody sobs?!

As I was twirling and sashaying around the changing room, her little voice piped up... "Do you have a veil she can try?". Within seconds the assistant appeared and my head was being pulled in every direction. I'll be honest, I did fit the bridal image a bit more with a veil on, but it doesn't hide the fact that I felt like a tit. At least my Mother would see how silly I looked and stop nagging though...

I turned to her with 'I told you so' hanging on my lips, and spotted a little glint in her eye. There was no denying what was there ~ the tears I had so desperately wanted. In one fell swoop, my Mother had turned my indignant 'no' into a niggle. A big, fat, veil shaped niggle.

Kate Moss wore a stunning veil:

Duchess Kate wore a beautiful, lace trimmed veil:

 

And fabulous Carrie wore a veil {and a bird, but that is irrelevant, let's concentrate on the veil}:

 

In fact, type the word 'bride' into google images or Pinterest and you'll struggle to find one who isn't wearing a veil. For the record, I'm still undecided.

So tell me, am I missing something with this whole veil drama? Did you wear a veil and were there any regrets if you didn't? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Love Laura x

Wedded bliss

This post is brought to you from my sick bed. Well, that's a touch dramatic, but I really am feeling rotten. I have a stinking cold and I've self~prescribed lots of rest in bed. I've just eaten a spicy Moroccan soup in the hope that it would clear out my head, but I can already tell it's not having the desired effect. I'm all tucked up and armed with supplies to get me through the rest of the day:

iPad {for bridal browsing}, Kindle {do you have any recommendations? I've just finished the Hunger Games trilogy so would like something funny to cheer me up and shake off my self~pity...}, wedding planning file {because it goes everywhere with me}, a New York guide {for honeymoon research}, my favourite Yankee Candle {not that I can smell it but it makes me feel all cosy} and Diet Coke {would prefer tea but I haven't got the energy to go down the two flights of stairs, then drag my sorry bum back up them - height of laziness, I know}.

The saving grace of being holed up in bed means that I can use the downtime to do some bridal browsing. With only 7 months until the Big Day, our wedding plans are in full swing. We've had a very, very long engagement {10 years by the time we marry... that's some kind of record, surely?}, so I've had plenty of time to dream of the most romantic day of our relationship ~ one of many I hope!

We've decided on a December wedding. I am a Winter girl at heart, and I think a Winter wedding would be so magical and dreamy, with candles in abundance and a sprinkling of sparkling embellishments. I dream of wearing a dress with exquisite fabric and glistening jewels, encased in a glamourous faux fur or feather wrap in a bid to keep me warm.

I guess the overall look we are trying to achieve is more akin to a Winter Wonderland than Christmas ~ think crisp whites, frosty silvers and shimmering greys. Imagine a cosy room being decorated with twinkling lights, candles and tea lights casting a warm, soft glow onto the faces of your nearest and dearest, and devouring some delicious comfort food. That, to me, is perfection. And that is what we want from our wedding day.

We are having a civil ceremony and are getting married just a stone's throw away from where we live. It's a Country Park with acres upon acres of lush greenery, a beautifully masonic mansion house that looks like a grand fairytale castle, and old stone ruins, which would make for gorgeous photographs. The ceremony and reception will be held in The Orangery, an 18th Century building which, according to the website, is "set back in its own tranquil little kingdom of peace and beauty". It has huge windows all along the front, allowing the light to flood in with a view of a wonderful and serene water fountain. When the darkness starts to fall, the windows are lit from outside, creating a really gothic looking building. It really is stunning.

Here are some other images that are providing some inspiration for our wedding:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I could share a ton more pictures with you, but this post is already picture heavy and there are still so many parts of the wedding that I haven't even touched on! I think our wedding guests are going to have a pleasant surprise when they see how we've styled the day. I know lots of my friends think we are going for a very girly day with lots of pink and florals, whilst others think we are going down the traditional, Christmassy red and gold route. That's the thing with long engagements ~ it truly gives you time to find things you love, and if you don't love it, why have it on your wedding day?

You'll notice my wedding dress is missing from the inspiration pictures... I've chosen my dress and it has the exact details I imagined, so any inspiration pictures would be too much of a likeness to my gorgeous frock. What I can tell you is that I absolutely adore it, and does wonders for my quite~on~the~large~side figure. It holds me in and plumps me out in all the right places and gives me a waist I never knew I had. Sigh. I love it. Besides, showing you a bog~standard website picture wouldn't do the dress justice at all because the model looks hideous in it. I've bought my shoes too. I've banged on about them quite a bit on Twitter so most of you are probably fed up of hearing about them, but their gorgeousness deserves a post of their own.

Some days I can't wait for the wedding, other days I panic that I'm running out of time. Sometimes I get wobbles about everything, thinking it's going to look Big Fat Gypsy Wedding~esque, but mostly I find it strange that it's even happening at all. As Lana Del Ray would say, "Now my life is sweet like cinnamon, like a {insert naughty word here} dream I'm living in". And she couldn't be more right.

Tell me about the best wedding you've been to ~ I'd love to know what bits you remember most!

Love Laura x