How to Plan a Successful Wedding

29.11.18

So, you have found the perfect wedding venue, but what do you need to do next?

There is so much to consider when it comes to planning your special day. Of course, you want to ensure that everything is just how you want it to be, which is why it is best to be as organised as possible. Keeping that in mind, read on to discover some of the venue-related tasks you will need to embark on, now you have decided on where you would like to have your dream day hosted.

Firstly you will need to begin by thinking about the theme and the colour scheme for your big day. Sometimes a venue can determine this; ff you have chosen somewhere that has a very unique design, you will have to play towards this, otherwise, you could end up with a room that looks a bit confused! Of course, if the wedding venue is neutral and gives you the opportunity to really add some colour and style, then the sky is your limit.


Do you want a traditional or modern styled-venue?

What colour scheme are you going to go for?

When choosing a colour scheme it is advisable to stick to three colours maximum. This will ensure everything blends beautifully and looks stylish. You can also use the likes of Pinterest to create a mood board, so that you can see what everything is going to look like together.

Aside from this, you should also consider the prospect of hiring some extra special treats that will make your big day special. Most people hire a band or a DJ, however there has been a trend for wedding magicians and other unique entertainment options lately too. Why not hire a Photo Booth like one from Photo Booth Rental Fort Worth? This is a great way to keep your wedding party entertained, while also capturing memories of your big day. You could even get guests to use the pictures to create your guest book - much more fun than just a written message! Don’t forget the photographer either - photographers like Daz Mack are a great choice, because they put the fun into wedding photography, and you can see work samples too.

In addition to this, you have plenty of other ways to make your wedding stand out. Have you thought about having your very own sweet stall, or why don’t you hire a photo booth and silly props! There are plenty of great ways to bring an added dash of fun to the occasion. You could even create your own cocktail and give this to guests to toast with, rather than having the standard champagne or prosecco. 

Last but not least, you will need to deal with the finishing touches. This includes everything from your table centrepieces, to the catering and the favours. Table centrepieces must be considered taking into account not only the style of the room, but the size of it. If you are having a small and intimate wedding, tall table centrepieces may dominate the room and make it difficult for people to converse with one and other.

Make sure to think about the wedding favours you are going to give guests too. Most people tend to go for something like a small chocolate or another type of edible favour. There are so many different unique ideas out there, so do a bit of research first. It is always nice to pick something that is special to you and your partner.

And finally the most important thing you need to do, is to make sure you enjoy yourself. Don’t let the stress take over. You’re getting married and planning the occasion should be half of the fun!
This is a collaborative post.

Lilah at 10 Months Old

28.11.18


I cannot believe how late I am with Lilah's update this month! She turned 10 months a few weeks ago now, but with Indiana's birthday and everyone being poorly, it's been difficult to find time to sit down and write. I haven't had time to take her to the weighing clinic either, so I don't have an update on her weight this month. But it has been a really exciting one!

Lilah is definitely growing well and is now fully in 9-12 month clothing. She's still a petite little lady though, and everyone always comments on how small she is for her age. Although what she doesn't have in size, she definitely makes up for in personality. She is constantly chatting and squealing away (she now says mama!), and my goodness does she make herself known when she isn't happy with something. She will stomp her feet at you and tantrum like a teenager when she doesn't get her own way sometimes. And although it's loud and hard work sometimes, can actually be rather cute!

Meal times are still her favourite part of the day, and Lilah loves most things put in front of her. She's getting really good with her pincer grip, and preloaded spoons are a little less messier now. As well as her meals she's still having three bottles a day - although she's not too fussed about her 3pm bottle some days, so I reckon we'll be dropping this one soon.



There have been some huge developments with Lilah this month, and she's quickly becoming a little girl and not a baby anymore. Two more teeth have popped through giving her a total of 8 already. And most exciting of all... she took her first steps! Very quickly she's learnt to stand herself up independently, take 3-4 steps, and can crouch and stand back up again if she falls.

I always knew those first steps weren't far off, but I still couldn't believe it when she did it. And despite Lilah being our third baby, those steps were still just as special. And probably the most bittersweet too, as it feels as if those baby days are coming to and end for the last time. And I don't think I'm ready!

3 Great Tips when Buying a House to Renovate

27.11.18

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
The cost of buying a home is out of control, and if you’re trying to buy a new property, you probably won’t be able to afford the space that you want. But you can save a lot of money if you buy an older property, and then renovate it instead!

It’ll take a bit of work and you won’t be able to move in right away, but you’ll be able to get a lot more for your money. However, you’ve got to be careful when you’re buying a property to renovate. If you take on a huge project that you can’t handle, you’ll end up sinking way too much money and time into it to make it liveable, and actually be worse off. So if you are considering buying a property to renovate, here are some tips to help you make the right choice.

Always Get A Survey Done
This is the most important step when you’re looking at any property, but it’s particularly important when you’re buying a house to renovate. If all of the work that needs doing is mostly cosmetic, you’re going to be fine. But if there are big structural issues or a giant hole in the roof, that’s going to be incredibly expensive and time consuming to fix.

You need to remember the exterior of the house as well, because any damage could cause you a lot of problems with insulation and damp. It’s important that you are aware of any problems like this before you buy, otherwise, you’ll end up stuck with a house that you can’t afford to fix up. That’s why you always need to get a survey done - because you won't have the expertise to spot these problems

Planning Permission
When you look around a house, you’ll probably start making plans about what you’re going to do to it straight away. But what if you buy the house and then find out that you don’t have the permission to do any of that stuff? That’s why it’s important to look into planning permission and find out about things like party walls before you agree to buy the property. What is a party wall, you might be wondering? A party wall is any wall that you share with a neighbouring property.

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash
This can be a big problem when you’re doing renovations, as you’ll need to get a party wall agreement with the owner of the other property, if your work will impact them in some way. Always make sure that you find out what work you can actually do, before you commit to buy somewhere.

Be Prepared For Competition
The low price for these properties attracts a lot of potential buyers, especially as house prices are so high at the moment. So you need to be prepared for a bit of competition. The offer that you initially put in may be beaten by another buyer, so always budget a little bit extra, and don’t go in with your highest price first. It’s also important that you don’t get your hopes up because sometimes, somebody else will be able to pay more than you can afford!

This is a collaborative post.

3 Wedding Mistakes NOT to Make!

25.11.18

Every bride wants her wedding day to be special, and something she and her guests will always remember. Planning the wedding of your dreams can be a lot of hard work, but hopefully it will have been worth it when the big day arrives. There are mistakes made at every wedding though; here are just a few you should try to avoid!

The Bride (And Groom)

Most of the focus on any wedding day is on the bride. What is her dress like? What flowers will she be carrying? How many bridesmaids does she have? What you must remember is that there is one other very important person at your wedding - the groom! It is just as vital that he feels well dressed and comfortable. A bespoke suit from a company like Colmore Tailors, can really help with this.

Other important members of your wedding are your guests. They need to have a good time or they might remember your wedding for the wrong reasons. You would hope a pleasing experience will happen naturally, but this isn't always the case. You have to work hard at making sure they will be entertained, and have good food and drink. Make sure to try and speak to everyone during the day too.

Personal Is More Important Than Impressive

You could spend fortunes trying to impress your guests, but personal touches will always mean a lot more. Whether you spend 30p or £30 on centrepieces for tables is irrelevant, but if the wedding reflects who you are as a couple it will be much more successful. It is too easy to lay out far too much money on things that do not matter, but just remember that money isn't everything.

Why not try and make personal touches towards your guests too. If you have place name cards, write something personal on the back of each one. They can then take that away as a memory of your special day. 


Consider Your Guests

Whatever their situation your guests will have had to make an effort to attend your big day. They may have had to hire babysitters, booked transport or taken time off work. If you want everyone to be able to make it, you need to give them as much information as possible well before the wedding. The whole thing with a wedding is that it is yours and your partner’s day, but if you want it to be successful, you sometimes have to put yourselves last.
This is a collaborative post.

Preserving The Beauty Of Childhood

19.11.18


Childhood is one of the most beautiful and important things there are. If you lived a great one it will most likely affect your personality for the rest of your life (and you’ll often long to return to that innocent, childhood state). If you weren't so fortunate however, it could influence your entire life perhaps more chaotically.

We can overcome our childhoods, but we’re all absolutely a product of it. This means that as a parent, being the guardian of childhood isn’t a fantastic title given by someone with too much imagination. It’s a complete necessity for a parent to do everything they can, to allow a child to live free from the shackles of adulthood!

Of course, this doesn't mean they should be spoiled, allowed free reign over every single decision, and never disciplined. Childhood is hard to deal with, and even an excellent parent will find it challenging. It’s also always amazing to see just how much of your child’s personality is seemingly packaged with them the moment they begin to toddle about. Thankfully, preserving the beauty of childhood despite these challenges is possible, if you take into account the following advice...

Settling Issues

It can be very wise to settle issues in your family unit, before they start to influence the children in the family. For example, relationship issues might need to go through the impartial lens of family solicitors, or you might need to follow arrangements best made by your family counselor. Children are very smart and can tell when issues are taking place. It’s very hard to lie to them about this, and of course, lying to your children isn’t something you would ever want to do either. For that reason, taking issues by the horn and resolving them can make for a much better childhood.

Play

Children need to play, that's a fact! And actually, it’s one of the most important things a child can ever learn. Play simulates life in the microcosm, from sharing with their siblings to learning the rules of fair play. A child tests their personality and learns completely new things throughout the course of their years of play, and will begin to absorb the unwritten rules of the social landscape with their peers. Children need to play. So let them - preferably in social activities or using their imagination, then constantly allowing them to play video gaming consoles.

Growing Up too Quickly

We’re often quite disgusted to see dolled-up children that attend beauty pageants, with their pushy mothers and fathers. But we might not look at ourselves and see, in less obviously irritating ways, how we might be pushing our children to grow up too fast. If your 10 or 11 year old is allowed to watch films unsuitable for them, or is experiencing unsuitable things from hanging out with their older sibling, then it might be worth keeping an eye on them. If your 13/14 year old daughter wants to play with dolls still, let her! Help your children hold onto their childhood as they should, because they’ll have plenty of time to live as someone with responsibilities and adult cares in the future.

With these few simple tips, preserving the beauty of childhood is sure to take place!

This is a collaborative post.

The Siblings Project | November 2018

17.11.18

I haven't taken many fancy pictures of our three this month, but I thought these quick snaps were too lovely not to share. Lilah is SO eager to get out and about on our outings now, and we cannot wait until the three of them are off adventuring together. And of course I wanted to share our Halloween pictures too, because they're just too cute not to share!

I actually cannot believe we have an almost 5 year old, a 3 year old and a 10 month old now. This year seems to have gone by in an absolute flash, and all three of them have grown and changed so much since my Siblings Project posts at the start of the year. And now we only have one more of these posts left!



Apart from half term, this month has been a relatively quiet one. We had a lovely Halloween with allll of the sweets, and the littles in the cutest outfits. Indie wanted to be a witch, Parker was a skeleton dinosaur (yes, it was as cool as it sounds), and Lilah was a baby witch to match Indie. Jack took the big two out trick or treating after work, which they are still talking about now!

We have had some lovely days out throughout the month too, including a soggy trip to Scotney Castle and fireworks with our friends Harriet and Josh. But as we have so many exciting events coming up over the next few weeks, we decided to enjoy our free weekends as much as possible. Because once Indiana's birthday rolls around, it will be Christmas before we know it!


Starting School | Indiana’s First Term in Reception

5.11.18

With October half term over, and the countdown to Christmas well and truly on, I thought I'd take the time to write about Indiana's first term at school. Although I'm still in a bit of denial that she's a school girl (she's still a baby in my eyes!), Indie has settled into the routine of school really well.


At Indie's school they staggered the reception children's starts. Half of her class did morning sessions and the other half did afternoons. Indie had just over two weeks of afternoons, before she actually went in full at the end of September. And although these were great for easing her in gently, they felt far too long in my opinion. Indie is one of the older children though (she's 5 in a few weeks), so maybe that's why she seemed ready a lot earlier!?

Despite being ready, those first few weeks of full days were still rather exhausting - for all of us! The school day starts at 8.30am (8.45am if we're running a bit late!), and I collect her at 3.10pm, so it's a much longer day than preschool ever was. I don't think she ever stops when she's there either; with so much to see and do, she doesn't want to miss out! It has meant plenty of overtired outbursts in the evening, and keeping weekends as simple as possible. But we're hoping as the weeks go on, she gets used to the busy weeks a bit more.

I can tell she has already picked up and learnt so much over this first half term though. From her very first day, she has been coming home and telling me about the phonics she has learnt - pointing out the letters, singing the little phonics songs and always, always writing and drawing. I think I could decorate our whole house with the amount of artwork she comes home with - it's impressive she gets anything else done during the day!


We are so pleased that Indiana has settled into school life so well, and so quickly. Despite not knowing anyone on her first day, she's made lots of new friends already, and there's no issues with her eating her school lunches either! We have our first parent's evening this week, so I cannot wait to hear about how she's getting on even more.

I really hope she keeps her love of school for a long time - we are just so, so proud!

5 Steps to a Stress-Free Wedding

1.11.18

The process of planning a wedding can sometimes be a little very overwhelming. As well as sometimes being more frustrating that you would like it to be! Rather than getting down or letting out your frustration on those around you, you should work gradually towards your end goal. Setting milestones for yourself that you can tick off as you go along. It’s not only a good way of tracking the process, and but splitting things into bitesize chunks makes them more manageable too.


A Successful Engagement
Let’s start right at the beginning - because nothing can start until you've achieved a successful engagement. That's the most important thing of all when you're starting the process of planning a wedding. If you haven’t proposed yet, finding the right ring will be vital, and 77 Diamonds engagement rings might be worth considering. You’ll want to get the proposal just right and make it memorable!

Narrowing Down the Guest-List
The guest-list is perhaps one of the most stress things to work out when you’re planning a wedding. You don’t want to miss anyone off, or make anyone feel bad that they’re not invited. So try to approach it carefully; taking everyone’s feelings into account. At the same time, you should remember that a bigger guest-list will mean a bigger and more expensive wedding too. So don't just invite people for the sake of it.

Booking the Ideal Venue
Once you’ve got the venue confirmed, the whole wedding usually starts to come together and feel more real. That might sound like a strange thing to say, but when you can visualise the location in which your wedding is going to happen, it definitely does start to feel more real! So booking the venue is a major milestone that you’re going to be working towards when you start planning.

Finding the Dress
Another special moment is finding your dream wedding dress. When you put on that dress and it looks exactly how you wanted it to in your imagination, there’s no better feeling you can experience. It might take many days (or weeks) of searching and trying on wedding dresses, but it’s all worth it when you find 'the one'.

Reaching the Big Day Without Becoming a Bridezilla
If you manage to get to the big day of your wedding without turning into the worst kind of bridezilla, then you will have certainly achieved something that many brides don’t! With all the stress and planning that goes into a wedding, it's no surprise brides go a bit crazy some of the time.

There are many milestones that you’ll pass on the way towards getting married, but the ones mentioned here are probably the most important ones. When you tick each of them off you should stop to appreciate your efforts, and be happy that your wedding preparations are moving in the right direction. Good luck!

This is a collaborative post.