It's all in the detail...

One of my favourite parts of planning our wedding was deciding on all of the small personal details. I knew exactly what I wanted and just needed a little bit of help bringing it all to life which is where my amazing parents came in.

From years of secretly lusting over weddings on Pinterest I had a good idea about how our wedding would look and all the little touches that would make it personal to us. I never knew just how much hard work went in to all those little things that half of the guests wouldn't even notice but they made the day complete and were so worth all of the time and effort that went in to them.

Here are a few of my favourite parts of the whole day:

It is the detail that made our day so perfect!

J xx

Time flies...

The last 3 months have possibly been the fastest of my life, it feels like yesterday I decided not to post any more until after the wedding. Well the wedding has been and gone!

It was the most amazing day, filled with so much love and many happy memories that I cannot wait to share with you all. I plan on doing a whole series of posts about the wedding and all the little bits we made or created for the day as well as sharing lots of photos from the day itself.

We have also had the most incredible 2 weeks in Kenya which I cannot wait to tell you all about. It was unlike any holiday I have ever been on and we returned feeling blissfully happy and relaxed.

Now it is time to get stuck in to making our gorgeous house a home. Although we managed to get a lot of it done before the wedding we have had a few set backs so still have a bit more to do before I can do before and after photos. I plan on showing you all of the progress along the way so keep an eye out for some posts on that very soon.

Of course my love for beauty, baking and bargains will still be very much a focus on this blog and I really hope I find the perfect balance for you all.

Of course as always if you have any questions, requests or comments feel free to leave a comment and I will be sure to reply.

Its good to be back.

xx

Wedding Chat

 

 

I thought I would start a new series of posts all about my favourite subject...Weddings! Who doesn't love a wedding and that excitement of flowers and white dresses only increases once you actually have a ring on your finger.

 

I have been slightly obsessed with weddings for probably the last 20 of my whole 25 years on this planet. I am a girly girl who is a hopeless romantic. My biggest dream has been to have a fairy-tale wedding and a long and happy marriage. Obviously the marriage bit is the most important but the fairy-tale wedding is what we all really dream about. If you are anything like me you have probably had an idea about the sort of wedding you would like, what the dress would look like, how many bridesmaids you would have, that kind of thing, but planning a wedding is a lot more stressful than I ever though. Who knew there were so many decisions to make?? The other day I sat up crying about chairs!!! What is happening to me? Basically the chairs at our reception venue are ugly. I'm not a huge fan of chair covers and the chairs I really loved were too expensive. It was a big drama for me last week aha!

 

I think until we are actually in the position we really have no idea what we want or even where to start. I thought seeing as I am going through it at the moment I would do a little series all about the planning process and things that we have had to make decisions on. It isn't going to be ground breaking but it might help you out if you are struggling to decide between an manor house or barn conversion, that kind of thing.

 

So from now on every other Monday will be a Wedding Chat post. If you have anything you would like me to cover in these posts then either leave a comment or email me at jodienatalie@gmail.com and I will try to answer your questions. I am still in the process of planning our wedding so I am still learning as I go.

 

Have a great day

xx

Things I have learnt whilst planning a wedding

 

Planning a wedding is possibly one of the most stressful things I have ever done. When I got engaged a year ago and everyone was telling me horror stories I didn't believe them for one second. All I could think about was pretty dresses, flowers and how great it was all going to be. Since then I have learnt a few home truths:

 

1. It might not look like the Pinterest board you have been creating for the last 3 years.

 

Pinterest is my best friend and worst enemy, it is where some of my best ideas have come from but also my biggest failures. Be warned, that DIY garden game that looks so rustic and easy is anything but! The pictures on Pinterest might not be the most realistic and your wedding might not turn out exactly how you imagined but it will be perfect for you and your partner and that's all that really matters.

 

2. DIY is not always best.

 

When we first got engaged I decided that I wanted to make all of our invites myself. I thought this would be not only the best way of getting exactly what I wanted but also a cheaper option. Turns out I could have paid somebody to design and make what I wanted for the same price and half the stress. They took so long to make and although I love them, I am pretty sure a standard invite would have done the job just as well.

 

3. Prepare for the arguments.

 

I have argued with pretty much everyone close to me about something to do with this wedding, if its not the interfering mother in law then it is the bridesmaid not pulling their weight. There is so many opinions involved in a wedding that it is impossible for everyone to agree. At the end of the day if you and your partner are happy that is all that matters. Who cares if Great Aunt Betty doesn't like the idea of a photo booth, you want one and you will have one!

 

4. Not all weddings are the same...and that's okay!

 

Your wedding is a chance to express yourself and your relationship. Nobody is the same and if we were it would be boring. So there is no such thing as the norm when it comes to a wedding, just because you know somebody that got married in a big fancy house doesn't mean you have to. Make sure you have a wedding that represents you and not what you think a wedding has to be.

 

5. Enjoy every minute, it goes so fast.

 

It might not sound like it after reading everything I have just wrote but I really have loved every second of planning a wedding and once it is over I will miss it. There is so much to do and everybody get so excited about it all, you really need to take a step back every now and again and remember why you are doing it. You never get these moments back so enjoy every second of it.

 

xx

Our Engagement Story

I suppose before I tell you all about our engagement, I should start by telling you all about us.

We met 7 years ago whilst we were 18 and still in college and have been together ever since. I guess we have grown up together really, we were both very different people when we were 18 and I love that he has made me more laid back and I am now much happier taking the puppy for a walk and siting in watching movies on a Friday night rather than going out, getting drunk and staying in bed all day the next day. And I hope I have had the same influence on him, he has turned into an amazing man who is thoughtful and generous. And I cannot wait to be his wife! (Soppy part over with, lets get on to the engagement!)

For a few weeks before hand we had been planning on taking the puppy to the beach for the day as he hadn't been since he was around 3 months old and had been terrified of the whole situation. My parents had been going on about this trip quite a bit and to be honest I found it a little strange that they were that excited about a trip to the beach that they weren't even invited to. The beach we were going to is around 2 hours from where we live so it wasn't really something I was keen to do in 1 day but I gave in after everybody seemed to be telling me it was going to be great.

So on the morning of the 8th March, we packed the car up and the three of us set of to Wells-next-the-sea. Wells is one of my favourite places and if you have never been then I urge you to add it to you list of places to visit. It is the perfect seaside town with beach huts and little fish and chip shops, you can go crabbing in the harbour and eat ice cream as you wonder around the colourful streets. A truly British seaside resort.

Once we arrived I completely took back all the moaning I had done previously about the long trip as I just feel so at home when I am there and all the memories of summer holidays as a child come flooding back. We took the pup for a walk through the woods which leads on to the beach and then spent what felt like hours playing Frisbee with him. I was taking pictures and we were writing his name in the sand to take pictures with. I turned around to see what the fuss was behind me and there on one knee was the absolute love of my life with what now may be the second love of my life in a little box.

From that moment I can't really remember what happened next but apparently I kept asking if he was joking and I cried a lot and it was all a little overwhelming if I am honest. Although it was a complete surprise on the day and I wasn't expecting it at all, we had been speaking about it quite a bit and we both knew it was going to happen but once it was real and I had the ring on my finger I didn't really know what to do. Of course we called all of our family and friends and then we had another walk down the beach but I think I was in a little bubble of shock for a day or two afterwards.

We got engaged almost 11 months ago now and since then it has been a whirlwind of planning and organising. We only have 5 months left before the big day so the countdown is really on and I have loved every second of it. We still have a lot to do but I just want to enjoy the last few months of being engaged and the whole wedding planning process as I don't ever plan on doing it again. It is such an odd feeling when you get close to your wedding as you have such a mix of emotions, part of me cannot wait for the day to be here so that I can be married but the other part will be so sad when it is all over.

 

Are any of you engaged or recently married? I would love to hear all about you weddings

 

Have a great days

xx