Lamb & Bear

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Wedding Series: A Big Surprise

With my hen party exactly a week away I’ve been getting more and more excited. However, the more excited I get the more sad I feel about those who can’t make it. One person in particular being my sister in law to be, my best friend and my bridesmaid Alice, who has been living in Australia for 2 years and is coming home after the hen party.

Well, that was until a couple of hours ago when I had the surprise of my life!

Like most weekends we arranged to go to Joes parents for dinner and stay the night with Little Lamb. Around 10 minutes after arriving Alice Skyped us ‘from Australia’. We spent five minutes comparing our teeth (we are both having Invisalign treatment) and then suddenly she said “say hi to my friend.” At which point my husband to be appeared on the screen and said “g’day mate!”.

My face dropped. How was Joe with Alice?! I ran around the house shouting “where is she?!”. We met on the stairs, I was in tears, her knees shaking.

My family and friends had pulled off the biggest surprise of my life, have worked hard to make my hen party the best it can be and have made me a very, very happy bride to be… And I haven’t even had my hen party yet!

Well girls, you’ve set the bar high… 😉

Alex x

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Mami 2 Five

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Wedding Series: 1 month countdown!!

Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!
Only 1 month to go!!!!!!

There’s still so much to do. I knew this would happen!

It’s ok, I’ve made a few lists (Mummy Bear will be pleased). I kind of know what still needs to be bought etc. I just need to crack on and buy it!

So what has happened in the last month?

  1. We had our final meeting with our wedding organiser. I hate saying final. It’s a little scary! We have finalised (there’s that word again) the numbers, meals and timings of the day. She literally went through the day minute by minute and both joe and I ended up with sweaty palms by the end of the meeting! But I’m happy with everything and that’s the main thing!
  2. We met with our photographer. We asked him to meet us at the venue so we knew exactly where we could take good photos, and so we knew he understood the venue and the sorts of photos we want. I have an A Level in photography and for a long time I wanted to go into fashion photography, however I was tempted by design instead. I still have a passion for photography and will be a bit of a bridezilla when it comes to the types of shots I want. If he even attempts to hang my dress from the light fitting I’m going to scream. And don’t get me started on the weird things photographers do with the brides shoes…
  3. I’ve had a couple more dress fittings. I’m happy. It’s perfect.
  4. Make up trial complete. I can’t explain how good Boe is. Highly recommend her for the Essex/London area. Check her out….
  5. I’ve had 2 hair trials. Both great, neither ‘the one’. Going for a combo of the two. Advice – go for something you know you will comfortable with and/or have had before. You need to feel ‘normal’ and not like a prom queen on your wedding day. Unless prom is the look you’re going for…
  6. Wedding favours arrived and tonight I will be spending my evening making up little boxes… wish me luck.

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I think that’s it! Well, probably not, but that’s the interesting stuff! The next update will most likely be the day before the wedding! However if I find lots to talk about running up to the big day I’ll try to do weekly updates.

Don’t miss my hen party post which will be in 2 weeks! Eeeeeeeek!!!!! I’m so excited. Fact.

If you want me to write about anything in particular in a post let me know and I will fit it in my schedule.

Alex x

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Wedding Series: Looking after your skin

If you are a regular reader of the blog, you will know my wedding is next month (eek!) All I keep thinking about is my skin. My wrinkles, my blemishes, my dry patches. Us girls are never happy are we?!

I have been looking into ways of improving my skin before the big day. I desperately want to clear my spots up on my chin (this is where I get them the most). I go through phases of having super clear skin, then boom, I’m covered in spots again. Ugh.

No matter how much make up I wear, I can still see the lumps and bumps and know they are there. It won’t be the end of the world if my skin doesn’t clear up before the wedding, but I will to do what I can to improve my skin as soon as possible.

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As you can see, even with heavy make up my spots are still visible. I wouldn’t say my skin is scarred from my blemishes, but it’s definitely not as clear as it used to be! I would love to wake up on my wedding day feeling happy with the way I look.

There are plenty of treatments out there to improve skin conditions like spots or scarring from acne. I’ve never tried a skin peel, but I’ve heard good things about them, although I’ve also heard they can be quite painful.

Next week I am off to a spa with my maid of honour for some well need tlc. I’m definitely going to get a facial and see what this does for my skin.

Do you have any tips or advice for problem skin? Have you ever has a skin peel to improve blemishes or acne? I have 5 weeks until my wedding to improve my spots! Wish me luck!

Alex x

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Our Wedding: Centrepieces

I feel like I have neglected my wedding blogging recently. I can’t believe I can now say “I’m getting married next month!” *breathe Alex*

Today’s post is about wedding centre pieces. The centre pieces are where you can be your most creative. There are so many options. Perhaps you want to be traditional and concentrate on a floral arrangement. Or you could have some sort of light or candle display. Maybe you have a theme that restricts what you can do and your displays are very specific. Either way, the tables are a huge part of your wedding: they are where your guests spend the majority of the day and you want them to be amazed.

Like with most of my planning I have decided to create the center pieces myself (with the help of my BFF Sarah who is a skilled florist). I’ve been scouring the internet for the best value decorations and ideas.

eBay has been very successful for me. I’ve been buying bits here and there and collecting things to put together on my tables. I don’t want to give too much away, as i’d like to surprise my guests, but what I will say is the centrepieces will be very glamorous and less traditional than most weddings. They will hopefully reflect my theme which is 1920s Hollywood Glam and will certainly amaze my guests as they walk into the room.

One place in particular I’ve been impressed with is The Range. There collection of vases and other decorative items were beyond my expectations, although I suppose unless you’re looking for something in particular, you wouldn’t necessarily notice it’s there? I mean, I’ve been to The Range numerous times, but didn’t realise until recently they offered exactly what you need for the perfect (good value) centre piece.

Here are a few of the bits they have that stood out to me that would be perfect for my theme (don’t worry, this doesn’t give anything away!)

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Here’s what I have learned when choosing your wedding centrepieces…

  1. Try your best to do it yourself. Do not get suckered in by companies at the wedding fairs. They are a rip off.
  2. RESEARCH. RESEARCH. RESEARCH.
  3. Think outside the box. Do you need flowers? They can be very expensive, especially in the winter. Could you have large candles instead?
  4. If you do want flowers, find out what’s in season as it will be cheaper.
  5. Can you buy your flowers from the supermarket?! A lot of people head to Tesco or Sainsburys the night before for last minute bargains. Mix and match flowers could be really quirky!
  6. Check out eBay, Gumtree and Facebook for people selling their wedding stuff cheaply.
  7. Be thrifty. Hit the boot sales. charity shops and vintage shops for hidden gems. Plus a lot of charity shops have new products made especially for them so you don’t always have to buy second hand!
  8. Be realistic with what you can store. We have a small house. Not a lot of space for storing huge centrepieces. So the one thing I am hiring is the vases. Everything else I’m buying.
  9. If you are design the centrepiecs yourself. Buy one of everything in advance so you can practice.
  10. Ask for help from friends and family. they may have things you can borrow or have. Or they may know someone else who does.

I could go on. I hope this has helped you with your planning. Feel free to comment if you have any questions.

Alex x

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That dreaded first wedding dress fitting…

A few weeks ago I had my first dress fitting since buying my wedding dress. I have to admit I was pretty nervous.

Why? Because wedding dresses are expensive and if you don’t fit the one you’ve already paid for (10 months ago), you’ll have a bit of a problem on your hands!

Ok, so the seamstress at the bridal shop could work her magic, sure, but it’s difficult taking a dress out if you’ve put weight on. And that’s exactly what I was worried about.

Luckily for me, I’ve managed to maintain my weight since I bought the dress all those months ago. Phew.

I knew there would be alterations to be done. The top part was way too big and the bottom part was too small, (I have a bit of a Kardashian bum) but the main thing is, it still fits!

I’m off for a second fitting on Friday. This will be to check the alterations to the bust are correct, and to pin and fit the bottom part, and take the length up as I’m a shorty!

Here are my top tips when going for your first dress fitting:

  • Take your wedding shoes! Make sure you have chosen your shoes in advance. They have a huge affect on the fitting of the dress. How you stand, how tall you are. You must take them to every fitting.
  • Take accessories. Shrugs, jewelry, veil, even hair pieces. Anything that you need to try against the dress to make sure it goes well. I had 2 shrugs and a pair of earrings. The shrugs worked and the earrings didn’t. But at least I had the opportunity to make the decision before the big day.
  • Turn up with you hair and make up looking nice, possibly how you might want it on the day. If you want an up do, then go with your hair up etc. Again, this gives you the opportunity to work out if the look is right for your dress. Remember, everything should work around the dress, you don’t work the dress around the extras.
  • Decide on your underwear. Depending on the material, some underwear will not be suitable fro the dress. For me, I will have to wear seamless underwear and nothing textured. Have a look at yourself in the dress and think carefully about what underwear will be suitable.
  • Take a bridesmaid! Make sure you have someone with you that totally gets the look you want, and will be able to give you their honest opinion.
  • Take photos. Vicky took loads of photos, which has proven really useful when having my hair and make up trial. You can look back and figure out what will work.
  • Finally, take your time. Do not let them rush you. If you want to stand and look at yourself for 15 minutes, then do it! You have spent a lot of money on that dress, so if you want to soak up every moment wearing it, then you should! Have a walk around the shop, get to grips with how it will feel on the day – you’re going to be wearing it for a long time!

Well, that’s it for now. I hope you have found this post useful. I’m really looking forward to my second fitting on Friday. I’ll let you know how it goes! If you want to read any more posts from my wedding series you can find them here.

Alex x

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