two years ♥

Last Tuesday marked mine and Mitch's 2nd wedding anniversary. It's funny, on the one hand I feel like we've been married forever (in a good way!), but on the other, it's as if the best day ever was only last weekend :)

Unlike our first anniversary, this year was rather low key, dinner in Peckham (Taiwanese at Mr Bao - SO good, we basically ordered everything on the menu) followed by some Star Trek back at the flat. We didn't even do gifts this year which I'm a bit sad about especially as two years is cloth and I had so many ideas (namely involving making clothes)! The truth is we'd just paid for our villa in Sicilly (two weeks today!!! I cannot wait!!!) and August in general has been busy (aka expensive) month.

A lot of things have finally fallen into place during the year which is probably why I boldly stated at dinner that I thought our second year of marriage was better than the first. The independence of having our own home has been, and continues to be, fricking amazing. We're also back living very close by to the majority of our friends. And, thanks to this more independent, relaxed, sociable set up we have, we've talked a lot more about future plans - travel, housing, (gulp) family. It's all very exciting and I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else ♥

Four days in Slovakia

A small confession: before a couple of months ago I knew next to nothing about Slovakia, let alone had ever considered it as a holiday destination. But then some friends announced they were getting married there and I figured it was high time I educated myself and accepted their v.kind invitation :)

The wedding was on the Saturday but we decided to fly out early Thursday morning and spend a day in the capital, Bratislava. I really liked what I saw of the city - beautiful architecture (such colourful tile work!), a lot of history (churches, squares and the castle of course) and culture - so many restaurants had live music and there were tonnes of cute little cafes and bars dotted about many with basements and subbasements to nose around in. There were also lots of little random shops to seek out, tucked away in courtyards reached by winding alleyways off the main streets. 

Almost everyone we encountered in Bratislava spoke English and were very friendly. The food was guuuuud. The Slovaks seem to be v.into hearty foods - meaty, cheesey and potato-y dishes were the thing (good news for me) and also soups (so many delicious soups!). Lots of the bars we visited (both in Bratislava and Nitra) had impressive beer and spirit selections. I felt there quite a lot of similarities between Bratislava and Budapest, particularly in terms of bridges, food, architecture and the price of stuff. Slovakia was pretty damn cheap - half a litre of good beer for €1.50! Bargainous :) To top it all off, the Airbnb place we stayed in had the most spectacular view of the old town.

On Friday we headed to Nitra, first to drop our stuff at the fabulous hotel where the reception was taking place and second to get some grub and a cocktail or two. The old part of Nitra was v.beautiful, especially the cathedral our friends got married in - decorated with statues and paintings and the most ornate ceilings and walls - quite a feast for the eyes!

After the ceremony we all headed back to the hotel for food. Before we could take our seats the newly weds carried out a Slovakian tradition: a shot of vodka with the hotel manager and then a plate was smashed and the couple had to work as a team to sweep up all the pieces whilst simulataneously fending off family and friends who tried to further smash the pieces. Turns out Slovaks love to party. After lots of booze, hours of dancing and SO much food (a three course meal at around 4pm and then a hog roast at midnight) I called it a night at 3:30 but the party was still in full swing! Unsurprisingly, Sunday was a bit of a sleepy-hungover haze and we caught the plane home in the late afternoon.

I'd never been to a wedding abroad before but I'm hoping there'll be more to come!

brighton for a weekend

To celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary Mitch and I wanted to get away for the weekend and, what with close proximity to the sea being a high priority and Cornwall being a little too far for just a couple of nights, we settled on Brighton.

I'd not been for about 8 years and had completely forgotten how quick it is to get to (just an hour from clapham junction!). We Airbnb'd it (god, I love Airbnb), as weekend hotel prices were insane, and stayed in a perfect 1 bed flat right round the corner from the north laines.

The weekend consisted of eating lots (pizza, burger, brunch, obligatory seaside fish'n'chips and much icecream), mooching about the town, the pier, the pavilion gardens and the beach (Mitch even went for a swim in the sea) and generally just having a v.chilled out couple of days. Highlights for me included: having a look around Brighton & Hove museum and more specifically the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition (pretty incredible and well worth a viewing); walking around the stalls at the open market (and using the photobooth :) naturally); and my favourite part? Wandering through the north laines full of second hand clothes shops, curiosity shops, an excellent comic book shop and, of course, Snooper's Paradise - a must-see for those who like to rummage ;) we spent over an hour in there!

It being summer and the school holidays, Brighton was hella busy, in some places uncomfortably so (*ahem* the famous lanes and main highstreet) which is why we spent more time around the little roads off Trafalgar Street. The weather on Saturday was glorious and Sunday wasn't bad until a huge downpour at lunchtime, but it brightened up again and who cares anyway, it's not a crime to eat icecream in the rain ;) A perfect little weekend getaway - thanks Brighton.

p a p e r (our 1st anniversary)

Paper is the traditional gift for a 1st wedding anniversary so Mitch and I got each other books (Mitch's gets added kudos because the book he got me was Lists of Note and lists are traditionally written on paper too). I also made the little paper cut above because narwhals are a thing for us (and also they are the best).

It's funny, for the first few months after we got married, friends asked me "how does it feel to be married? Any different?" and I casually shrugged my shoulders and said "nah, not really, nothing's changed at all. We're exactly the same." Ask me now and my answer would be different. Things have changed, small things like the fact that I get to say 'husband' a lot for a start (which I'm loving). Originally I wasn't so keen on the word 'wife' but it's great! I love being Mitch's wife, and when he introduces me as his wife to someone new, it's bloody ace (I know I sound weird, I can't really explain it). In terms of feeling differently, I feel like we're, if it's even possible, more of a team. We said some heartfelt (if perhaps a little cheesy) vows to each other  at the wedding and they honestly feel more and more relevant as time goes on. It is all about being there to support each other in whatever way we can and in whatever we do. I also feel super comfortable talking about the future, what we might do and where we might go. Obviously nothing is set in stone but certain aspects are becoming more focused, plus it's fun to talk about the possibilities that lie in store for us. Not that we didn't talk about stuff or that I didn't feel comfortable before we got married, everything now just feels that bit brighter, that bit...sparklier!

As first years of marriages go, it's not been the easiest - still living in my parents' attic, my redundancy and subsequent miserable-ness throughout my unemployment. But through it all, Mitch has been my absolute rock - cheering me up, offering advice, doing interview practice with me, not to mention bankrolling me when I had literally nothing. I don't like to get super mushy on here but if I can't do it on our wedding anniversary when can I? He is generous and thoughtful and the most positive person I've ever met. I cannot tell you how awesome Mitch has been this year. Here's to many more adventures, laughs and cuddles - I am one lucky lady, that man is the bees knees :) 

Wedding DIYs #3 Entertainment

The last instalment of my wedding DIYs (here's parts one and two).

Movie Bingo
Mitch put together a playlist of film music and movie quotes and together we made v.simple little bingo cards (with film names rather than numbers) and, after the food, we asked our guests to play a game of musical bingo. Mitch and I played hosts - which was lots of fun - and we had three prizes to give away (for one line, two lines and full house). A pretty cheap means of entertainment but it went down v.well with everyone and got people talking on their tables.

Photobooth
From fairly early on Mitch announced that he wanted to handle the photobooth. We'd looked at a few that you could hire and they, like everything wedding related, were super expensive. I can't give you too may details about how Mitch went about creating the photobooth as a lot of IT stuff is very much lost on me. I know he downloaded a programme and synched it to a web cam and printer, arranged it so that the pictures saved to the computer and printed out, he got some props together and his best man (ultimate IT genius) got it all set up and working late on the Friday night before the wedding. (I am so grateful for this as literally everybody at the wedding commented on how much they loved the photobooth). So, yes, you can fork out a fortune for a photobooth but if you've got the skillz (or know someone with the skillz) there's nothing stopping you from making your own, we did and probably saved us about 500 quid.

Guest book
In the lead up to our wedding I'd read a number of blogs saying that guest books were kinda pointless and a hassle to get people to sign but, having done one, I'd have to disagree. Yes, lots of the pages are filled with drunken messages but they're great messages, very much in the moment, and, along with all the pictures from the photobooth, we've got them to look back on. Although you can buy specific "wedding guest books" they can be pricey. We ended up getting a plain page book from Paperchase - they're a pretty good bet in case you're looking for a book option.

 And thus concludes this mini series, just in time before mine and Mitch's first wedding anniversary on Sunday ;)

pictures from a Great Gatsby-esque wedding

A couple of Saturdays ago my friend got married in the former home of Mr Selfridge (yup, as in Selfridges) Mayfair's Lansdown Club. To go along with all the art deco fabulousness, my friend suggested a 1920s dress code for all the guests. Now, my inital reaction was horror. I'd look about as elgant as a potato in a sock if I had to wear a flapper dress. However, once I actually did some internet searching, my worries were quashed. People DO make 1920's-ish dresses for larger ladies - huzzah! And, having arrived at the venue, I was so glad I made the effort because, sorry to gush, but everyone looked f-ing amazing as well as right at home in the spectacular Lansdown Club. 

Dress is from ASOS and just for a bit of fun I made a v.simple headband complete with lace, feathers and shiny buttons :)

Been to any good weddings of late?

Wedding DIYs #2 Decor

The second instalment of our wedding DIYs (which neatly coincides with the fact that we've now been married for 9 months - it's a tenuous link but let me have it) and this was the big one: Decor, wherein I bit off more than I could chew...

We were v.keen on a venue that would let us decorate it ourselves (I already knew that I wanted a lot of bunting). This proved to be not as straightforward as I'd thought. Practically all my initial searches turned up venues which wouldn't allow you to add anything to their "one size fits all" idea of wedding reception decor. So, along with a few other factors (not wanting our venue to pick our food or charge us and our guests a shit load of money for a bar) we realised what we needed was a completely empty shell that would, essentially, let us do whatever we wanted. It was hard work planning and organising everything but I wouldn't change this for the world, I would definitely have started making stuff earlier though!

Bunting
I knew that I wanted a lot of  bunting and Mitch, being the most laid back person ever, let me go a little bunting crazy. I, along with the much appreciate help of my mum, made over 50 metres of bunting - I lost count how flags we used. We had some in the main hall and in the marquee to cheer it up a bit, which did the trick I think. You can't be sad when there's bunting. I also made some mini-bunting to go on the backs of some of the chairs.

Flower garland
Interspersed bewteen the bunting and made from tissue paper, my mum and I made these together, cutting out and arranging the layers then sewing a thread through the middle which was then tied to a piece of string. Super straightforward and rather pretty I think.

Flowers
Although we wanted some real flowers in the hall, and in the end opted for eight vases of beautiful wild flowers on the window ledges, we weren't overly fussed about having them on the tables. This was mostly due to costs - flowers are seriously expensive (much like all things connected to weddings) - so we turned to a much much cheaper but still effective alternative: tissue paper! I made around 80 for the tables, extra small ones for the bridal and groom party, and 12 large ones which formed my own and my three bridesmaids' bouquets. I'd been collecting glass jars for a while - we mostly used them to put candles in - and they, along with a little bit of ribbon and string here and there, were perfect for the table flowers, not to mention they cost us nothing.

Photographs
A rifle through our parents' photos turned up some gems of us both looking a lot smaller and cuter. We stuck them in some frames (£1 each from Tiger - that shop is the bees knees) and displayed them either side of the vases of flowers. A really simple bit of decor but I saw lots of people wandering round looking at them.

Arch

Probably our biggest decor splurge (apart from hiring the lights). Mitch found the arch on Ebay and I bought some artificial flowers to decorate it. 

Tables - place cards, hearts, cranes
The centre piece on each table consisted of two jars of the tissue paper flowers, two origami paper cranes (which aren't just beautiful, apparently they have a symbolic meaning of luck, love and longevity) and three love hearts. The love hearts were all made from scratch thanks to a friend of my parents' who made a plaster cast and then a mould, which my dad then used to make around 30 of the love hearts before painting them in the colours of the original sweets. A few of the guests took one home and I've saved a few which we can one day display when we buy our own place. Also on the tables were the place names - made in InDesign by me and printed by my dad. That advice about asking friends and family and using your connections could not be more relevant if you're planning a DIY wedding!

Read all about our wedding here and you'll find the first instalment of wedding DIYs here.

Wedding DIYs #1 Paper Stuff

Mitch and I have been married for 6 months :) In a lot of ways it feels like longer but at the same time I can remember every bit of our wedding as if it was last week. To mark this mini milestone, and because all the "thank you" cards have finally be written, I thought it's be fun to share, in a little more detail, some of the stuff we made for our v.DIY wedding...

So, first up is a little bit about all the paper stuff. (I think the traditional term is 'wedding stationary' but that to me sounds like pencils, notebooks etc none of which was present at the wedding. Incidentally, I really struggled with all the "traditional" wedding terms/ettiquette/order in which stuff had to happen - we kinda just did whatever we thought seemed cool in the end.)

Save the Dates
We used Moo.com to print these. They had lots of different options (we opted for the postcard layout) including the ability to upload your own designs (in our case two v.simple geometric designs that I created in InDesign. The more you order the cheaper each indivual item costs so we opted for 50 which meant we had a few spare that I can now add to our 'wedding book'. The delivery was quick and the quality of the postcards was excellent. Really can't fault moo.com.

Invites
Because I'm pendantic and got, let's say, really into the DIY aspect of the wedding (read: controlling), I knew that I wanted to design the invites myself. Mitch, being the most patient and understanding person ever, let me get on with it. I say, let me get on with it but it's actually my dad who brought them to life. He took my original drawings, edited them in Illustrator (v.handy having a graphic designer around) so that they worked on the paper size we'd chosen, drew the map, laid out all the information AND got them printed. They didn't cost a thing in terms of cash but I know that a lot of his time went into them and I couldn't have been be more grateful or happy with the finished thing :)

Seating Plan
Referring back to my *ahem* enthusiam for DIY-ing as much as possible, I was v.keen to make the seating plan and had a v.clear design in my head. We'd already decided to name the tables after places we'd visited on our trip to New York (where Mitch proposed) so all I had to do was to draw a little illustration to go with each table. I used to draw all the time before uni but it's one of my hobbies that's been neglected for years. The wedding was the perfect excuse to pick up my pen and pencil again. It was a pretty laborious task, mostly because the piece of paper was huge and tracing the designs took aaaaages, but I really enjoyed making it.

Thank yous
Our 'Thank You' cards featured my illustrations from the invites and were, like the 'save the dates', in postcard format. Again, my dad v.kindly put them together and had them printed along with a photo of me and Mitch. Seeing as how straightforward they were to make I really had no excuse for how long it took me to send them out. Apologies friends and family if you're reading this, we are rubbish.

Our wedding :)

Just over 4 weeks ago I married the most awesome man on the planet and had the best weekend of my life. In case you're curious, here's how it all played out…

A few of us went down to Surrey the Friday before, mostly to decorate the hall but also to check into our hotels and do a rehearsal. Setting up took a lot longer than anticipated and I am hugely grateful to those who helped (especially mine and Mitch's parents, Mitch's best man and his wife and our long-time friend George), I honestly don't know how we'd have managed without them! After setting up we took a break in the local pub not 5 minutes walk away, where I consumed (a couple of pints and) a deep-fried mac'n'cheese burger. I know it sounds disgusting but oh my god, it was guuuuuud. Bellies full we returned to the hall for a rehearsal before I said goodbye to Mitch and we all went to our separate hotels.

I was awake at 5:30 the next day - part nerves, mostly excitement - and managed a piece of toast at breakfast. I cannot tell you how nice it was to have breakfast with everyone (there was a whole bunch of us staying at the same hotel), it totally chilled me out and I didn't feel worried or stressed at all by the time I went back to my room to get ready. My three beautiful bridesmaids joined me for champagne, make-up and hair (one of them actually did my hair for me!) before my mum arrived to help me into the dress.  Let me tell you: I felt fan-fucking-tastic in my dress. I want to wear it all. the. time. 

My dad's friend, Alan, drives a white rolls royce and v.kindly offered to drive me and my dad to the register office in Guildford and then, after the ceremony, take Mitch and I to the hall in Witley. He'd even decorated the car with ribbons and flowers AND left a bottle of champers for us on the way to the hall. I was and still am so very grateful to him - thank Alan!

I arrived at the register office to find that Mitch was already there (so many bonus points). The lovely people at the registry office had him hidden away so that he wouldn't see me before the little "ceremony". After some pictures in the cute garden at the front of the building and bit of admin stuff for the marriage certificates, it was all systems go! Everyone (I say everyone but it was really only 12 of us in total) went into the room to wait for my dad and I to make an entrance. (In case you're curious, we walked in to this piece of music from True Romance.)

Although the register ceremony was short and concise, I caught myself by surprise and had my first (of many) happy crying sessions of the day during the declaration. I honestly hadn't expected to cry but I think it just dawned on me what we were doing (I know that sounds ridiculous but it's true). We took a few pictures fake signing the registrar's book (you can't have pictures signing the real one for some reason) and then we went outside, took a few more pictures and got into the cars to drive to the hall. Having only a handful of people at this official bit was perfect, it sort of eased us into the rest of the day. It also meant that the party could really start. The drive to the hall in that beautiful car gave Mitch and me a chance to catch-up with each other, it was immensely calming and chilled.

We'd set up the hall so that we could perform another ceremony, that way all our 85 guests could witness what had happened at the registrar's. Of course we were already married but this ceremony was much more personal. This time I walked down the aisle to Eels. Our friend George, who we'd lived with in Surbiton gave a wonderful opening speech and then lead the ceremony before Mitch and I read our own-written vows to each other. It all got pretty emotional :)

We led all the guests outside, with Karen O blasting out in the background. After the ceremony we all hung out on the green next to the hall so that our caterers could set up the tables. Thankfully it was a beautifully sunny and warm day, the local cricket team were even out playing on the lawn. A couple hours of milling about and A LOT of photographs later, it was time to head inside but not to eat. The caterers were running a little behind and I was just wondering whether we should ask them how long they were going to be when two of the wait staff burst into song! Turns out they weren't wait staff but professional singers who Mitch had hired - unbeknownst to anyone - to entertain us! It took me a couple of songs to get into it (and over the shock) but after that I thoroughly enjoyed it. They did a few from Les Mis (pretty relevant as that's what Mitch and I saw on Jan 1st in NYC the morning after he proposed) - I can't deny that my husband is seriously bloody romantic :)

Next, food! Although it was late, it was worth waiting for. Mitch and I had our heart set on a v.causal sit down meal so that's exactly what we did - spicy pulled pork buns with coleslaw and salads, along with veggie and fish options. It felt pretty ace to be sitting there in my beautiful dress, stuffing my face with a messy pork bun! After the chow down the caterers gave out little tubs of ice cream and we settled in for the speeches - my dad first, then the best man and then Mitch. All three were v.different but equally awesome, emotional and funny (thanks guys). Afterwards Mitch and I attempted to go around all the tables to say hello to everyone. We didn't quite manage this as there were just so many people to talk to - a common theme of the day - also, we had one more bit of entertainment to roll out before the evening: Movie Bingo. As massive fans of Jess Indeedy's Musical Bingo nights we though it'd be fun to have a go at a film music one. Mitch created a playlist of movie songs (along with some dialogue from each film to make it a bit easier) and the guests crossed them off on their bingo cards in order to win one of three prizes. Each table got a big bowl of popcorn too!

By the time the bingo had finished the band had arrived so all that was left to do was cut the cake (we had a lot of choice as friends and family had contributed a fair few) and take our places for our first dance. Mitch and I, as may be obvious now, are big film fans and one of our ultimate favourites is Back to the Future so what with having a live band, specialising in 50s and 60s tunes, our first dance couldn't have been anything but Earth Angel from the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance. It was perfect.

The rest of the night was a bit of a blur but involved LOTS of dancing (the music was sooooo good - I think nearly everyone had a dance), trips to the photobooth (completely set up by Mitch and his best man - fabulous IT geniuses that they are), chatting to people and generally having the best time ever. The last of us locked up the hall at about 1ish and headed back to our hotels.

The next day a core group of family and friends stayed to dismantle/clean the hall. I am eternally grateful to these awesome people, I don't know what we'd have done without them, they did such a good job that we were home by about 2pm. That afternoon, once we'd got home, Mitch and I opened everyone's cards which turned out to be an emotional task. Everyone's lovely comments and honeymoon contributions were rather overwhelming. All I can say is that Mitch and I are unbelievably lucky to be surrounded by such a bloody amazing set of family and friends - they, along with Mitch, really made that weekend the best one I've ever had. Fittingly, I think that's what's most important about a wedding, you don't need all that "traditional" stuff or a fancy bar (BYOB went down fairly well at ours I think) or even a stunning location, and it doesn't matter if the chairs aren't the ones you ordered or that the food is late because all that really matters is that you're marrying that ultimate person who you want to spend the rest of your life with, and that all those you love and who love you are there to celebrate and share in that almost euphoric joy.

Mush fest over :) X