Enjoy Your Wedding Hauls Without Filling Your Home to Bursting!*

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Organising your wedding can easily take over your life, with a million and one things to think about and plan. And controlling all the stuff you buy and collect for the big day can seriously drive you, and everyone around you, crazy. 

Some sort of organisation and storage system is vital. You need to know where everything is, what you already have and what you still need to get. And you need to know who is doing what and where everyone is in the planning and decision-making process. It’s a big job.

To make it a little easier, and help you get some perspective, here are a few planning and organising tips.

Delegate Tasks

Brides want the special day to be perfect, or as perfect as possible anyway. It’s a common trap to try and do it all yourself, from making gift lists to choosing the font for the invitations, to deciding on floral decorations… the decisions are endless.

If you can rope in a few friends or family members to act as planning partners or venue scouts, it can make everything a little bit easier. One very important part of delegating is having regular update meetings so everyone is aware of progress. Delegating doesn’t mean losing control. You can still have the final say, but it does mean a lot of legwork or initial searching for ideas gets done for you.

Make it easier for those helping with the planning by telling people exactly what you’re looking for. 

● Do you want ornate invitations or something clean and classical? 

● What’s your colour scheme? 

● City or country venue? 

● Formal or informal reception? 

● Type of transport for the bride or for guests between venues. 

Obviously, this is just a start. Trying to do it all yourself can be overwhelming.

Make Lists

Your first list could be a massive wish list for your ideal day. Let your dreams run riot and write everything down that you’d have in a perfect world. Starting from there, you can focus in on the closer details of what’s actually possible given your budget and any other restrictions.

The big wedding list gives you lots of headings and starting places for more specific lists. You soon realise it’s not enough to just decide you want wine with your wedding breakfast. You need to know how much, what type, and what you’ll offer as an alternative. Just about every item on the main list will need some detailed clarification.

Staying Organised

No matter how small, every single item contributes to the day as a whole. So everything needs looking after and cataloguing properly. Arm yourself with a few transparent storage boxes with lids to hold collections of items. These stack easily and safely, and you can see exactly what’s inside.

For every box, make a list of the contents and tape it onto the side. Duplicate the list to keep in a binder. If you add anything to the box, update your lists accordingly. If you have planning helpers, give them copies of any lists that relate to their tasks so they know where you’re up to.

Storing Items

As you’re likely to be collecting items over several months, it’s important to keep everything where you can find it, review your collection, add to it, or change things easily.

There are a few options:

● If your loft is clean and boarded, well-lit and damp free, it could be a possible storage area. Can you get up there easily, especially when carrying boxes?

● A spare room is also a possibility. Consider its other uses though, that might mean your wedding haul is damaged or things are lost or moved. If it’s a guest room, for instance, will you have to constantly rearrange things to accommodate guests or other family members?

● Self storage is a third option, and well worth serious consideration. A storage unit can provide a bespoke wedding area, with room for hanging rails and storage boxes. Everything stays in one place, and there’s no chance things will get muddled.

Wherever you store your wedding haul, try to avoid having small caches spread over several different areas if it’s at all possible. As the collection grows, it’s important to get an overall picture. You can make sure everything’s in keeping with your wedding theme, colours, and styles, and it’s reassuring and exciting to see your plans coming together in a physical form.

*This post is sponsored by Big Yellow Self Storage.*

What I'm Currently Using On My Hair and Skin

I have recently changed up a lot of products that I've been using and I am currently using a bundle which I absolutely love! My hair has been in desperate need of some TLC, so I bought a bottle of shampoo and a conditioning treatment mask from the colour goddess range from Bed Head. And oh my god, the smell of these products is gorgeous! The treatment mask contains shea butter and sweet almond oil which smells exactly like caramel! The bathroom and my hair always smell amazing once I've washed my hair. That's another thing... I actually enjoy washing my hair now, haha! This conditioning treatment has really saved my hair, I leave it on for around five minutes after washing my hair and it really does work wonders! My hair is so soft and actually looks in great condition afterwards. 

Soap and Glory is a go-to brand for me. I have been using their righteous body butter for years and will never fault it. I have also been using their hand cream quite frequently too. I have tried and tested so many different hand creams and I always come back to S&Gs hand food and the best thing is that it smells amazing too!

I have been wanting a new eye cream for a while. I've always stuck by the Bobbi Brown eye repair cream which, don't get me wrong, is great! But, I wanted to switch things up a bit and try something different. This caviar eye serum from Skin Chemists* is anti-ageing, which firstly sounds great to me! I have been using this cream every night before bed for the last three weeks and I really have noticed a difference. My under eye area is loads brighter and smoother than it was before. I can't really comment on fine lines as luckily, I don't have them yet.

Another great number from Skin Chemists* is the caviar day moisturiser, which again is anti-ageing. And I am LOVING this. A little really goes a long way with this moisturiser. It easily sinks into the skin without you feeling like you're wearing a mask. It's super lightweight too. Because it's the Caviar range, the products are specially designed to suit dry, oily and combination skin types. It really has done wonders for my combination skin type. I find that throughout the day, my T-zone doesn't get as oily as it used to and that the moisturiser has evened out my skin texture around my chin area. 

Lastly is this caviar serum from Skin Chemists*. I love the overall design of the product, although it was so bloody hard to photograph. The consistency of this serum is great as it doesn't leave a greasy feeling. As I have been using the serum alongside the moisturiser, I can't work out what benefits I've had from what product. But, my skin is definitely a lot firmer, smoother and hydrated.


*This post features products which I was sent for a review. As always, my review and opinions are completely honest and my own.

Handbag Essentials Every Girl Needs

As the better weather is approaching, us girls like to change up our bags. As I prefer smaller bags this time of the year, I have to think about what I'll really need. I can't just throw everything and anything in like I do with my everyday big bag.

Compact Mirror
Obviously a compact mirror is a must have essential, although I have once used the camera on my phone to check for any food stuck in my teeth hahaha. This mirror in particular is from Boux Avenue.

Hand Cream
I always carry hand cream about with me. My hands get so dry in all seasons. Hand food from Soap and Glory is my all time favourite.

Lipbalm
Again, lipbalm is another item I carry everywhere with me. You never know when you'll need it. I am currently using the original Vaseline as I just prefer it when my lips are extremely dry, I feel like Vaseline hydrates them a lot quicker than a normal lip balm.

Twist & Spritz*
Because this is a travel size, it is so much smaller and lightweight than carrying around your usual bottle of perfume about. It literally takes seconds to fill up if you're in a rush and want to change your perfume for the day. You can buy this from The Fragrance Shop.

Beauty Scissors*
These are actually nail scissors but I have also used them for trimming my eyebrows too. The scissors are smooth and slightly curved which creates a perfect neat line. They're great for an unexpected broken nail emergency. They come in a clear pouch so they don't mark anything in your bag or get damaged. You can get the Rubis scissors from Look Fantastic.

*This post features products which I was sent for a review. As always, my review and opinions are completely honest and my own.