12 Things I've Learnt in 12 Months of Wedding Planning

I can't believe we've been engaged for a year already, it's just insane how quick that year has gone! On that note, there is only EIGHT months left until the big day and that actually scares me.

Here is what I've learnt in 12 months of planning our wedding...

Wedding Fayres aren't for me

We attended our first wedding fayre last year when we were newly engaged and WOW. It set my anxiety sky high. All we wanted to do was walk around and get ideas but people were constantly bugging us. Forcing cake in our faces and trying to sell the idea of having a tipi at our wedding. It was too much and ended up not staying long. Also, wedding fayres seem to always have the 'top' suppliers - photographers, cake makers, stationers etc, which are super expensive and booked up. So because we were on a budget, I'm glad I didn't fall in love with anything.

Facebook is your best friend

I have been loving Facebook for wedding bits. Firstly, people sell so much stuff on there, if you're looking for something in particular, you're bound to find it. And secondly, there are so many wedding and bride groups you can join. If you have any questions or need opinions, you can post them into the group and so many other brides-to-be or previous brides can comment and give you their opinions. I actually really enjoy spending time in these groups. Everyone's so lovely too!

People have opinions

I have received a lot of opinions, some quite rude, since I told people we had booked our wedding. People have their own opinions, so take their opinion into consideration but remember it's your day and if you don't like their ideas, you don't have to go ahead with them.

Shop around

This is very important because weddings aren't cheap. If you like something, shop around to find something similar that's a little cheaper. The worst thing to do is rush into buying stuff and then regret it at a later date.

Ask for help

You can't do everything by yourself, even if you want to. It just makes you stressed and sometimes, ideas from other people can be better than your own. People like to be involved in wedding planning as well. We asked my mother in-law to do the table decorations and centrepieces and she's so grateful that we asked. 

Use Planning Apps & Websites

Bridebook has been my number one planning app. From when you first download it up until your wedding date, it gives you a timeline of deadlines. It also has lists of venues and suppliers in your area too which are super helpful!

Know when to stop scrolling through Pinterest

I made this rule when I found my wedding dress. I have a board dedicated to wedding dresses and before my first shop, I was neverendingly looking at different dresses. After buying my dress, my Pinterest feed was still full of dresses, and of course, it makes you self doubt. There's a button you can press to hide certain things from your feed which is what I done. You can forever scroll through Pinterest and see all gorgeous and different centrepieces, but then you'll be forever changing your mind. So, once you have ideas set in stone, try to control what you see on socials.

Everything is SO bloody expensive!

I knew weddings were expensive but I didn't actually realise HOW expensive they are. We have done it on a budget but it's still a good ££££. So keep your finances in mind when thinking about wedding planning.

The table plan is hard work.

Some of Liams family don't get on, so it's been hard to choose who sits where. We also don't know who we'd like with us on our top table. I feel like this has been the biggest challenge so far.

Write everything down

We have neverending amounts of lists. From songs for the DJ, to how I'd like my invitations designed. Literally every idea that pops into my head for the wedding, I jot down or make a note of it in my phone.

You become very organised

We have a pretty little storage box that we keep all of our wedding documents and invoices in. I'm an organised person anyway but I'm even more organised than I've ever been. It also makes everything 100x easier when everything's together in the right place.

Remember that it's YOUR day

Of course, the most important thing to remember. I'm trying not to stress and overthink about silly little things. Like 'what if our guests aren't happy with this or that...', it's our day and we'll do it how we want to.

Can anyone else relate to any of these or have any more tips?

A LookFantastic Haul.

I have been in need of some new makeup and skincare products for a while. I always buy from LookFantastic when I have a list of things to buy as they seem to have every brand and every product on there.

First up is the ABH brow pomade in the shade 'taupe'. I did originally purchase this in the shade 'soft brown', however it was a couple of shades darker than I expected it to be. So when this one arrived, I gave the other pomade to my sister. I love everything about this pomade, the way it smoothly glides on, the consistency and a little bit of product goes a long way so it's definitely worth the money.

Another little product that seems to be everyone's favourite is the Hoola bronzer from Benefit. When I first opened this up, I actually thought it was going to be a little too dark for me but it's actually the perfect shade. 

I also finally got my hands on the NARS radiant creamy concealer. As you know, I love the NARS weightless luminous foundation, so I just had to purchase one of their concealers too. I got it in the colour 'vanilla' and again, it's the perfect shade for me. My opinion so far is that it blends out really nicely and it doesn't crease!

Onto skincare now, I bought the Burts Bees Mama Bee belly butter. No, I'm not pregnant. But, this has been highly rated and recommended for stretch marks. Since losing and gaining weight I have some pretty bad stretch marks that have appeared on the backs of my knees. I currently use bio-oil in the evenings - I hate applying it in the mornings before work because I hate the oily feeling against my tights. So, this butter should be perfect to use in the mornings.

Another skincare product that ended up in my basket was the MIO shrink to fit cellulite smoother. This product wasn't actually on my to-buy list, I was just browsing the site when I came across it. Even though having cellulite is completely normal and the majority of women have it, considering I'm 22 years old, I have it pretty bad on the backs of my legs and bum. I don't expect it to completely clear up but I'd be super happy with a little difference. So, as this had amazing reviews and was most recommended, I bought it.

Lastly, I've been needing a new sharpener for my lipliners and eyeliners for ages and I always forget to put it on my list. This time, I actually remembered! It's only the Brush Works brand and was only a couple of pound. It'll do the job.

Celebrating One Year of Being Engaged.

To celebrate one year of being engaged, we had booked a nights stay in a lodge at the Norfolk Garden Rooms in Fleggburgh. We have been wanting to come here for a while so figured we could visit for our one year engagement. There were three rooms to choose from upon booking, The Fox Room, which was the one we stayed in, The Bee Room and The Owl Room. All three are separate lodges located just behind the Kings Arms Pub & Restaurant. 

Our room was pristine and beautifully decorated which made us feel so cosy. We had our own robes, air con and a heater, the loveliest shower and the TV had a flexible wall mount so we were able to pull it out and watch it in bed. The bed was also super comfy, we wanted to bring the mattress home with us.

We were booked in the restaurant at 6:30pm for dinner and we were both really excited to try the food as we'd heard amazing things about the restaurant. There was a lot of seafood on the menu which makes sense as the location was close to the Norfolk coastline. Both Liam and I had a prawn cocktail for starters, which was gorgeous! For the mains, I had cod and paella which was also really delicious. Liam had the traditional steak and chips which he said the steak was really tasty. Because the food was so good, we cleared our plates and ended up not having any room for dessert. 

After dinner we headed back to the lodge, got changed into our swimwear, put on our robes and relaxed in the hot tub. Although the hot tub was outside, it was so lovely sitting in it all warm and cosy. Considering the lodges were part of the pub and restaurant, I couldn't believe how insanely quiet and chilled it was - especially for a Saturday evening.

We had breakfast included the next morning and it ran from 8:30-10:30. The plan was to have a lie-in and then get up and go for breakfast, but as I'm an early bird, I just had to get up and I jumped in the shower and got myself ready whilst Liam had a lie-in. When Liam woke up, he got himself ready and then we packed all of our stuff up, put it in the car ready to go and headed to breakfast.

We both went for the full English and it was one of the best fry-ups I've had. 

The customer service was excellent from when we got there until we left. Everyone was so lovely and couldn't do enough to help you. I'm glad we came here to celebrate our engagement as we both needed a chilled but well deserved break. I would love to come back here in the Summer as I can imagine it's even more so beautiful that time of the year too. 

Hello 2020

So, this post is a little different than your expected standard 'new year, new goals' post.
I don't really have any goals or resolutions in mind to set for the year ahead.

2020 is a very busy but exciting year for Liam and I. Getting married and hopefully buying our own home. We have a lot to organise and look forward to. Although I have quite a bit of content planned for this year, I'm not sure how it'll go.
Working over 40 hours a week, spending time with my family and Liam's family as well as other commitments outside of work, I know that I'll definitely struggle trying to find the time to blog. I'll of course do the best I can, so please bear with me.

As from next week, I will be back on Slimming World! I have gained a lot of weight within the last half of 2019 and I'm not happy about it. When I first joined Slimming World in February 2019, I actually stuck to it and lost weight. So, I'm going to give it another go and I'm planning to lose three stone by April/May. I feel as though I'll have more motivation this time around as I have a wedding dress to fit into.
As for exercise, I currently already do Ballet but I would also like to take up boxing classes. I've heard boxing is extremely good for fitness and your health. I like trying new things, so watch this space!

Have you set any goals for the year ahead?