There's nothing quite like a wedding...

Yesterday I watched my beautiful friend Hayley walk down the aisle to marry her long-time love. It's true what they say - there's really nothing quite like a wedding to make your heart melt just a little and give you that warm fuzzy feeling inside.

She was truly a vision on her big day, she radiated happiness, you could literally feel the love in the room - and the dress was to die for.

Naturally it got me thinking about my own big day, which is, coincidentally, exactly five months away. Since I chose my dream dress back in May last year (which partially seems like a lifetime ago and partially seems like mere weeks ago) I've not seen a single dress that even compares to my own, in my eyes. And that's not just because I'm supposed to say that, my dress being the best and all, I genuinely mean it. I have scoured bridal magazine after bridal magazine, dreading the day that I see a dress that makes me think: oh I WISH I'd gone for something like that instead.

So when Hayley walked down the aisle yesterday my eyes almost popped out of my head. Her dress was nothing short of sensational - and it's the first dress I've seen in almost a year that I have loved as much as my own. I always knew the girl had good taste - and if her choice of husband doesn't prove it, then her choice of dress certainly does.

I'm now used to hearing the familiar phrase 'oh gosh it's not long to go now is it?' on a regular basis. A few months ago people were telling me I still had plenty of time. WHERE THE HELL ARE THOSE PEOPLE NOW?! I met a woman a few weeks ago who wanted to know 'all the details' - and she looked genuinely disappointed when all I could tell her was that I'd booked the venue, the photographer, the cars, the band, the piper, the florist, the candy bar, and ordered my dress.

She wanted more: what are my centrepieces going to be like? How am I going to wear my hair? What will my make-up be like? Do I have my shoes? (That one I could answer, yes - the very first thing I bought) How will my bridesmaids wear their hair? Has my groom ordered his suit yet? (NO) Have we picked our wedding rings? (another Yes thankfully) Have we thought about our vows? Is someone doing a reading at the ceremony? Do we have the invitations yet? What about gifts for our bridal party? Does my mum have her mother of the bride outfit yet? The questions were endless.

It sort of shocked me into reality a bit. While I organised all the big things really early on, I've definitely been a bit slack in pulling all the 'little' things together. Yes we've THOUGHT about centrepieces - but have we decided on them yet? No is the short and simple answer.

At the start of every week for the past six or seven weeks I reckon, my poor mum has said to me: don't forget to have a wee look into the centrepieces at some point this week. Every single time I say to her: yep I'll do it today during my lunch break. Seven weeks later... still haven't done it. Now don't get me wrong, I love my job - but as soon as I sit down at my desk in the morning, things like that just fall out of my head, despite the fact that my mum sent me a text message about it just moments earlier. So of course, day after day after day passes and I only remember when I get home from work. Only to forget AGAIN the next day.

So here we are. Tomorrow is Easter Monday and technically an extended day of rest - but I will absolutely devote time to my centrepieces and make an informed decision once and for all. By this time tomorrow evening, I will have at least made a dent in the preparation of centrepieces. I pinkie promise.

If yesterday taught me anything it's that time passes much faster than you can imagine. I remember talking to Hayley about this day this time last year. We were so excited that in 12 months' time she would be getting married. All of a sudden, she actually was getting married. And I have no idea where that time went. I swear it feels like just weeks ago we were talking about it.

It also made my wedding seem much more real - I've been to weddings in the past of course, and three since the mister and I got engaged last year - but there was something different about yesterday. I think it was because I was watching my little Hayley get married. Someone who, although we met six years ago when she was 20 and I was 21, I feel has been part of my 'growing up' cycle. A LOT has changed in the past six years since I met the 'little one' and a lot of the people she and I met at the same time have fallen by the wayside - but she's always been there. So I guess watching her get married brought it all home for me, that I'm getting married too - I'm actually taking that step in a few short months from now.

It's all very exciting - but I'm also completely cacking myself about how much there is left to do.

Tomorrow: centrepieces. Watch this space xox

The beautiful bride and her proud daddy x

Amazing train!

Married! Mr & Mrs Styring x

Me and my favourite little one xox

The seven month itch...and the wedding obsessed bitch...

Seven months to go! Waaaah! And if anyone dares to tell me how super organised I am, I'll lamp them (ooooh there's that bitch rearing her pretty little head again) but hey it is what it is right?

So my wedding dress is being kept under wraps, cloak and dagger style - the only person to have seen it on me thus far is my momma, and the only other person who'll get to see the magic in action before the big day is my maid of honour when I go for my first fitting in the summer. But I am literally desperate to share some of the love because it's so fabulous - therefore I'm going to give you all a sneak peak of my shoes, which - if I do say so myself - are sensational and totally complete the outfit (natch.)

These were the very first things I bought after we got engaged - it just so happened I had seen them the week before and thought 'wow wouldn't they be perfect wedding shoes' so it was obviously a sign I was meant to have them. I saw them on the Irregular Choice website and took myself down to Irregular Choice's flagship store on Carnaby Street in London to make the purchase, debit card in hand, rock on finger, extremely excited.

I'm absolutely head over the heels for them - but the only problem is, it's killing me not being able to wear them (now you all know why I'm so excited for September to come *wink*) so I've left them in the safe confinements of my mum's house so that there will be zero temptation for me to just slip them on around the house (you know to carry out all my domestic goddess chores and such.) Here they are... what do you think?

*Phew* 

It feels like such a relief to actually show you something that I'll wear on the day!

We also just asked one of our good friends in Australia who is coming over for the wedding to be the MC (master of ceremony) for the reception and he agreed! He's actually the one who introduced us so it's only right that he should be the one to introduce us as 'husband and wife' for the first time ;-)

Lots of fun times ahead, the next big event is a big girlie pampering day in Edinburgh with my gorgeous bridesmaids - we have tickets to an event at the Balmoral hotel in March to get preened and fussed over, and we can't wait!

Until next time ;-) xoxo

With eight months to go... I'm back

I promised myself that I would love my blog more in 2012 - well, we're 11 days into the new year and I've finally got around to things - but in my defence it's been a pretty crazy 11 days!

We all know I'm a dedicated follower of fashion, and that's what I've focused this blog on for the past year (give or take a few months of abandonment - je suis tres tres desole) but I've decided to take a slightly new direction this year given that I'm walking up the aisle to say "I do" to my long-time love in eight short months.

From here on in, this blog is going to track the chronicles of a bride-to-be - starting now :)

My last post, shamefully written in September, expressed my stress at trying to find a good wedding band. Well the panic is officially over - we found a wonderful band with an awesome sound and kick-ass play list, which is keeping the mister extremely happy. And that is, of course, my main priority...

Since then, we've been very much "oh that's all the 'big' things sorted now - we can relax" - which is exactly what we've been doing. And now, thanks to my ever-efficient mother, I've been brought back down to earth with a bump. Eight months to go. And we still haven't picked a design for the invitations or send out save the dates (fridge magnets FYI) - so here's a massive save the date shout-out to all those who will be there on the big day: SEPTEMBER 8th!!! DO NOT FORGET!

Since realising I have (now less than) eight months to go, I've gone into overdrive. I've been pouring over folders full of sample invitations, getting increasingly frustrated with Stan every time he shrugs his shoulders and says "yeah...that's okay...", and have been bombarding all my friends and family with frantic requests for addresses to be sent my way asap.

My bridezilla levels weren't too bad, nothing too dramatic - until I called our venue to find out when the next payment was due. The receptionist, I could tell, wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but it was almost 5pm and I figured she'd had a long day, so when she asked me to confirm my wedding date twice, I gave her the benefit of the doubt.

Until I heard the dreaded words any bride-to-be would HATE to hear: "Um...are you absolutely SURE that's your date?"

Cue smoke billowing out of my ears, a very quiet, pained "yes" said through gritted teeth, and eyes that looked as though they were ready to pop out of my head (according to Stan). Luckily for the reception, she quickly asked me to call back the next morning when the wedding planner would actually be in the office and I could chat to her directly because she (the receptionist) hadn't really dealt with wedding inquiries before.

This place prides itself on being "Scotland's fairytale wedding venue" - it took me a lot of effort not to give this young girl a piece of my mind.

Thankfully, for both my own sanity and the venue, the receptionist in question was just an idiot, and when I spoke to the wedding planner the next day, all was right with the wedding once more. *Phew*

We're getting married at stunning Culcreuch Castle in Fintry and, that little hiccup aside, the planning process thus far has been perfect. I'm head over heels for the venue (www.culcreuch-castle-weddings.com) and completely wrapped up in a romantic daze over how incredible the photographs will be as a result of the breathtaking scenery. It is literally my dream venue and I can't even begin to describe how devastated I would have been if there had been a mix up (and by that I mean f**k up) with our booking.

People keep telling me how organised I've been up until now - and I have really, but at the start it was because I was living in London, and thought I would be for the foreseeable future, so I wanted to get as much done as possible on the weekends I was back in Glasgow, so that I wouldn't be constantly trying to sort things out over the phone while I was at work down south. Naturally that's all changed now, which is why I think I'm (just a tad) more relaxed. But another reason behind the organisation is the economical side of things - for example, we've already bought our wedding rings, we got them just before Christmas. Organised? Certainly. But that wasn't the main reason we got our rings so early. I'm thinking $$$ here - the price of gold keeps going up and up, so I'm not prepared to sit around and wait until July to buy our rings when chances are they'll have jumped up in price.

I bought my dress early because on my first visit back to Glasgow since getting engaged, my mum was beside herself with excitement and desperate to go and look in some bridal boutiques. While I was in one, I found my dream dress - it had me on first glance. And as soon as I tried it on I knew I wasn't going to find anything else that even came close - so why wait and run the risk of it not being available closer to the time?

We booked our venue 15 months in advance because it's not uncommon for there to be an 18-24 month waiting list. We were lucky, every date in August and September were already gone when we booked, bar the 8th - the exact date we wanted. If we had waited just one more week, we might not have got it.

I've got my bridesmaids dresses already too - because about two months after we had all decided on this specific dress (having tried on numerous different styles) I went back to look at them, and found they were on offer with 25% off. I snapped them up there and then. They're still available now, but no longer on offer, and have actually gone up in price. So I struck gold there.

The next big task is getting the boys kitted out - something I think I'll have serious problems with because Stan is too laid back and everything is mañana mañana... but we'll get there. I'm in the process of trying to persuade him to wear a kilt - he's not said yes, he's not said no... so watch this space...

Until my next post (which I promise won't be too far away)...

xxBBxx

Wedding bells...and freaking out...

For the past few months I’ve been quite chilled out and, although excited, somewhat blasé about my wedding plans (although I have no doubts that the Mr would beg to differ). Since getting the venue, photographer, cars, registrar and piper booked, my dress ordered and the bridal party committed within the first four weeks of our engagement (don’t judge me, I was VERY excited) I’ve pretty much taken my foot off the gas and our ‘planning’ has become fairly static.

After all, everyone I spoke to said: “wow you’re so organized, you know you’ve got loads of time right?” which, admittedly, made me feel like a quasi-bridezilla (I swear I’m not). So I started thinking to myself ‘it’s fine, you’ve got over a YEAR to go’ – time to think again.

The ‘year’ countdown is officially underway and those same people who ‘accused’ me of being organized are now saying to me: “wow you’ve only got a year to go, you’ve no idea how fast it goes in, what have you got left to do?”

REALLY? WTF. One minute I’m too organized, the next I’m freakin’ last minute Larry!

deep breath

So now it’s on. In less than one year I’ll be shimmying myself down the aisle – and I am starting to panic.

We can’t find a band – music is instrumental (excuse the terribly ill-advised pun there) to the success of our big day. We want – nay, need – an incredible, kick-ass, gets butts out of seats and feet on the dance floor band – and preferably one that doesn’t play anything by Michael Buble. Seriously, what is it with Michael Buble?

So far we’ve looked at and listened to countless bands – some of which are ok, some even good, but many are diabolical. Only four have literally made me want to clap my hands together with excitement. All four are already booked, have a waiting list and don’t have any available slots for the next two and a bit years, give or take a month.

The Mr is very particular about his music so naturally I blame him for the fact we’re having to put so much effort into finding the ‘perfect’ band – but in the cold harsh light of day, I’m just as particular and won’t settle for any old crap.

First things first: absolutely NO Michael Buble. I think I’ve made my feelings on that extremely clear. A maximum of four people, I mean really, why would we need any more than that? No backing tracks – it has to be LIVE. If you require the use of backing tracks, you’re clearly useless and therefore not worth my money. If you don’t have a single Beatles or Rolling Stones track on your set list you can bore off. I’m not interested. (And believe me, I have come across bands with neither.) 

The pressure with the band is that you need music that absolutely everyone can relate to. The oldies, as we all know, are always guaranteed floor fillers, so I can’t get my head around a wedding band that wouldn’t play them. Gaga and Beyonce might get the 19-year-olds on the dance-floor in the club but my 80-year-old auntie is going to want to turn her hearing aid off.

I have 51 weeks – there are going to be tears, drama, more tears and a lot of swearing.

Watch this space…

Forty Years On and Still Smiling

Today marks a very momentous occasion - it's been an incredible FORTY years since my mum and dad stood up in front of their friends and family and said "I do" - forty years!

I'm a firm believer that your parents will play a massive part in your future relationships - and watching my folks over the years has been a massive inspiration to me. Seeing how happy they've been, and still are, is really satisfying and encouraging that love actually lasts. I also have to raise the point that my mum is a very patient woman ;-)

As someone who is embarking on marriage herself, seeing my folks celebrate Ruby wedding anniversary is an amazing feeling - I see them as my role models and if, in forty years time, Stan and I are in as happy a place as they are then I'll know we've done well.

I wish I had some pictures here from their wedding day I could upload to show everyone just how amazing they looked on their big day but sadly everything's up in Glasgow. But I will say one thing; my mumma was shhhhmokin hot!

Congratulations Mum & Dad, thanks for being amazing role models xxxxxxxxxxx

A Decent Proposal

Well it finally happened. The Mr got down on one knee and proposed he make an honest woman of me. An offer which I graciously accepted (after the initial ohemgees and nervous giggles and the obligatory "are you sure?").

Therefore the stage has now been set for the Brooks/Stanley wedding and I couldn't be more excited if I tried. It's only been two days and already my mind is in overdrive - the bridal magazines are currently lying open at random pages on my bed, I have various wedding venue websites opened on my internet browser and I'm making preliminary lists of who'll be involved in the bridal party. Exciting times ahead doesn't even begin to describe it.

Being the fashion lover that I am, I want a dress that is nothing less than extraordinary without being something that I'll look back on in ten years time and think why the hell did I wear that. Timeless elegance is the key. My gorgeous little cousin is a budding fashion designer and she has already started on her design ideas for an array of dresses. The sooner the designs land on my desk the better! She's only 10 and she's ridiculously talented for such a young girl - I can't wait to see her ideas and I'm going to use her original design for the flower girl dresses at the very least.

With family living in Australia, a house to buy and money to save, the wedding of my year won't happen for another two years - but it's never too early to start planning. And I've got plenty of ideas up my sleeve. I've already seen my perfect wedding shoes which are getting purchased at the end of this month once I've been paid - I doubt they'll still be in the shops in two years time (and if they've gone "out" of fashion, I'm going to bring them right back in) and I have to have them. They are 'the ones'. So that's one thing out of the way! Now I just need to get a dress, wedding rings, flowers, decide how I'll wear my hair, bridesmaids dresses, help my mum find a mother of the bride outfit, help the Mr pick his suits (because he cannot be trusted to do that himself), find a venue, book a honeymoon...but hey at least I'll have the shoes.

Ah love...