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

SAG Awards 2012 - pass me my judgement stick...

Another weekend, another awards ceremony - I do love this time of year. I didn't quite have the stamina to stay up and watch E! (big up Ryan and Guiliana, although when are they going to ditch that pollution Kelly Osbourne?) last night for the red carpet so I had to rely on the newspapers this morning to get my fashion fix - and I wasn't disappointed.

As usual there was an influx of Marchesa gowns gracing the red carpet and here are my three favourites:

Sofia Vergara - I'm starting to fall a little bit in love with her. Mainly because she's got the huskiest voice ever. And probably because she's *so* pretty. And a lot because I like her dresses. She looks stunning in this gown that hugs her curves beautifully.

Viola Davis: Now I'm having a bit of a conundrum here because part of me loves this dress, part of me hates it. The reason being is that I think it doesn't suit The Help actress at all. The dress itself is stunning, it's a gorgeous cut, the colour is perfect again her skin - but it's not for her if you know what I mean? It looks too small, maybe that's the problem, she seems to be busting out a little across the chest - maybe if there was a bit more material up top it would look a hundred times better? I don't know, I'm just of the opinion that if you're THAT booby (and I speak as a busty gal myself here) that deep cut sweetheart neckline on a strapless dress is best avoided.

Stacey Keibler: My final Marchesa worshipper of the night and I think possibly my favourite of all three. It's sexy without being OTT and slutty (black lace isn't always the classiest option) but she's got this look down to a T - utterly chic and gorgeous. Maybe it's something to do with that incredible man-bag she's got hanging off, I just don't know...

Next up is she who can do no wrong: Emma Stone. In an Alexander McQueen prom dress and Tiffany jewellery. *Sigh* She is giving all the big wigs a run for their money in the style stakes - it's getting better and better every time I see Ms Stone and I cannot wait to see what she'll pull out of the bag for the Oscars next month.

After what I felt was a bit of an epic fail (granny's old grey lace curtains) at the Golden Globes, Glee star Lea Michele has attempted to redeem herself somewhat in this slinky silver Versace number. I'm not offended by it, but I think she's trying too hard to be hot and sultry. Last year she was all about the Barbie doll peaches and cream look, as if to scream how cute and sweet she was - this year (now that she's a "serious" movie actress and all) I get the impression she wants us to view her in a different light? If only Jessica Rabbit could see the trend she started.

Last year Michelle Williams made a major fashion faux pas in Valentino at the Golden Globes. This year she avoided making the same mistake twice and wore Jason Wu. However it seems Michelle was willing to give old Valentino a second chance last night and this time she got it spot on. This red gown is stunning (and we all know my feelings about red clothes) it really suits her colouring, her hair and make up look gorgeous - has playing Marilyn Monroe finally brought out Jen Lindley's inner glamour-puss? My only criticism? The dress could be a couple of inches longer.

This is certainly not my favourite look of the night but I think Rose Byrne deserves kudos and a pat on the back for bucking the trend: she banished the long elegant gowns to the back of her stylist's closet for the night and said hello to the jump suit. I sort of like it. She wears it well and she stands out in a sea of dresses. Good on her.

Morticia Addams - sorry, Angelia Jolie - is back to her not-so-fabulous 'best' in what I can only describe as a black bin liner. She has single handedly managed to make Jenny Packham, the designer of sensational wedding gowns, look cheap. She can literally suck the life out of anything. And if one person tells me they think she looks fab... well I'm sorry but you're a moron.

I've loved Emily Blunt ever since she stole the show from Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada. Now I love her even more. Her green Oscar de la Renta gown really stands out from the crowd and she just looks so beautiful in it. One person remarked that they thought it was "unflattering around her thighs" - that person is an idiot.

I don't actually know who the designer of this monstrosity is - but I also don't want to know. All I know is that Maria Menounos make a colossal fail with this... words fail me... cheap, tacky, wouldn't-look-out-of-place-in-Quiz get-up.

We all remember Audrey from Dawson's Creek right? No? The one who went out with Pacey (after Joey...and before her) No? She's Courtney Cox's sidekick in Cougar Town? Ring any bells? No? Ok well, she certainly won't be making headlines for being the number one fashionista in town either. Did she come from the beach or is she taking the whole irony of boho chic just one step too far?

I really love Dianna Agron in this gorgeous little Caroline Herrera number. Just like the designer herself, she's kept it simple, elegant and timeless. I am impressed. I'm also LOVING the hair.

Who requested the mail-order hooker bride?? Oh, it's Heather Morris from Glee. My mistake.

Amber Heard rocks this Zac Posen number - I love love love it. She even looks a tad like Scarlett Johansson here - or is that just me?

The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco in Romona Kevaza. Style - yes. Colour - no. Is it just me or does it look like she washed her green socks in with her wedding dress by accident?

Shailene Woodley in L'Wren Scott. I can't even think of anything nice to say here. This is truly horrible.

I really want to like this gown by Aussie designer Collete Dinnigan on Judy Greer - I REALLY do. But there's something holding me back from loving it completely and I can't quite put my finger on it - I think it's the slightly too high neckline, but I'm just not sure...

Until the Oscars lovers... over and out ;-) xx

Design Collective Scotland

I'm very excited to have been invited to attend the Design Collective Scotland event at ROX Jewellers in Glasgow tomorrow night.

Never one to say no to cocktails and canapes, I'm also really looking forward to seeing what four of Scotland's hottest up-and-coming designers have to offer. Emily Lamb, Di Gilpin, Iona Crawford and Marc Ross will be giving us a glimpse of what to expect from them in the future as they showcase their new designs and collections. And I'm sure ROX will be throwing a jewel or two onto the catwalk.

It's been quite some time since I've been out at an actual event with my blogging hat on so naturally I'm planning my outfit, accessories and hairstyle (shaggy chic, that's a given) down to a tee.

Cocktails, canapes, fashion and diamonds... what more could a girl want? xx

Claire's Cambridge Satchel Dream

I've dropped a fair few hints to my man over time... most of which he hasn't picked up on and this most recent isn't any different.

For quite some time I've had my little heart set on a plush purple leather satchel from the Cambridge Satchel Company. So far I've had nip, nada, zilch and it's getting to the stage where I'm actually thinking I'll need to just buy it for myself. With my initials embossed on it in silver, natch.

I thought I might be in with a shout for this one, seeing as I don't think he'll ever bow to my Mulberry Alexa demands (still going nowhere fast with that one) but alas no.

I just don't think I can wait till my birthday in April to NOT receive it as my gift... I get paid on Friday. Should I treat myself?

Comments gratefully received... xx

From Koh Samui to Barbados... now it's the Caribbean Dream

Months ago, when we first started talking about where we would go on our honeymoon, we didn't have to think that much about it: Koh Samui in Thailand was our first choice, we'd spent Christmas and New Year there in our own private villa, living in complete, uninterrupted luxury for 10 days.

However, now that the time is drawing closer to actually getting the holiday of a lifetime booked, we've been having some second (and third) thoughts. I've never actually been to Koh Samui but the Mister spent "the best two weeks" of his "entire life" (I quote) in and around Koh Samui on a 'lads holiday' a couple of years ago. And nothing, NOTHING, is ever going to come close to that. Nothing. Not even a dream honeymoon.

So it got me thinking that maybe I don't want to go to a place where my husband (waaaaaah!!!!) will constantly be comparing our trip to the time he spent there with the boys. On the best holiday of his entire life. Ever.

We also took into account the cost of getting there, at the time of year we were planning on going, the cost of the accommodation - and it all just started to spiral out of control. Maybe Christmas and New Year in a luxury villa with a private swimming pool in a luxury resort in Koh Samui wasn't the most realistic of ideas?

So we sat down and had a chat about other destinations neither of us have been to, and specific places we'd like to go. And the one that keeps coming up is the Caribbean. There are plenty of other places we fancy, but not so much for a honeymoon - and so the Caribbean, Barbados in particular, seems to be the front runner.

After pouring over brochures and online booking sites we think we've found our ideal location: the adults-only Almost Resort beach & spa. It particularly appealed to us because of that delightful 'adults-only' tag in its headline. No offence to the kids, I just don't fancy kicking around with them on my honeymoon.

So here it is folks, our favoured honeymoon resort... let me know your thoughts ;-)

I can literally feel the sunshine on my shoulders right now... Oh, and we've decided to do a more 'traditional' honeymoon too - as in we're actually going to go straight after the wedding instead of leaving it until Christmas. We may live to regret that decision when we're snowed in on Boxing Day but hey, at least we'll have each other...

xxBBxx

My favourite season is upon us once more...

Awards time baby!

I took a break from wedding stressing (more on that in my next post) last night to settle down in front of the TV and watch Hollywood's biggest players arrive for the first big ceremony of the awards season - the Golden Globes red carpet show as brought to you by E! - cue awkward interviews with Ryan 'I'm more famous than anyone I'm talking to' Seacrest and Guiliana Rancic.

There's really nothing better than sitting on your soapbox, wrapped up in your onesie and your boyfriend's hoody, passing judgement on every A-lister who shimmied down the red carpet.

There were some absolute stunners on show last night - and some utter horrors. Here are my hits and misses of the evening:

Emma Stone: she is to DIE for. I love, love, LOVE everything about Emma Stone. I want to be her best friend. Hell, I want to be her. Her Lanvin dress is sensational, the colours suit her beautifully and the eagle belt is so wrong for the dress that it's perfect. My jaw almost hit the floor when she appeared on screen. I literally cannot stress how much I adore this look. Is my girl-crush/borderline obsession becoming obvious? I don't care. I love her.

Next on my hit list is the phenomenal Nicole Ritchie, draped in a metallic silver Julien MacDonald dress, carrying a clutch from her own House of Harlow collection. She's just come a million miles from being Paris's chubby little sidekick - she's completely stunning, stylish and has her very own take on timeless elegance.

Jessica Biel: Beautiful. Ellie Saab. Elegant. Stylish. Tick tick tick tick. OK, so she sort of, kinda, probably looks a bit like she knocked off Blair Waldorf's 2011 hand-me-downs but she looks soooo good in it she's totally forgiven. Jess really pulls off this nude colour because of her gorgeous chocolate brown mane and healthy California glow. This is Amish chic at its very best. Love. Her look wasn't 100% complete though - where was her alleged fiancé Mr JT and her rock?

Natalie Portman: Last year I wasn't too keen on her dress - although it did grow on me the more I saw it, initially I was pretty repulsed by it. This year however, the girl knocked it out of the park. She stood out in a sea of black and nude dresses and just looked so beautiful in her hot pink Lanvin gown. I can't believe this time last year she was heavily pregnant - look at her now. I'm disgustingly jealous ;-)

Jessica Alba: What a babe. There really are no other words to describe how sensational Jess looks in this stunning lilac Gucci number. She's had two kids. I officially hate her/am jealous to the depths of my soul.

Sofia Vergara: Two words. Vera Wang. Nuff said.

Honourable mentions also go to: Charlize Theron, Kate Beckinsale, Stacey Kiebler, Claire Danes and Michelle Williams (who made up for her Valentino melt down last year in midnight blue Jason Wu)

Now let's get down to the nitty gritty.

Angelina Jolie: seriously, what is everyone's obsession with this woman all about? They were RAVING about her on the red carpet last night. Am I the only one who thought she looked horrific? Hey Ange, note for the future: pink and a pop of red will not make people think you have a soul. Stick to black, at least it matches your heart. And put some weight on while you're at it love, shoulder blades and collar bones you could slice bread on are not a good look.

Sarah Michelle Gellar: don't you just HATE it when your biro leaks all over your dress? Gutted. I particularly liked when she tried to pin the blame on her three-year-old daughter.

Madonna: You might be wearing Reem Acra Madge... but if Joey Essex caught sight of you, the last thing he'd be saying is 'reem' - take a seat, you're not in the team.

Lea Michele: last year she went for the peaches & cream 'I swear I'm a nice girl' Barbie look - this year she went for cheap 'barely there' lace tat. I didn't like what you wore last year Lea... but you should've just worn it again this year.

Rooney Mara: I know she's in Nina Ricci, and she's tried to go for conservative black (because she's, like, totally UN-Hollywood and just doesn't understand the fuss surrounding her - neither do I pet, you're not alone) but in actual fact, she just looks like she recycled January Jones's stripper chic Versace from last year and dyed it black. Fail. Sorry.

And finally - how could I omit these two from my best dressed of the night?

Reece Witherspoon: she's so hot it hurts.

Tilda Swinton: so many people just don't 'get' her - certain tabloid newspapers will tear her 'kooky, quirky, zaney' style to shreds. I love her. Can you seriously picture Tilda Swinton in a gold sequinned Marchessa gown, or a skin-tight purple Vera Wang fish tail dress? No, because that's not her. This, on the other hand, is - and she looks fabulous, I don't care what anyone says.

I cannot wait for the Baftas and Oscars - tis the most wonderful time of the year :)

xxBBxx

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