Fill In The Blanks Friday

Happy Friday everyone, I thought I would join in on the fill in the blanks Friday again this week. It is very thought proving i would recommend it to anyone!
See what you think about my answers and think about what you would say.....



1. If I could medal in an Olympic event it would be : Gymnastics, the one when they dance around on the floor, preferably with a ribbon!! I love the way they always finish each move with there arms in the air and their chest puffed out, so proud of themselves, its like they have won already!!!!

2. If I was stranded on a deserted island I'd take: My blackberry, i could call for help, or use my sat nav to find out where i am, use the Internet and many social networks to pass the time, and document my time on the island to later sell as a book and become a best selling millionaire!

3.Being a passenger in a car!!! (Control issues perhaps?) :Is my most irrational fear.

4. I'd rather Go Hungry everyday, than Eat baked beans and fish fingers everyday.

5. I am : Very very very exited about Christmas!!!!

6. I should really be : Healthier and do more exercise especially with Christmas on its way!!! And with the way my body aches like i have been beaten repeatedly with a stick, after just one yoga session, i think i may have a problem?


7. One of my favorite things in all the world is : Hugging, big giant bear hugs, it makes everything better and fits all occasions, happy, sad, tired, exited it is always the right time for a giant man hug from my man!!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

The princess and the desinger,

So the fairy tale has commenced and Prince William has chosen his bride and therefor our future queen. Putting all the political hoo ha aside I am most definitely more interested in what she will wear. Philippa Lepley is the favorite at the moment and she is definitely fit for a queen!!!
Growing up in Nottinghamshire and studying at London college of fashion, establishing her business during the recession of 1988 in south Kensington & her first shop in 1990.
She is a hands on designer and a perfectionist within her work, while doing an amazing job at multi tasking as she brings up her two young daughters.
She is certainly a rags to riches kinda story very like Kate Middleton herself, so I can see the attraction of her ethos as well as her designs.
Her work often graces the top bridal publications and brides seek her out for her stunning couture gowns.





Sleek, sophisticated and perfectly tailored to fit the bride, you cant cant really go wrong.
But are the designs fit for a new princess, fit for a potential queen, I'm not sure this is the right question as I don't think any designer can. However I think Philippa Lepley will certainly give any one else a run for there money!!!

The search for the perfect hat!!

So back to the all important material matters, I awoke this morning to find jack frost has snuck into my garden. It looks freezing out there and keeping warm is on my mind this morning as I'm all wrapped up while writing this blog.
The winter chills bring one good thing with them (not including xmas!) accessories!!
Ear muffs, scarves, gloves, cloaks & today's favourite hats.
Not everyone is a hat person, you need the rite kind of head to pull it off and a certain spark to pull off a jaunty angle! However I do believe there is a hat out there everyone, it just takes a little while trying on a few to find the right one.
Mmmmmm that sounded like an emotional metaphor!!! It wasn't meant to be, I truly believe that finding the right hat is like trying to find the perfect pair of jeans!
Hard to come by but so worth it when you find it, a hat can say everything about your personality or the mood your in, here's a few of my fave's below.....

Eco hat - fair trade, For those who are Cute?

John Lewis, For those who are sophisticated yet verge on vintage?

Hilfiger, For those who are practical yet funny?

Barbour, For the sleek and slightly intimidating?

Seeberger, for those who love the dramatic and Dr Zhivago?

Mantarey, for those who get cold ears!

Newurban, for those who are effortlessly cool, and probably sporty?

River Island, For those who are impractical and fashion brave!

These are my fave hats and I would love to say I have all these hats, and I was all these people sometimes. However today I will be stepping out in my ski hat as It is the warmest thing I can find, and I do get very cold ears!!!
But if I had all the money in the world, today I would blow off work and buy lots of hats, as it is life is not perfect and to work I go.
Good luck in your hat search!

Fill In The Blank Friday

A new type of blog today not really to do with fashion or bridal but I think it is fun, and fun is always needed in life!
I loved this idea of "Fill in the blank Friday" so I though I might give it a go! It is strange how difficult it is to answer the questions, perhaps I will have to change a few things in life to make it a little easier?



1. The most spontaneous thing I've ever done was - I am never spontaneous :( mainly because I am a control freak and plan each day to within and inch of my life. But maybe this is something I should change about myself?



2. The best gift I've ever received was - A holiday!!!! My parents were so generous and for my 21st they bought me a skiing holiday. It was the first holiday I took all by myself and I loved it, i found out so much about myself and made some amazing friends!

3. A time that I was truly and genuinely surprised was - when me and my partner first met I helped him through a difficult time, he sent an embarrassingly large bunch of white roses and Lillie's to me at work in front of all my colleagues! I actually thought it was for someone else and thought to myself how nice it would be if they were for me. You could have scraped my jaw off the floor, and the card just said "thank you x"


4. I can't leave the house without - My Blackberry!! It is the key to my life, everything is on it from my schedule, to emails, to all my fave songs to get me through the day. It is ridiculous how attached i am to an inanimate object but we are truly in lurve!

5. My favorite day of the week is - Sunday, me and my man lay in, read the papers in bed, and try to spend the day relaxing which is pretty hard for me to do. But we always try and keep Sunday free to catch up and spend chilled out time together! If I'm lucky its often date night too!!

6. Something that can always make me laugh is - being tickled!! I am very ticklish!

7. My perfect day would include - lying in, large coffee, progress to shopping with unlimited budget, squeeze in a west end show, onto large dinner party I haven't had to cook, with good company and lots of vino!

Any way I hope that is the general idea to "Fill in the blank Friday" I have enjoyed writing it, quite thought provoking! I am looking forward to what the new questions will be next week!!!
Happy Friday everyone!

Protection

For those of you reading my blog you might of noticed my last post was more emotional than material. Not the normal subject matter but I thought I might keep the trend a little longer.
Today's subject is protection, can we protect ourselves from the worst?
Can you protect yourself from getting in an accident? or getting caught in a storm? or an unexpected bill?

Well, the answer is no, and I think most people realise this, however it doesn't stop people from trying to protect what they can.
You cant wrap yourself up with bubble wrap as much as some would like to, and getting married certainly isn't a guarantee to happiness.
But that doesn't stop people form trying, the Pre-Nup.
If you cant protect your heart, try and protect your money!!!
Because even though your heart is broken, if your marriage is over at least your bank account is still full!!
But is there another side to the contract that normally takes a little of the spark out of the decision to get engaged?
I think there are two sides to this particular contract....

1. Lack of trust between the couple, and the assumption the other could leave and take them for all there bank account holds I.E Gold digger....2. The result of a need to prove that the marriage is nothing to do with the material value they could obtain if the worst should happen I.E Love....


I like to think of the latter, proof that they don't care that if the marriage dissolves they wont earn anything out of that, and they both leave with what they came in with.
Of course the other side isn't so pretty and makes me wander if they should get married at all? Why would they if they trust so little of each other and worry more about their money than themselves?
This is a naive way to look at a complicated matter, but i like thinking there is a good side to everything even if that makes me naive.

I don't think any happy ending started with "will you marry me, if so sign this contract to prove you aren't after my money"

But did a happy ending perhaps start with "yes, I will marry you, and I would like to sign this to show you its you that I want, not your money"

We can live in hope that each marriage ends happily ever after, gold digger or not!!!

Are we missing the point?

Christmas is on its way, and it is seasonal times like these that remind me that it's the people around you that are important.
It's friends and family and people around us who love us.
I sometimes think that events and especially weddings can be over taken by the planning, and you can forget the point of what it is for.

Don't get me wrong, the shoes are very important....


The dress is even more important....


And the perfect location brings the day together...



Along with a beautiful honey moon finishes the day with a happy ending...


And you don't know how Happy it makes me to see Christmas and weddings blend together...

However while planning weddings and events I feel like I'm missing the point of what all this is about.
A wedding marks the start of a couples life together, and it doesn't matter if the invitations are made with expensive materials or budget paper, as long as the guests come.
It doesn't matter if auntie Jane who you met once when you were 3 is or isn't coming, and does it really matter if she is sat next to her second cousin removed who you know she hates.
I get so wrapped up in visuals and material aspects of the wedding I feel I wanted to get back in touch with the point of why its happening.
The bride and groom want to share with there friends that they have decided to share there life together.
So this is today's tip, when you are fretting over the band, the flowers, and the bridesmaid dresses just take a moment, and remember what the point was of starting all this mayhem in the first place.
L.O.V.E
Of course please don't get me wrong, for me its is still all about the beautiful things that weddings bring. Diamonds, luxury fabrics and stunning locations however, I am not the one getting married!!!!!

Caroline Castigliano

When I came across this designer I fell in love with her elegant and soft romantic designs. Each piece is stunning, with not only a bridal line but also an evening line with dramatic gowns for special occasions.
So I decided to delve a little further and discover what is behind these bridal masterpieces.



Caroline Castigliano started out in America designing a sports line with the clever title of "Survival Kit" especially for women. However she has confessed to making clothes as early as aged 5! and moved onto buying Vogue (my bible!) at the tender age of 12.
However seeing a niche for wedding gowns in the UK and along with her passion for making dresses, she moved to the UK in 1990. Caroline set up her first wedding boutique in Surrey originally stocking other designers.
Her first collection was in association with Jasper Conran who designed her first 10 dresses within her own production. It was then a natural step for her to only stock Caroline Castigliano designs.
Over the last 20 years she has gone from strength to even mightier strength as she stands prestigious in the bridal world today.


Her dresses are about cut, structure and simplicity, with truly elegant lines enhancing the female form.
This is her signature and you can really tell by the cut of each piece that it is a Castigliano dress.
Each dress is hand made for the client after 20 measurements are taken from each bride! Each bride then has their very own pattern made and incorporate expert corsetry. The timeline for a Castigliano dress is 6 - 8 months, so this is no last minute, off the rail dress.
They are all hand made in the UK, if you want a truly couture piece you can take a signature dress and tailor it to your personal specification creating a one off piece.
This keeps each dress unique and adds an element of the elite as only so many dresses are made each year
This isn't just buying a dress its an experience, which is just how buying your wedding dress should be. From the moment you step into the boutique to the week before your wedding, the staff at Caroline Castigliano guide you through this once in a lifetime experience that you should remember for the rest of your life.

When you leave a wedding you may forget the minor details the bride has spent months agonising over, however everyone remembers what she wore. This is the key thing to remember when buying your wedding dress, it is the ultimate statement of your day, and is immortalised in your wedding photos for years to come. This means making sure you have the most perfect dress that says just who you are and includes the vision you want for your wedding.

Caroline describes her company as "a luxury brand" and really prides herself on timeless pieces you can look back on in ten years and still love. I know we have all looked at our parents wedding pictures and had thoughts of despair at how women could go down the aisle with sleeves the size of enlarged balloons!! Caroline believes " You should never compromise, go and be the best" and you really do get that feel from her collection and the process each bride goes through. Caroline, within each Castigliano piece, instills beauty and confidence with an individual style for each bride, and you can really see that in each gown.

Fabulous and perfection, are definitely the words to describe this incredible designer!