By The Beach Festival: THE DRESS!

Okay so to say I've been gone a while is an understatement... I sincerely apologise and offer an explanation... I did some marrying! Hooray! Yes, we had a pretty crazy run up to our wedding in May, and since then it's been non-stop into festival season too so we've been pretty busy as you can imagine. However, I wanted to save up stuff to make a series of wedding related posts as I've got quite a lot of people to thank and suppliers to mention! They'll be coming as soon as I can churn them out and photos are mostly courtesy of our lovely Photographer and friend Rob Ball (go look at his site, he's rad, but we'll talk about him later too!)

So there was a loose 'festival' theme to our wedding, as you know I've been a festival journo and photographer for a fair few years now, and Alex has been on pretty much all of those adventures with me (as well as having worked festival security himself while he was at uni) so it made sense to give our friends and family a taste of what we love and celebrate in a way we felt at home with.

So here's 'THE DRESS' edition of By The Beach Festival 2014 (aka, our wedding!)

The Dress!

I'm not at all the kind of girl who ever dreamed about what kind of dress I would wear on my wedding day. I didn't even wear dresses until I was about 16! I always knew this was going to be tough, and I absolutely didn't want to go to a place that was going to do the whole 'everyone fawns all over you, the assistants cry when they see you, they call you darling' type of thing. I would hate that. 

Luckily serendipity (and a bit of online research by Mum) took us to Birmingham and into the hands of the extremely talented Jo and Co. at The Couture Company. I had found a safe haven in the world of weddings. Jo is down to earth and knows exactly what will suit you right from the off, The Couture Company create bespoke wedding gowns as well as some rather saucy corsetry from their shop at The Custard Factory. With some design work, chatting about what I'd like, looking at fabrics and a few fittings - I was presented with the most exciting thing I've ever worn...

I knew I didn't want a stark white dress, so after some expert fabric picking from my Mum and Jo, I settled on an ivory with a kind of honey coloured net underneath, and way way underneath is actually a blue underskirt to match the bow! The lace overlay continues from the waist over the hips and down into the dress, and I specifically asked for kind of drop waist on the dress so that I didn't look all short in the top (those dresses that cut off from just below the bra always make me look really frumpcious. It's a neologism.)

The bow was inspired by one we saw in Jo's shop, I just loved the idea of adding a pop of colour to the dress, much more my style! I've always liked the look of buttons down the back of a dress, and luckily I had helpful bridesmaids to do them all up for me ;) 

The length was the first thing I knew was a must - our wedding reception was in Tipi tents in a field and we had photos done on the beach, nothing floor length for me, and I absolutely loved being able to move around freely and comfortably on the day - playing games and dancing without worrying about tripping over it or it getting on the floor at all. Plus one major bonus of a shorter wedding dress: being able to go to the loo by yourself! I've heard all kinds of horror stories from helpful bridesmaids trying to keep the dress out of the toilet or having to be party to things they should never be party to... ha!

So a huge thanks to Jo and The Couture Company for making me a dress that I truly felt special, comfortable and probably most importantly to me, like myself, in. Another huge thanks goes to my Mum who played devil's advocate, helped at all the fittings, did the research and made sure I got something I was completely happy with!

www.the-couture-company.co.uk

xxx

 

Breeeeoooooo, Breeeeeeoo, I want a Breo and I want one NOW!

Trio! Remember that chocolate biscuit advert? Well, this has nothing to do with it, but it's the song I get in my head every time I put on my Breo watch for training... 

Here's the lowdown: The outlaws brought back a Breo sport watch for me from their travels in America in 2009 ish. Then at Snowbombing a couple of years ago, Breo were a sponsor and I got given a goody bag which included a sport watch and a pair of rubberised Wayfarer-style sunglasses called 'Uptones' (which have featured before in my blog posts). The watches in particular have been absolutely fantastic for sports, particularly in my role as a Cheer-coach. During training sessions no jewellery or watches are allowed (for safety reasons when doing stunts) and if I'm helping out or spotting stunts I need to make sure I'm just as careful as my athletes, but it's pretty hard to keep to a session plan without keeping my phone or watch in my pocket and constantly having to get it out to find out the time.

The Breo watches (and indeed all their products) are made with a strange rubbery textured stuff that is super elastic (and therefore safe to wear at training!) but also come in lots of lovely colours - perfect for matching to your team-wear. So it's safe to say I was already a big Breo fan.

Along comes another fantastic product. The Breo BagBuddy. Bonza. This is one step beyond brilliant. Same rubberised watch, same simple to read display - totally different style. The BagBuddy as you might expect, instead of going on your wrist, is designed to loop through your bag or rather, as I've been using it, through a belt loop on your trousers. Now if I have to show a stunt or technique during coaching, or at my own team training sessions - I just attach it to my troosers and away I go! I think it will also be supremely helpful at Roller Derby sessions, as you definitely can't wear a watch if you've got wrist guards on...

Currently it is attached to my training bag, all ready for use (and brilliantly not getting lost in the bottom of said bag...). I decided on the Mint colour option for a bit of brightness, as my other two watches (a Roam Elite and a Roam Twist) are black, but it does also come in Black, Navy and Purple for the fantastic price of £15. Unfortunately for me, by doing the links for this blog post, I've accidentally perused the entire collection some more, and am now coveting new sunglasses and a black/silver Twilight Classic Watch...

 
This sample product was gifted from BREO. Opinions expressed here are my own.

Christmassive

Happy New Year! Yeah yeah I know, I've not uploaded in aaaages *sigh*. Here's a huge-mongous Christmas round-up to say sorry! This is a collection of stuff I've bought, some beauty stuff I was given and a couple of other things. It's by no means a 'present haul' but I've popped in a couple of things that some lovely people gave me this year.

First things first, my Christmas morning outfit. If you're a girl, you get to a point where you think about the fact that you're going to have your picture taken a lot, early in the morning, when you may have a sneaky little hangover from a bit too much pre-Crimble boozing. I've taken to getting myself set up with decent jamas and some quickly applied foundation and mascara to make the morning pics less horrific/sleep deprived (I am still that person who is too excited to sleep on Christmas Eve...). The Christmas paparazzi were enjoying this ensemble, which is all from Primark;

Disney Long-Sleeve top - I think this was around the £8 mark, is very soft and cosy and has Mickey & Minnie in santa hats on. Love it.

Fair-Isle patterned trousers - £6 I think (not sure...) they're just cotton, and have cuffed ankles. I went a size up as I knew I'd be lounging around in them.

Slippers - Tan suede type stuff with some faux fur lining £4. These are brilliant, but I did have to size up as I was just stepping on the backs of my proper size.

Next up, some more Primark purchases made in early December, some shortie festive socks which I wore at every cheer training session up til Christmas and two pairs of what Primarni are amusingly terming 'Cheeky Shorts'. They're tartan with a frill and the red pair have a cute waistband inside. They were £4 each and considering the detail about them, pretty impressive for that price.

More PJ's now, these super fleecy ones are from the men's section of Primark and they have CHRISTMAS DINOSAURS ON. They're just... amazing. Bowties (3 from Primark men's, black and maroon velvet, woven green, and a sleek red cross-tie from ebay HK) I loves em. I've been enjoying matching these with understated stuff like denim shirts.

In the same area of desire, here's my hat and snood combo for the season... CHRISTMAS DINOSAURS! This time from ASOS (and are currently in the sale if you fancy getting your hands on them) they're quite tight-knit so do keep you warm and I just love that the design behind them makes it look like they have tiny teeth for going RAWRRRR too. Teehee.

 

This beautiful bag was a present from my sister and I've been lusting after it for aaaaages (funnily enough we ended up buying each other presents from the same shop but that's another story...) this adorable little cross-body bag is from Disaster Designs and is made to look like a picnic basket! Awwh! It's got a zip-top inside too which makes it perfect as a festival bag, so it'll be heading to Bestival 2014 with me no doubt :)

 

 Onto some beauty stuff now, all of which were gifts from Alex and the families (they appear to know what I like!)

The Sanctuary bath kit - This has a heap of good stuff in it I can't wait to try out, the sugar scrub is going to be so nice on my feet after Roller Derby!

Chanel No. 5 - I've wanted this for ages and ages. It's just so classic and so... grown up! I remember sneaking into my Mum's bathroom to steal a dab or two before I went to the cinema when I was a teen (maybe that's why she bought it... haha)

Penhaligons Artemisia Solid Perfume - Alex got me this, I have a different one from a couple of years ago and absolutely love it. It's great to pop in the handbag and is just very fancy and decadent. It's housed in a silver plated clasp-box with a mirror in, and you only need a few dabs to get the lovely scent. The picture below is the box closed.

Lush Snow Fairy set - This is so candy sweet and lovely, but it's only around in the winter so grab it up while you can. This came in a giant cone with lots of star-shaped confetti inside, and comes with the Snow Fairy soap, the body wash and a kind of rub-on-glitter thing which smells heavenly. 

Maybelline Mega-Plush Volume Express mascara - I haven't tried this before but the wand looks good! I was running out of my ususal Benefit Bad Gal so I'm excited to test this out

Maybelline Baby Lips 'Cherry Me' lip balm - IN LOVE WITH THIS PRODUCT. It is so smooth, gives a good tint of colour and tastes delicious. I know everyone in the bloggerverse went mad over these Baby Lips sticks but I just didn't get the hype until I tried it, they are just great.

Comedy Pink shower cap - I will be mostly be pretending I'm Rizzo from Grease when I use this. PINK LADIES!

SPAtopia Argan Oil body wash and body butter - I've been umming and aahing over which Argan Oil product to try for a while but couldn't make my mind up, so this set is brilliant. I've lathered the body butter all over my hands today and it smells delicious. It's not overly oily actually so it rubs in well. The set came with a shower poof and a gold bag too!

Phew! That was rather a lot wasn't it? I also got an amazing Red Panda/Raccoon Kigu from my brother (who actually bought everyone in our family a onesie for Christmas - a fantastic and enormously fun idea) but I'll have to get a photo to show you later :) 

Hope you all had a fabbo Christmas and New Year, let me know what lovely stuff Santa stuck under the tree for you?

Sugar Sugar

Halloween/Dia de los Muertos might have been a few weeks ago, but that hasn't stopped me from rocking the scary look since. I'd been ogling ASOS' Halloween collection for a while, all fashion led items with a twist this year (I still want to get my hands on the Pumpkin beanie and gloves, and a pair of skeleton gloves) and absolutely love that it's all year-round wearable, providing you're a bit of an oddball I guess...

Anyway, I wore this outfit to a Roller Derby birthday dinner on Friday night and got quite a few compliments on my prized jumper too! I wore my H&M leather-look jacket over the top.

Skeleton knit jumper - ASOS. This is super-fine thin knit, so it's all silky-feeling to wear. Not really warm enough to wear out on it's own but great for layering. I bought it in a size too big in retrospect, maybe if there's a sale I'll be able to grab a smaller one.

Scalloped collar shirt - ASOS. This was a sale steal a few months ago, it's really sheer material so I really only wear it layered with jumpers, but I like the contrast of the girly with the bones.

Jeans - ASOS. Black acid-wash high waisted.

Clutch bag - ASOS. Quilted black faux leather with bat wings. Yep, you heard me, bat wings! I am in love with this, it's freakin adorable. From a distance it's a nice plain clutch (with a surprising amount of space in it actually) and a gold zipper, up close the little quilted bat wings are a touch of something fun and I have had so many people ask where it's from already.

Boots - H&M. These have a giant chunky heel and tread, a ribbed section on the front/tongue and double silver zips. They're quite high, but ridiculously comfy to wear, and they really give me a confidence boost when I've got them on. I don't know why, maybe they're a bit vampy, a bit naughty. 

Accessories:

Spike collar necklace - Primark.

Snowflake pendant necklace - Links of London (a gift from my father last Christmas)

Nail polish - Barry M

We're contagious.

Monochrome. It's everywhere. It's going to continue to trend through A/W. I love it. It's classic, it's sleek and it's pretty difficult to get wrong.

This outfit was worn to my big Sisters' 40th Birthday dinner, so I wanted something nice but not crazy formal. I'm totally channeling Wednesday Addams here, if only I had black hair and a sickly pallor...

Shirt/blouse - Primark. I got this in a size smaller than normal, I think the next one up was a bit baggy. Black light material (not chiffon-y or see-through, but light almost silky) with white cuffs and collar. It's kind of ruched a little bit in the chest area, which gives it some shape instead of being flat - nice.

Jeans - ASOS. Black acid wash high-waisted skinny jeans, I love these. So comfy and I always feel more confident with the high-waist under shirts.

Shoes - Primark. Black cut-out flats with buckle. Love that Primark have got on the cut-out trend as for some maddening reason, everywhere else that's jumped on the bandwagon seems to have priced theirs at double the cost of normal shoes! Anyway, I actually had to size down to a 5 in these as the 6 was ginormous, even with socks on. They're comfy and halfway between a sandal and a shoe, so kind of formal but cheeky. So pleased with them!

Accessories:

Hat - Ebay. Roll brim felt bowler, black. Ebay sellers are totally winning the war for me with hats, priced at anything between £15 and £50 in the highstreet shops, I'll be continuing to purchase mine for around the £3 mark from Hong Kong.

Chain necklace - H&M. Chunky rose/brassy chain. This comes up almost like a choker so it's perfect for sitting right under collars. I love the colour, I shy away from the big gold chains I've seen other bloggers rocking - I just feel a bit too Mr. T. in them... I might give silver a go at some point, but for now I'm wearing this with EVERYTHING. Should still be in H&M if you want to grab your own!

Key necklace - Primark. Just an ornate brassy key on a long necklace. It's heavy not flimsy, and well, you know how I love keys.

Rings - ASOS. Not a very good picture but they're fine gold bands with tiny symbols on them, one is a cloud with raindrops, one is a lightning bolt and one is an umbrella, so adorable! Had lots of comments on these, but I think they may be sold out on the site now.

Here's a close-up of the shoes for you shoeaholics like me...

Winter is coming...

Brrr-freakin-rrrrr! Autumn has definitely arrived with a bitter edge, even sunny days have me reaching for a scarf now, I love it! So, I was ridiculously excited to receive this awesome package from Hi-Tec... it's a pair of their St. Anton 200 Snow Boots in a lovely grey (black/graphite) colour! Woohoo! They also come in a really nice chocolate/taupe colour, so maybe one to think about if you wear a lot of brown or autumnal colours. I have a heap of grey accessories in my wardrobe so it was an easy choice for me.

On top of being super-cute and easy to style, these boots have a ton of amazing features to get you through the Winter months, like strong but soft leather uppers (instant comfort, no 'wearing in' needed with these) and the all important waterproof element of course! I can't wait to test these out in the snow, but I can tell you from a bit of a splash in some puddles these certainly did keep my tootsies dry.

They also come padded with crazy-warm 200g Thinsulate (saviour of hikers/campers/festival goers everywhere) so I did actually stay warm with just a pair of regular socks on. Now, I'm a cold-footed sort and usually pop on a couple of pairs of socks or some thick walking ones with boots, but they always give me sweaty (but not warmer) feet. So pleased I can wear normal socks in these AND they're moisture wicking, so that solves that problem too!

 

The adorable fuzzy-furry bit is really soft/pliable too, so you can wear the boots loose like I have them, or ruch them and tie them tight with the laces for a snug fit. I've got fairly narrow feet and these fit like a glove, so if you have wide feet they may take a bit of moulding, but there's so much lovely padding inside it'll be easy peasy. 

My number one favourite bit of all? The grip. Seriously, these are built like tank-treads - proper chunky grippy wonderfulness, I know these will be great for tramping about on snow, ice, mud, whatever! So often have I got a pair of boots I really love for A/W (cute... waterproof... cosy.... etc.) but they have rubbish traction on slippy surfaces, these Hi-Tec St. Anton's are the full package and I will be rocking them with EVERYTHING, as they're quick to put on too. Swap out your Uggs people, these are properly Winter friendly!
 
You can snap up your own pair here, let me know which ones you like better, grey or chocolate??

Rest of my outfit:

Hat - Grey pom pom, ASOS

Tshirt - Snowbombing

Skirt - Grey cable-knit, Primark

Leggings - Jack Wills

Mini bag - Fair Isle with grey fur, Primark kids section 

Snood - Grey rib knit, ASOS

Sunglasses - Wayfarer style, Primark

 
This sample product was gifted from HI-TEC. Opinions expressed here are my own.

A-Team

Firstly I'd like to apologise, as this post is now a couple of weeks old :/ Been having a manic old time lately and haven't uploaded (but have been taking photos!), I'm sure I'll get a few in this week to make up for it.

This outfit is from our Anniversary dinner (6 years for Al and I, that's pretty good innings, haha!) and we went over to Birmingham Arcadian to Miyako Teppanyaki for lovely sushi and a night out to celebrate, it was great! I'm channeling 80's music videos with this look...

Dress - Black thin knit with a crochet collar, H&M. I think I've worn this in a previous post, it was bought last A/W

Jacket - M&S Outlet at McArthur Glen. I bought this 5 minutes before the store was closing on a whim, but totally love it! It has 3/4 ruched sleeves and black piping on beige, and a single clip at the end of the lapels. It's comfy, and has retro shoulder-pads for added oomph. 

Leggings - Jack Wills

Boots - ASOS. These black leather biker style boots have a small heel and are just awesome with everything (skinny jeans, dresses, you name it). They were bought with vouchers that the Outlaws got me for my Birthday, hooray!

Accessories:

Quilted purse - ebay. This is a faux leather clip frame box purse and it was under a fiver! Thank you ebay HK!

Mint bracelet - H&M, it has flat silver studs, cute!