Wedding number 5: Sweets for my sweet

On Thursday night The Boy and I escaped the madness of London and headed west to Somerset to go to our final wedding of the year, that of Tony and Nicola, in Clevedon on Friday.

Clockwise from top left: The happy couple - The gorgeous church - There are no words - The newlyweds travel in style

Tony and The Boy have been friends for years and it was really nice that we could both go along and share in their special day.

On Friday morning, as we nipped along the motorway crammed into Michael's sister's car, I was more than a little apprehensive. Dressing for a winter wedding is tricky enough but with storm clouds overhead there was more than a possible chance rain could stop play. Or at least ruin my shoes. Luckily, although it was drizzling when we arrived at the picturesque St Andrews church, by the time the service was over the sun had made an appearance just in time for photos (although it was still freezing). The reception was just down the road at the gorgeous Clevedon Hall, an amazing venue that used to be a school. It really took my breath away and was not at all what I was expecting.

Clockwise from top left: The gorgeous Clevedon Hall - Cheers to the future - The sweetie room - Gemma and Brad

Both Tony and Nicola are teachers and although there were few children in attendance you could really see the couple's sense of fun in the many surprises and treats that greeted guests throughout the day. There was a Sweets room we were encouraged to help ourselves to a cone full of our favourite childhood sweets, a play doh competition for guests to create their own sculpture of the day (mine won most original idea, naturally) and even a quiz to take part in over dinner. Even the wedding favours were bottles of Tony's favourite sauce, Heinz tomato ketchup.

Clockwise from top left: My ensemble of choice for wedding number 5 - The Groom, The Boy and his friends, don't they scrub up well! - Cute wedding favours - The gorgeous cake - Would you like ketchup with that? - The Bride and Groom - Beautiful blooms - The happy couple

The day was truly wonderful and it was nice to get to spend some time getting to know some of the people The Boy holds dear. 

I've only ever met Tony and Nicola a handful of times but in his speech Tony mentioned a story about when he and Nicola were exploring London and helped rescue some baby ducklings from a drain and it was at this point that it became clear that these two really are my kind of people.

 Clockwise from top left: Greek Meze - Priddy lamb and chedder mash - Ketchup on everything, no really - Anyone for cheese? - The play doh competition got very competitive - The first dance - My competition entry - Belgian waffle with ice cream, delicious!

Congratulations Tony and Nicola, wishing you every happiness for your lives together.

Wedding number 4: A beautiful bride, brownies and barn dancing

The Boy and I rounded off our spate of summer weddings a few weeks back with a trip to Norfolk to see our good friends Bobby and Caroline tie the knot.

Clockwise from top left: The beautiful family church - Personal touches made for a special day - The happy couple - Beautiful flower girls 

This wedding was right up my street: traditional yet creative, fancy yet fun, it truly was a wonderful day. My Hobbs ensemble fitted right in and I'm so glad the wonderful Clara lent me a fascinator, as it was hats-a-plenty. I don't think I've ever been to a wedding where someone's hat involved a fake bird! To be honest I was actually a little jealous - I definitely need to up my game where head-wear is concerned.

The ceremony took place in the family church and was truly special as Caroline's father is a Bishop and played a part in the service. After the photos we all took a short walk through the beautiful countryside to the family home where the reception took place.

Clockwise from top left: My Hobbs ensemble for the day - A gorgeous personal touch - The walk from the church to the family home - Pre-dinner drinks in the meadow - Gorgeous bunting - The Bride and Groom greet their guests - Wonderful weather - The happy couple pose for some pictures

Drinks in the meadow before dinner allowed us all to get acquainted and take in the beautiful setting.

The marquee was magical, trees sprouting delicious chocolate brownies lined our route, paper birds flew overhead and real plants grew inside, one word: amazing. Speeches took place before dinner, with Andy doing a great job as best man.

Clockwise from top left: A brownie tree! For those moments when only cake would do - Beautiful seating plan - The table settings - The Boy's enjoy their ice creams - The bird theme was evident in the decorations - Jelly replaced a wedding cake, a perfect option for such a fun couple - The marquee in all it's glory

As day turned to night we all hit the dance floor, but not for usual shuffle to the latest chart hits, this wedding had actual barn dancing! As much as I wasn't sure about this option in the lead up to the big day, it actually turned out to be great fun and (miraculously) I even managed to complete a few dances without falling over. Which given my track record with staying upright (at any occasion) is a real achievement. A truly lovely time was had by all.

Congratulations Bobby and Caroline, thank you for letting us be a part of your special day!

Wonderful wedding number 3: I'm using logic

Brace yourself for a picture heavy post.

A couple of weeks back The Boy and I were extremely privileged to be a part of the wonderful wedding of our best friends Amy and Simon. As the best man, The Boy was stressed out all week long in anticipation of the big day and wanting to do Simon proud, and I must say he did a fantastic job (even if he was incredibly irritating in the lead up to the event). 

Amy and Simon went out of their way to make us all feel part of their special day and we had a fantastic weekend from start to finish.

Traveling down with Amy, Simon and Julia on the Friday was lots of fun and really set the tone for the weekend (singing along to random rock songs and eating lots of food whilst laughing. A lot). 

This was the first wedding I've been to where it really felt like a three day event, with us all going for drinks and dinner in a local pub on the Friday night to start off the weekend in style. It was nice to get the chance to catch up with old friends and meet some new faces (over pies, beers and wine, of course).

 Clockwise from top left: Simon (using logic to make sure we get to the venue on time) - Gotta love a wedding venue that involves taking a ferry on a sunny day - Friday night drinks in Wareham - Our home for the weekend

The wedding took place at Kingston Country Courtyard near Corfe Castle and was a great setting for a beautiful service and reception - and allowed for most guests to stay on site (i.e. party into the small hours). The setting really was perfect and I don't think The Boy and I have ever stayed anywhere nicer. Our room was in the top courtyard, right by the venue, with views out onto the countryside - bliss.

Clockwise from top left: Guests wait to enter the venue - Personal touches made for a special day - Our gorgeous rustic bedroom - The Bride and Groom - Treacherous photography for me and the girls (balanced on a stone wall in heels) - Guests gather in the garden - The wonderful newlywed Mr and Mrs Bond - Such a perfect setting

On Saturday everyone donned their glad rags for the big event. The Boy did lots of pacing around (worrying about the speech) whilst I had a lovely leisurely time getting ready before going out to meet everyone as things got underway. 

Having already seen pictures of Amy's dress I knew she would look beautiful but she looked absolutely amazing in her stunning lace dress and Christian Louboutin heels, Simon is a very lucky man who (along with The Boy) also looked very handsome in the suits that had become the bane of mine and Amy's lives in the weeks prior to the wedding.

Clockwise from top left: The happy couple with friends and family - Flowers and lace - The Boy and the boys - Anyone for cake? - The delicious cake made by the supremely talented Edd Kimber (aka The Boy Who Bakes, winner of The Great British Bake Off) - A trio of sausage and mash for dinner - My ensemble for the day - The blushing bride

After the ceremony there was drinks and pictures on the lawn before dinner and speeches in the barn. It was a lovely afternoon in preparation for the evening's festivities. There was even a quiz on how well we knew the couple - and you know I love a quiz.

As soon as the DJ started everyone hit the dancefloor and that's where we remained for pretty much the next three hours. It was perfect, just the right mix of music to get everyone up and dancing, followed by bacon rolls for those that were hungry (I was still full from dinner but stashed one back in my room for the inevitable midnight munchies - cunning).

The party went on well into the night, culminating in cream teas in the Bridal suite at 1am - I've simply never been to a wedding like it. The day was wonderful and was a perfect reflection of Amy and Simon's personalities - friendly, welcoming and fun. 

As we headed home on the Sunday I had that dreaded back to school feeling when you simply don't want something to end - can we do it all again next year?

Clockwise from top left: The first dance - The gang hit the dancefloor - The Boys throwing some shapes - The Boy and Matt bonding

We had a truly wonderful weekend and couldn't be happier for Mr and Mrs Boylan - congratulations to the happy couple!

A very vintage wedding

Friends come and go but sometimes in life you meet those really special people who you have a lifelong connection with. One of those people for me is my uni friend Emma (along with all the other girls I hung around with during my degree course, no exceptions) whose sunny outlook, good advice and sense of fun make her a hugely important part of my life.

A couple of weeks back The Boy and I hit the road, left the big smoke and headed to the market town of Marlborough to see Emma marry her wonderful now-husband Kyle.

Clockwise from top left: The gorgeous wedding programme - Jade of Cellardoor Magazine

 and I enjoy afternoon tea in the sunshine - The gorgeous bridesmaid dresses from Hobbs (and a mini version - so cute!) - The beautiful wedding car

The happy couple

The day turned out to be a truly special one - from Emma's beautiful dress, to the wonderful wedding car, the delicious food, and the perfect setting - no detail had been left to chance and the The Boy and I had a lovely time. The setting was so romantic, both at the village church and at the town hall where the reception was held - the day was quintessentially Emma and Kyle, to a tee.

It was great to see everyone again and share in the occasion, here's some snaps of the day.

Clockwise from top left: Emma's beautiful wedding dress - Pimms o'clock - The happy couple outside the church - The table settings, featuring vintage style postcards for name cards (with personal messages from the bride and groom)

Clockwise from top left: hands down, the most delicious wedding cake I've ever tasted. EVER. Red velvet and by the supremely talented Restoration Cake - Me with the beautiful Imogen, Naomi and Suze - The reception - Emma and Amy - The first dance - The lovely ladies: Suze, Amy, Lollie and Jade - Can't beat a sweets bar - The beautiful Amy, Olivia and Sally

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Holloway - wishing you a lifetime of happiness together!

Wedding belle

OK, OK, I promise this will be (one of) the last France related posts for a while - but can there really ever be too much of a good thing? I just can't resist letting you all see how amazing Becki and Rob's wedding was - the entire reason The Boy and I were in France in the first place.

The wedding was The Boy and I's first wedding of the year, and it certainly kick started the season in a fantastic fashion. Becki and Rob chose to get married in France, at a house owned by Rob's parents - and somewhere The Boy and I have spent many a happy holiday with the Bride and Groom. It was a truly beautiful day. The sun was shining, love was in the air and it was wonderful to see so many friends and family (both ours and theirs) come together so far from home to celebrate the occasion. Here's a glimpse of the day. 

The sun was shining, so I got dressed in my glad rags and headed over to the house with The Boy who was on Usher duty (and I somehow ended up in charge of buttonholes). All was well, the setting for the ceremony couldn't have been more perfect and as the guests arrived you could tell we were in for a special day. Becki kept us waiting (which for anyone who knows the Bride would say is pretty standard) but her arrival was well worth the wait. Becki's lace strapless gown suited the setting perfectly and the neutrally coloured flowers and bridesmaids dresses were simply stunning.

I think it's often easy for weddings to get out of control and the meaning and message of the day gets lost along the way, but this certainly wasn't the case with Becki and Rob's. This wedding very much had a feeling of family, love and commitment, with friends and family both old and new, really feeling like we were part of the day.

The house is simply stunning at the best of times but Becki and Rob had done a spectacular job of transforming the grounds into a fairytale setting, fit for a magical day. I think I can speak for everyone when I say it was amazing, from the food, to the dancing, to the fireworks and one that will stay with me for a long time to come.

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Bond - wishing you a lifetime of happiness together

Always the wedding guest, never the...

As many of you may know, for The Boy and I this year will always be known as The Year of the Wedding. Oh no, not our wedding, the wedding of pretty much everyone we've ever met.

So far, five invites and counting.

We've got weddings abroad, weddings in the country, vintage weddings, city weddings, you name it, we're going to it. Not that I'm ungrateful, I love a good wedding, but five? This means some serious thought needs to go into what I'm wearing so as not to repeat an ensemble and, more importantly, not bankrupt myself when trying to achieve the perfect look.

Every year as wedding season approaches I find myself frustrated that all The Boy needs do is put on a suit and tie and he's good to go. Yes, I know that suits do get warm on the rare occasion that a wedding actually takes place during the elusive few hours of British summertime, but a stiletto heel on grass is a far more treacherous situation entirely. We girls tread a very fine line when considering appropriate wedding attire, with the risk of being too dressed up or, god forbid, too dressed down always at the forefront of our minds. Fashion faux pas I myself have witnessed include: wearing a white dress (no really, I'm not joking), wearing the same dress as the bridesmaids, and need I say more about strapless dresses? Ladies, if you have big boobs wear something with straps, otherwise you run the risk of always being known as The Girl Who Got Her Boobs Out At Cousin Frannies Wedding (or something of that nature).

 The Boy and I at his sisters wedding, July 2011

My wedding attire of choice is usually a dress and although I have some ideas for what I want to wear to this years events, Becky over at Milk Bubble Tea has got me thinking that at least one of my ensembles needs to involve a dipped hem, due to how nice she looks in the mint waterfall dress from Glamorous. I'd never heard of Glamorous before but after checking out their website I'm pretty sure I'll be getting a lot of dresses from there from now on.

Here's my top picks for wedding guest attire for the coming season, all available at Glamorous (expect updates on the ensembles I eventually choose over the coming months):

Find all these dresses and more on the Glamorous website here