Bohemian Pinterest-Worthy Weddings

There's nothing more grown up than receiving a wedding invitation through the post. This September, I had my very first experiences of that, as two close friends of mine tied the knot at two magical weddings.

     D'Mello - Pearson Wedding

     Ward - Tizzard Wedding

The last time I was at a wedding, I was a gawky monobrowed teenage bridesmaid at the Greek wedding of one of my cousins.  Now if you've never experienced a Greek wedding, you're missing out. Packed full of tradition, it's definitely a service you won't forget. Now with my Dad being one of 8 siblings, I've been to my fare share of Greek Weddings. My Aunt's on my Mum's side was the only British wedding I've experienced, and as a 7 year-old flower girl, I don't remember much. 

So when I received my invitations, I had no idea what to expect from the weddings of my generation. We see on a daily basis the weddings of the rich and famous, and eventually, they all start to blur into one dramatic, empty display of wealth rather than love. Who needs a Venetian boat convoy for God sake? 

However, you only need to go on Pinterest wedding boards to see that the wedding generation of today are leading a bohemian revolution. Now that sounds like I'm categorizing these weddings into one group, but that's the beauty of the word bohemian - it's the complete opposite of that.

Both the Pearsons and the Tizzards are stunning on the inside and out, and value the relationships they have with their friends and family more than anyone else I know. Of course I'm biased here, but my point is, these weddings showed me what it takes to make them one's you won't ever forget. Both of these weddings brought the love of the couple as well as the love they have for their guests to the forefront through personality and character. 

The D'Mello - Pearson Wedding

Set in the rural heritage site of Bromham Mill, nature was allowed to do it's magic on this gorgeous day. As me and the boyfriend walked through an arch in the ground's hedges, we were faced with an enormous Tipi. The surrounding area consisted of a photo booth and face-painting stations for the children which was such a nice touch. It's lovely as a guest at a wedding to feel like you can get involved in the memory making process. 

This was a wedding full of unique touches that made you go wow at every step. The groom's brother had designed a little branded logo for the wedding that featured on the invitations, order of service, bar and favours, whilst the bridal party, relatives and friends had all pulled together to make lampshade lighting displays and floral tokens that hung from the branches of the majestic tree underneath which the head table was placed. 

University friends worked the bar which was made out of a huge wooden crate, serving cocktails in jam jars, whilst dozens of relatives served up their homemade food in a marquee. 

Of course it's not just about the visuals when it comes to a wedding, but having a good time. With gorgeous rural surroundings, during the day we got to walk around the grounds and take in the scenery, but it was at night time when the fun really started. Speeches done, the tree lit up the grassy dance floor, and an acoustic band got everyone up with their own rendition of Clean Bandit's 'Rather Be. ' 

The night was rounded  off with a 'sparkling' farewell, as the bride and groom ran through an arch of sparklers held up by all the guests. 

The Ward - Tizzard Wedding

This was another rural wedding, set in the picturesque village of Elham in Kent. Driving through, it's literally like being in the Peak District.

 I would describe my friend Becca as a bohemian princess, so the style of her wedding wasn't much of a surprise to me, it was more the atmosphere that had everyone beaming from ear to ear. 

Again, everyone pulled together to create decorations in Becca's favourite colours - orange and purple - from the bride's bouquet to the detailing on the wedding cake. 

The view from the grounds of Elham Village hall was like something out of a Wordsworth poem and was a perfect natural setting for pictures with friends and family. It was just so lovely to see that whilst the bride and groom were having their pictures taken, all the guests were catching up and getting to know one another in the midst of this fairy tale setting. 

When it was time to eat, this atmosphere continued, with the food being on a bring and share basis. It gave everyone an opportunity to be involved in the wedding in some shape or form, whether you brought brownies or a salad, you were contributing, and that was such a good feeling to have. 

The tables were in long horizontal rows, which is a simple but really effective touch for a wedding with a lot of guests. There was such a huge community vibe, and with so many people making friends, the day was full of conversation and laughter. 

Again, the favors were really cute. As you can see from board in the picture above, they were little vials of sand from the beach where Jonny (groom) proposed, with a tag featuring a very apt Bible quote. 

When I think about what weddings are really about, I'm so grateful that my first grown-up wedding experiences were these two. It made me realise that wedding's aren't about pomp and circumstance, but getting everyone you invite to feel the love you're celebrating by being as involved in the celebration as possible, whether that means getting hands-on or by making it their own personal, memorable experience. 

Congratulations Gabrielle and Matt Pearson and Rebecca and Jonny Tizzard, you beautiful people. 

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The Great Blogger Bake Off: Week 6 - Sachertorte

I'm not sure about the rest of the bloggers taking part in this Blogger Bake Off, but when they announced this week would be European cakes, my mind went blank. All I could think of was Tiramisu, which I made in week 4, and Croque en Bouche (way too technical for me). I've been doing so much research this past week as to what I could bake, and on my way I've come across some amazing looking cakes I never knew existed (my cake has a slightly more complicated pastry brother called the Fachertorte. It looks so scrummy!) However some of them looked extremely complicated, and as much as I would love to have given them a go, I really would have needed more practice. 

It was one evening that I had an epiphany and remembered last year's Bake Off contestants having the grueling task of making Mary Berry's Sachertorte with a very vague recipe, for the technical challenge. I remember thinking that it looked so glamorous and actually not too complicated once you have the full recipe, so I decide to give it a go. 

I found Mary Berry's recipe to be very simple and easy to follow, however I did have a bit of trouble with the piping. I've always veered away from piping because it terrifies me. I take it to heart when I try and get all creative with baking and it turns out looking poop, so this is the first time I've really donned my piping bag (I actually used a sandwich bag), closed my eyes and gone for it. I'm really pleased with how it turned out, but it would have been a disaster if I'd piped straight away. The best advice I can give to anyone with similar piping fears is PRACTICE. Just have a little squiggle on some kitchen roll just so you get the hang of handling the bag. 

I'd like to think if I was on the show tomorrow, Mary Berry would be happy with my shiny chocolate and piping skills. 

Ingredients

• 140g plain chocolate
• 140g unsalted butter, softened
• 115g caster sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 5 free-range eggs, separated
• 85g ground almonds
• 55g plain flour, sieved

For the topping and the icing

• 6 tbsp apricot jam, sieved
• 140g plain chocolate
• 200ml double cream
• 25g milk chocolate

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease a deep 23cm round cake tin then line the base with greaseproof paper.

2) Break the chocolate into pieces, melt gently in a bowl set over a pan of hot water, stirring occasionally, then cool slightly. Beat the butter in a bowl until really soft, then gradually beat in the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the cool chocolate and the vanilla extract and beat again. Add the egg yolks, then fold in the ground almonds and sieved flour. The mixture will be quite thick at this stage.

    

3) In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Add about one third to the chocolate mixture and stir in vigorously. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface. 

  

4) Bake in the oven for about 45-50 minutes, or until well risen at the top and the cake springs back when lightly pressed with a finger. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes then turn out, peel off the paper and finish cooling on a wire rack.

5) To make the topping, heat the apricot jam in a small pan and then brush evenly over the top and sides of the cold cake to build up a layer. Allow to set

6) Make the icing by breaking the plain chocolate into pieces. Heat the cream until piping hot, remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted, then cool till a coating consistency. Then pour the icing on to the centre of the cake. Spread it gently over the top and down the sides, and leave to set. 

7) For the 'icing' writing, break the milk chocolate into pieces then melt gently in a bowl set over a pan of hot water. Spoon into a small paper icing bag or a sandwich bag if you don't have one and snip off the corner. Before piping onto the cake have a little practice on some kitchen role, just to make sure the consistency is right.  Pipe 'Sacher' across the top and leave to set. 

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Y SPA at Wyboston Lakes - A Girly Retreat

So yesterday I had my first ever spa experience. At 22, I'm probably a bit behind on experiencing the fluffy towels and complimentary slippers, but I was like a little kid at Christmas. 

A girl at work is leaving, and had organised a spa day for a few of us.We managed to get a group deal that meant if we went in pairs, we only had to pay £27 each instead of £44. This included afternoon tea as well as free reign of the spa (treatments were extra). 

Having never gone to a spa before, I wasn't sure whether this was a bargain or a rip off, and I guess all spas differ as to what deals they offer, but this was most definitely a bargain. 

We started the day off with our afternoon tea. Now afternoon tea has become a major food trend recently, so you don't have to venture to some pretentious tea rooms in London for the 'ladies that lunch' experience. But there's nothing worse than a bad afternoon tea, so I was intrigued as to how nice this one was going to be. I was actually really surprised. Sandwiches are sandwiches at the end of the day, and if you get them wrong you're a bit of a numpty. It's the cakes that are the real test. This afternoon tea came with the classic scones, jam and cream, which were gooey and really filling, Victoria Sponge squares and a strawberry mousse cheesecake which was so yummy. It all looked really pretty and was so filling that I felt I was going to sink when I got in the pool. One of the girls that was with us was gluten and soya intolerant, and the restaurant staff really went out of their way to accommodate her, with her own sandwich selection and some gorgeous looking desserts in cute jars. 

After our tea, we heaved our full tummies over to the changing rooms to adorn ourselves head to toe in fluffiness. The changing rooms themselves were of a boutique design, with individual vanity booths which included a hairdryers that were free to use. 

The spa area itself was quite small, with a salty steam room, a soft steam room, a sauna, and showers dotted around for cooling down. I'm such a wimp when it comes to heat that I could only manage 5 minutes max in each room. The pool area was my favourite though. Again it wasn't very big, but we were lucky that it wasn't very busy either. It was stationed outside and consisted of a hydrotherapy pool, a jacuzzi, a chilled decking area with cozy sofas and a fireplace, and a 'Some Like It Hot' steam room that reaches 85 degrees (I stayed well away from this). The pool was lovely and warm so it didn't matter if it got a bit overcast. Once we were as wrinkled as prunes we had a cheeky glass of wine each by the fire and a lovely catch up. 

I'd say this is a perfect day out for a group of girls, or even couples, and if you're one of those people who can spend a good few hours doing nothing, you'll definitely get your money's worth. Due to size however I can imagine during weekends it will be a lot busier, and it will be harder for you to make the most of it, so if you can weekdays are best. 

Everyone needs a bit of time to relax, and when there's something like this on your doorstep, I say milk it for all its worth! 

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The Great Blogger Bake Off: Week 3 - Sage and Olive Focaccia

Eeeeek bread week!!! 

I have never in my life succesfully baked bread before, so I was even more nervous this week than biscuit week. So I really did my research this time as to what was the most fool proof bread recipe, and to my surprise everyone said Foccaccia. It's so fancy and beautiful that I never thought it could be so easy, but it actually is. 

I think that focaccia in itself is such a beautiful bread that I didn't want to be over zealous with the flavourings, and stuck with a simple sage and olive, inspired by the good old Rosemary Shrager.  

If any of you out there are considering getting into bread baking, this is a definitely a brilliant beginners recipe. Given my track record ( we're talking loafs of solid rock here) if I can do it, anyone can. 

Ingredients
500g strong plain white flour
1 1/2 tsp dried yeast
2 tsp salt
4 tbsp olive oil
300ml tepid water
2 tbsp chopped black olives
1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
To Finish: 
3 tbsp garlic cloves finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
Sage leaves
Sea or rock salt (optional) 

Method

• Place flour, yeast and salt into a bowl and mix well. 
• Add the oil and most of the water and mix. 
• Add the remainder of the water to bring together to form a soft dough (I found I needed  bit more flour). 
• Knead for 5 minutes until smooth, allow to rest for 5 minutes and then knead in the olives and sage. 
• Tip into a large bowl, cover with lightly oiled cling film and put in a warm place to rise for about 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. 
• Make indentations in the top with your thumb and sprinkle half the chopped garlic over each loaf, and then pour over 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Lay the sage leaves over the top and sprinkle with salt crystals. 
• Cook at 230ºC (450ºF) Gas Mark 8 for 15-20 minutes. 

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The Great Blogger Bake Off: Week 1 - Cakes

Evening all. 

This post is very different to what I usually write about, but this is something I couldn't resist doing. 

Now if you're an avid baker you're probably more than aware that the Great British Bake Off starts tonight. 

So in homage to this mouth-wateringly addictive show, the lovely Lawra over at I Love Crafty has organised a Great Blogger Bake Off, where once a week, alongside the show, bloggers bake something inline with the theme of that week's show. 

Now I love any excuse to bake, however I only found out about the whole thing this morning. I didn't want to miss out on the first post though. Now in true Come Dine With Me style, I'm going to come clean and say I didn't bake this today. However, this was a very recent bake of mine that was dedicated to the using up of my homegrown harvest of redcurrents, tayberries and blackcurrents. 

I'd never worked with these berries before and had no idea what to do with them, but was determined to make a cake. After a bit of research, I found this Good Food recipe. Alas, still no use of my berries, so I had to adapt it a little. 

First off, I didn't have a loaf tin so used a normal, round spring-form tin. Apart from that the majority of the recipe is pretty much the same. I had to add a bit more sugar than the recipe states when reducing the berries with the lemon juice, simply because my selection of berries were a lot more sour tasting compared to those in the recipe.  

I can only apologise for this very lackluster first post to what I would love to have been an icing fueled, bowl licking extravaganza. 

I do solemnly swear that my next post will contain more dedication. 

Enjoy the first show of this Great British Bake Off season!!

(Would still recommend this cake though, a great use of a homegrown harvest, and can really be applied to any berries you have lying around.) 

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My Liebster Award Nomination

So literally 10 minutes ago I received a Twitter notification telling me that the lovely Kiarna Lewis over at Mama's Journey to Slim 'n' Curvy had nominated me for a Liebster Award.

Since I'm pretty new to the 'blogosphere' I honestly didn't know what this meant, but after a little research I've learnt it's an award given to bloggers by bloggers. Even though I've only been blogging for 4 months, I've learnt to never underestimate the value of networking and meeting other bloggers, so I can't thank you enough Kiarna for not only knowing that my blog exists but for deeming me worthy of a nomination.

The Rules

• Link back to the blogger that nominated you
• Answer the 11 questions that blogger has asked you
• Nominate 11 bloggers with under 200 followers and come up with 11 questions for them. 
• You cannot nominate the blogger who nominated you
• You must let your nominees know they've been nominated and provide them with a link to your post so they can learn about the award.

So now the rules are out of the way, I'm gonna get to the interesting part and answer Kiarna's questions:

What do I blog about and why?
My blog is a mixture of fashion, personal style, beauty and lifestyle. It was meant to be purely fashion based as I really knew nothing about make-up, but having received so many beauty products from brands to review, my blog has turned into a mini diary of my journey of beauty discovery. I also love experiencing new things and sharing it with other people so they can be inspired to experience things too.
What's your favourite blog post you've written?
My write ups of Graduate Fashion Week. It was my first runway event as a blogger/press member and I got to take some amazing pictures of the awesome talent that was on display, and I was so happy to be able to give the designers exposure and share what I saw with my viewers.
How often do you blog?
I try to blog two times a week at the moment, but am hoping to up it to three, when I reach the 6 month mark.
Where do you see yourself in a year's time?
I would like to have moved over to Wordpress and have improved my page design, and I'd also like to have expanded the fashion and lifestyle elements of my blog. Outside of blogging, I'd like to think I'd have a graduate/entry level job in the media or PR/Marketing.
What's your most successful blog post?
In terms of the most views, it would have to be my write up of the Cosmopolitan Superblogger Masterclass. Obviously there were a limited number of tickets, and also not all bloggers can travel from far and wide to an event like that. I was lucky enough to be able to go, and thought it would only be fair to share the vital information and advice I received with as many other bloggers as possible.
What have you learned so far about blogging?
I've already mentioned the importance of networking with other bloggers, so attending blogger events and swapping tips and ideas is crucial. I've also learnt that patience is key. Looking at some of your favourite bloggers and how many followers they have and the things they're doing can be seen as motivation to grow, but can also show that for us newbies, we have a long way to go. We're not going to get thousands of followers overnight, and the only way to prove out worth is to keep on at it and enjoy it.
Apart from blogging, what else do you do?
I also write fashion and beauty content for a variety of publications, one being LSN Media, a publication house that produces newspapers covering the three counties of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
Do you enjoy blogging?
Oh god yes. It's the one thing that allows me to explore all my passions without any limitations, and the added bonus is that there are people out there who want to know what I have to say about the things I love.
What are your goals for the next 6 months?
To get more organized with my blogging. I want to have a timetable so that I do particular posts at the same time each month, just so there's an element of consistency to my blogging. I also want to come up with some post ideas that are unique to me.
What social media site do you like the most?
It would have to be Instagram. I think we all respond more enthusiastically to visuals rather than written words, and with a blog about fashion and beauty, images definitely shout louder. I also really enjoy creating a visual documentation of my life.
What's your dream job?
I would love for blogging to be my full-time job, but obviously this is something that is going to take a lot of time. I also love all animals, whether they're big, small, fluffy, slimy or spiny. Any job that enabled me to spend best part of my day with animals would be the all-time best job for me.

My nominations are:

1) peachjin

2)The House That Never Rests

3)The Awesome Lady

4)Miss Kitty Kaos

5)The Good Life Mum

6)The Vegan Taff

7)Candyfloss Beauty

8)Alison in Wonderland

9)My Sparkly Life 

10)Style Gamblers

11)Bella La Moda 

And my questions for them...:

1)What inspired you to start blogging?

2)What's the bravest thing you've ever done?

3)If you could meet with one famous person/ iconic figure (dead or alive) who would it be?

4)What's your favourite thing about blogging?

5)If you could have any talent in the world, what would it be?

6)Savory or sweet?

7) Do you have a favourite quote?

8)What's the story behind your blog's name?

9) Do you have any guilty pleasures?

10)What are you scared of?

11)Do you eat to live or live to eat?

Congratulations everyone on your nomination, and have fun : ) x

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Birthday Diary: Zoo Lates at ZSL London

Hello all, 

Yet again I am guilty of not having blogged much recently, but I promise I have a very good excuse.

 As of last Friday, I've had some MAJOR BIRTHDAY ANTICS going on. My birthday was actually on the 28th, but not being happy about having a Monday birthday, me and my boyfriend (whose birthday is on the 31st ) have decided to turn the last week and a bit into a joint birthday extravaganza. 

I really enjoy turning my birthday into a reunion event for me and all my friends. There's a lot of them that I don't get to see very often, and it's just so lovely to have one day a year where they can all meet each other and we can just have a really good night out. 

I researched for months beforehand for some ideas without much luck. I'd found out about the Zoo Lates events last year, and it popped into my head in one of those rare but magical light-bulb moments. It just seemed perfect for the kind of night I wanted. Firstly, who doesn't love the zoo? Secondly, on top of all the normal zoo attractions, there were comedians, animal demonstrations, face painting, wine tasting, acoustic bands, a food festival and a silent disco. However what really sold it to me was the fact that it finished at 10.30. I know that probably sounds weird, but considering I had friends travelling from far and wide, I wanted an event that didn't mean them leaving early and missing out to catch a train. 

I was very lucky to get tickets. The event is only open every Friday in June and July, and tickets for each date usually sell out a good 2-3 weeks before. Unfortunately the events for this year are all done and dusted, but it's certainly something to bear in mind for next year, as it's definitely worth it. 

One bit of advice that I would give anyone thinking of going is that even though the event starts at 6 and gates don't close until 8, get there as early as you possibly can. We didn't get there till 8 and at that point a lot of the animal enclosures were empty (which is to be expected). The earlier you get there, the more chance you have of experiencing everything the event has to offer. 

Despite this, I had such a fun time. The vintage car pimped out as a photo booth was such a laugh, and the pictures you get from it are a lasting memory of hilarity. Loads of people attended in fancy dress, and I saw some amazing face paint. Even if you don't get to see and do everything, the atmosphere is so feel-good that you and your friends are guaranteed to have a good time. I'm definitely doing it again next year. 

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