Our Wedding Day x

I have to say our wedding day was perfect from the gorgeous Ibizian weather to the amazingly scrumptious food, I enjoyed every second which has made this blog post one of my favourites so far.

The Dress

When I started my hunt for the perfect dress I actually had a Croatian designer in mind who I had worked with on a photo shoot many years ago, however logistically it just didn't work out so I decided to look for a designer with similar styles and came across Justin Alexander. Typically the dress I fell in love with was £3,000 retail and one of their signature styles so only stocked in a few bridal shops in the UK. All of the dresses I tried on I just couldn't get this one out of my head so I took my maid of honour and my mum to Shades of White in st Ives Cambridge I have to say the girl who looked after me Anna was extremely helpful and knowledgeable, unfortunately I only had a small window of purchasing as my wedding was so close. In the mean time the same dress came up for sale on eBay as an ex sample in my size (in the USA) I went for it purchased and had it delivered and it was perfect just a few alterations and it was good to go and all for the price of £500! Bargain. I finished the look off with a Daisy Day veil which had small diamante and scalloped lace, a jewelled headpiece which as 99p off eBay and of course the must have Jimmy Choos.

The Grooms Suit

Grant didn't want your typical run of the mill suit with waistcoat and tie so opted for a nice tailored navy jacket which he had custom made from a shop in Billericay called Lewis Yates they also custom made a baby blue shirt complete with his initials on the cuff, we purchased Grants and the Groomsman's shoes from this shop as well as the Groomsman's white Eton shirts, the owner Lewis was really accommodating and helpful in guiding Grant in the right direction with colours and styles. Lastly the trousers we looked everywhere for a light grey/off white coloured chinos that had lining and found a style in Zara which suited.

The Wedding Party

This was probably the hardest part deciding what the bridesmaids were going to wear I knew I wanted pink, tulle and sparkles but I just couldn't get dresses in that combination. I eventually found some on Asos and they fitted the theme perfectly I matched them with rose gold shoes from New Look and sparkly accessories. The Groomsman's attire was mentioned above but they also had suit jackets from Asos. Our two flower girls had gold sparkly dresses I found online at Frankie Lola and I got them little rose gold Spanish style shoes they looked so adorable. Seve and the other page boys had grey shorts and pale blue shirts from River Island with white leather converse shoes.

The Venue

We couldn't think of anywhere better than Ibiza it was where we had our first holiday together and many more since it holds a special place for Grant with his DJ connections and there is just something quite magical about the island that draws us back. Elixir was the first venue we looked at just after they opened in 2012 we instantly knew that when we where to set a date this was the venue for us,  the owner Vickki has a great attention to detail and was so welcoming, Una was particularly discreet on the day and made the whole experience faultless such a brilliant team. Some of the things that sold the venue to us were the views you can't beat saying your vows overlooking the enchanting Es Vedra, the decor was very us the food menu looked really yummy oh and did I mention the view! It's set just above the beach in Cala Codolar on the western side of Ibiza. Food was also really important for us and Elixir didn't disappoint we chose the BBQ which was lovely to have small portions of different dishes my favourite was the Harrissa Lamb and the Steak, to finish off they did mini desserts of cheesecake and brownies.

Colour Scheme/Decor

I found it really helped plan the wedding when I had chosen a theme I picked 'Coco Chanel' for the elegance and colours Black, Pink, Gold & Pearl. For the ceremony I liked the idea of just lanterns along the back wall filled with sweet Avalanche roses and we had two larger ones where we stood I really didn't want anything to get in the way of the view! I also made gold hand fans out of wallpaper and little bags for the confetti (rose petals) with gold stickers saying 'throw me'. For the table centres the venue made me a vase filled with sweet Avalanche roses draped with pearls, we had black velvet ribbon for the cutlery with a gold glittered feather and each table had a Chanel quote printed in gold on black card. I made the table plan from a cheap plastic photo frame that I spray painted Gold and flew it out with us (only a hair line crack on arrival). Our favours were in keeping with strawberry and salted caramel macaroons in clear plastic boxes with a black ribbon bow and gold surround which I made from using a cutting tool and the wallpaper from the fans.

Ceremony

We had the lovely Emma Davies take our celebration we didn't want anything too formal and Emma had more of a spiritual approach which we loved, we spoke to Emma via skype and I instantly knew from her calming voice and persona she was the right person to do our ceremony. She made the ceremony very personal and included Seve which was perfect we also conducted a sand ceremony that was really beautiful. I walked into the venue to Boyce Avenue's version of A Thousand Years a lovely acoustic version and our recession song was Donald Byrd 'Love Has Come Around' a bit more upbeat.

Our amazing photos were by talented English Photographer Andrew Murley who kindly came to Ibiza to capture our wedding. We also had a videographer based in Ibiza Garry who I hardly noticed being there, every time I watch the whole video i cry it captured all the moments that seemed a blur.

For the evening we booked a saxophonist (Gabor) through the venue and hired photoboothibiza which was very fun and all our guests enjoyed it. We also hired Kids Ibiza which were fantastic they kept all the kids entertained which meant the adults could relax and enjoy the day.

Lastly I did my own hair and makeup which will be in another post. People thought I was crazy doing some of my bridesmaids makeup and hair but it actually kept me calm and made the morning fly by, it's one of my favourite things in the world to do so just felt right.

Happy New Year

I'm sad to say goodbye to 2016, but really looking forward to what 2017 has to offer. Most of this year has been taken up by planning our wedding my free time can now be spent doing lots of photo shoots, learning new hobbies and making memories with my little family.

New Years Resolutions for me aren't going to be the cliche 'Get Fit/Loose Weight' but more working on making my family more healthy, clean eating and enjoying my new found love of the gym.

We had a very different Christmas this year with our little man getting Chicken Pox he was covered from head to toe and every crevice in between. His worse day was Christmas Day and by 7pm he was asking to go home, I'm glad it's all out the way now. Lots of bicarbonate of soda and cuddles from mummy got him through.

Here are 9 of my favourite moments from 2016 xxx

I'm back and I'm a Mrs!

Photo courtesy of Andrew Murley Photography

We had a pretty crappy end to the year last year it's not an excuse but I just couldn't get back into blogging. Sadly we lost our fur baby Louie the Frenchie very suddenly to a condition called IVDD which is very common in the breed, we were both devastated he was our first baby and so young. Then Grants grandad took ill and sadly passed away in November.  

Grant, Louie & Grandad (age 94)

We had agreed to get married when Grants Dad ended up in hospital last year with Liver failure and both decided we should just go for it and contacted the venue we loved in Ibiza Elixir They only had three dates left in 2016 so we went with October 2nd.

The past year has been all systems go with planning a wedding, who knew it would take up so much time and yes I'm the crazy bride that wanted to design and make everything! Yep everything from the invitations to the table centres I literally worked my arse off, was it worth it 'definitely' would I do it again 'of course' it's the only way I love seeing a vision and working it through till the end.

Our two boys

Seve is now a chatty cheeky 2 year old (I know where has that time gone right) I've watched more paw patrol than humanly possible and I've learnt so much about myself than I ever thought I could do in the last two years. We still have nights of disrupted sleep and the tantrums are epic who warns you that cutting a cake in half and defacing a two year olds property would cause such a massive melt down in Costa. I'm sure if I didn't have a great group of 'mummy friends' I would have slowly gone insane (you know who are you and thank you). I'm excited to be back I now have more time on my hands now my little mini dictator is at pre school and I hope this blog will be of interest to some of you.

Looks can be deceiving! 

Just as this post was going live my period decided to make an appearance which means month one (wedding baby) has been unsuccessful, we have decided to get back on the roller coaster of baby making as would love a sibling for Seve, just wondering now if the natural route will work for us this time or if we will have to venture down the IVF route and use our Frosties.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend xxx

Happy 1st Birthday Little Dude

Wow time really does fly when being a mum, it's been a year since we welcomed Seve into this world and it only feels like yesterday I was announcing I was pregnant. He has grown in to an extremely funny and cheeky little boy. I'm not going to say this year has been easy in fact being a mum has been a lot harder than I ever thought it would be (blog post to follow) but I can say I now feel human in myself and each day Seve amazes me with his development. 

We haven't got a walker just yet he's cruising everything and everybody he can, I don't think it will be long he just needs to get the confidence to take them first steps. 

For Seve birthday party I decided to do a Mickey Mouse theme as he really enjoys the Mickey Mouse clubhouse. We had a little gathering at our (nearly complete) house and invited close family and friends. We hired a DIY hog roast from a local company and I made ham and cheese sandwiches and pizza for the children. I also took on the mammoth task of cake baking including cupcakes and mini snickers cheesecakes which were absolutely amazing thank you A Pumpkin & A Princess for the recipe I did add some salted caramel to finish. 

One of the highlights of the party was the soft play we hired from Big Fun Soft Playit was amazing and kept all the children occupied so the adults could enjoy the afternoon. Even the adults enjoyed the bouncy castle. 

Some of the presents he received were Scuttle bug, Gruffalo puppet, Smart trike, touchy feely books, clothes, vouchers. His two favourite presents which is was lucky to receive was a Range Rover remote control car (I know too spoilt) and we brought him a sensory crocodile to put up in the play room. 

Seve enjoyed his birthday and gifts and slept like.......................A Baby! 

Blinging up my Bugaboo

From day one (of being pregnant) I had my heart set on a Bugaboo Chameleon. There were a couple of times I swayed to other buggies like the Uppababy vista and the Mima, but Grant preferred the Bugaboo so Bugaboo we got. I'm not one for having the same as everyone else so we got the limited edition khaki however they then brought it out as standard so I've seen lots of mummies casually strolling around our little town with the same buggy. So I decided to bling up my Bugaboo!

I found a lovely lady on Facebook called Cathy's Crafted Leather who makes leather handlebar and bumper bar covers the set cost £45 (inc delivery) and included three real leather covers, needle, matching thread & instructions. They arrived within a few days and I couldn't wait to put them on. The instructions were really easy to read and overall it probably took me 45mins to sew the covers on.

How the covers arrived

Lovely tan leather

Matches my Pacapod leather perfectly

Snug with the John Lewis Footmuff

Cathy has great customer service, very easy to purchase and apply. She offers lots of different leather colours and can make them for most buggies and strollers. They do attract lots of attention and are really functional by saving the foam from marking and ripping. 

My next step is to get a fur trim for the hood from Fur Coat No Nappies (love that name) then we will really have a very posh buggy! X

Amber Teething Necklace

'Yes my little boy wears a necklace, yes it's perfectly safe'

Seve sporting his Amber necklace during "Tummy time"

Amber has been used for years to help teething pain, it's very normal in other parts of Europe. Amber beads, when warmed by body heat, release tiny amounts of succinic acid which passes trans-dermally into the blood stream where it acts as an analgesic. Seve started showing signs of teething at 9 weeks with chewing his hands, dribbling and getting quite upset, I knew a midwife who used one on all her children so I thought I would purchase one to try. 

I ordered a 30cm necklace in colour Honey from a company called Love Amber X for £16.99 it arrived two days later and we started using it straight away. 

Amber necklace with instructions

It took about 48 hours to notice any effect but without dramatising anything Seve turned into a different baby. He was more calm, more smiley and genuinely a pleasure to be around and has been ever since. Mummies in my group even commented on how he was really chilled out and most of them also purchased a necklace for their babies and noticed a difference. During bad teething episodes we have used some Ashton and Parsons granules or Anbesol liquid but maybe once every few days where other mums are getting through packets a day. I've also noticed no nappy rash which I'm grateful for as some nappy rash looks really painful where the skin is so raw. Seve still has lots of dribbling and fists (or anything in his hand) being chomped on, but I'm totally hooked and daren't take the necklace off! 

We remove the necklace at bath time and wrap it round his ankle under his sleep suit at night, then pop it back round his neck when I dress him for the day. Either side of each bead has a knot which means if a bead was to break off none of the others would be able to come off, the clasp is light plastic which would easily break if it come under a strain, I feel making the necklace safe. Seve has worn his for a while now and is not bothered by it at all and doesn't even touch the necklace. I'm not a hippy mum but do find people are fascinated why my son wears a necklace. 

Check out the link above for Love Amber as not only do they do Amber Necklaces and anklets but also stock lots of teething related products, Poddle Pods (one of my favourites) we purchased a Gumigem tool kit for one of Seve christmas presents which is a little bag with four workmans tools which are all chewable. Will update at Christmas. 

Update:

We lost Seves necklace at swimming Boooo but it was actually a huge blessing ......

Firstly because Seve has bad eczema (since six months) and we had the raw necklace which I didn't realise wasn't good for eczema so we purchased a new longer 32cm Cherry polished necklace.

Secondly we was without a necklace for a week! I purchased another necklace (34cm) which was too long sent that back and got the shorter one which is perfect. We got a glimpse of Seve without a necklace and wow what a difference his teething was terrible he has never dribbled and all his clothes  were covered in dribble, constantly rubbing his ears, we got through so much Anbesol liquid it was a really bad week of hardly any sleep and a broken mummy begging for her happy little boy back. Anyone who has doubts this defiantly works for Seve even Grant believes in the necklace 100% we won't be without it ever again x

What is sleep?

No really what is that thing I once called sleep. The days of having a long lay in on a Sunday are far behind me. It's lucky I love my little munchkin.

Everything I brought before Seve arrived was to aid his sleep I must admit most of the things worked some just a fad and now we are in a lovely pattern (routine) I'm getting more sleep than four months ago. I like to use the word "pattern" as at the beginning I was getting myself worked up on getting in a routine, babies must have a routine, we'll if your patient and do repetitive things yourself eventually the baby settles into their own routine no stress required. 

Our day consists of 

7am wake up, 

9.30am nap (45mins), 

12/12.30pm nap (30mins), 

2.30pm nap (2hours), 

5.30pm naked time,  

6pm bath time,

6.30pm bottle,

6.45pm bed,

This "pattern" I think is similar to Gena Ford but Seve has worked this out himself and yes there are days when he wakes earlier or later and doesn't nap as much. He usually wakes once in the night now and the past two weeks we have been using self settling at nap times and nighttime which I think has really helped Seve get to sleep and stay asleep. It's taken a bit of persevering but thinking of the long term gain it's worth it. 

A couple of the sleep aids I brought that we couldn't live without are:

Poddle pod; this is a snuggle nest, Seve slept really well in his poddle. I could put it in his Moses basket, bugaboo, our bed, anywhere and he looked really safe and comfortable. When he was tiny I placed his poddle on our nuna leaf and it was like magic. The poddle pod is for birth-6 months and then there is the toddle pod, they come in lovely colours and the fleece covers wash really well. They retail for £39.99 which is a great price for some extra sleep.

http://www.poddlepod.com

Poddle pod in action

Nuna leaf; we was brought the Nuna leaf by my in laws and although it is quite pricey (£160) it's definitely a great investment. We are usually very 'style over substance' but this product is super stylish and really practical. I love the fact you don't need any battery's or plugs and the side to side motion helps soothe baby to sleep. As a newborn we used the poddle on the Nuna, now Seve is 4 months he sits in it and plays with toys, watches TV, sleeps and takes a bottle in the leaf. It's been tested to take up to 60kgs of weight so this will last for a very long time. My only wish is they did a matching adult version!

http://www.nuna.eu/leaf

The Nuna Leaf

Poddle pod + Nuna Leaf = Heaven

Ewan the dream sheep; this little sheep has been a lifesaver for us and is now part of our nighttime routine, each one of Ewan's legs plays different white noise Seve loves the washing machine sound. There is also a red light to mimic the womb. When I put Seve to bed I always put Ewan on and watch him fall straight to sleep. These retail for £29.99 and can be brought from Mothercare, John Lewis, Mumas & Papas, Argos etc. we are only just replacing the batteries at four months. 

Sleeping bags; Seve is a real fidget at night and got really cold when the blankets came off him so I started using sleeping bags to keep him warm. I brought two 0-6 months 2.5 tog sleeping bags from Mothercare which retail for £22.99. 

http://www.mothercare.com/Mothercare-Patchwork-Garden-Sleeping-Bag-2.5-Tog/809011,default,pd.html#q=sleeping%20bags

MAM dummies; I am including these as they are my go to brand of choice and we are still using the 0-2month ones as they are the perfect size. I know dummies aren't for everyone, Seve started to use his thumb (like his dad did) but I know you can take dummies away easier than their little thumbs. I use them only when he is napping or at night and luckily he doesn't wake for his dummy. I love the MAM range. 

http://www.mambaby.com/uk/

Daddy and Seve catching some Zzzzzz

What are you go to sleep products that work for you, and do you use any set routines for your little ones. X