Frills 'n' Spills

As you may have seen from the many messages on Twitter and Instagram, the lovely Amy and Garry got married at the weekend and it was just the most wonderful day. The reception was held at Lamb's Tavern in Leadenhall Market and you couldn't have asked for a more beautiful location. I was so thrilled to be invited to the wedding and we had the best time- blogger friends really are the best! I never had many girl friends growing up but blogging has given me some amazing, smart and beautiful women that I am proud to call my friends and being part of their lives is an amazing thing. 

I mean, just look at that beautiful ceiling! 

You can't beat a cobbled street either...

Sadly all of our photos from the evening came out pretty blurry but you can definitely feel the love here- the lovely couple during their first dance. I'm not ashamed to say that I cried, Amy just looked so beautiful and I can't resist a couple in love!

There was lots of dancing... 

...especially with this beautiful lady! Sarah is one of my favourite ever blogger friends and it is so nice to spend the evening with someone you just click so well with. 

Unfortunately none of these photos were in focus but I think you can see how much Mark and I were enjoying ourselves!

The books hanging from the ceiling were amazing too- I just wish you could pull them down to read!

I really loved this starry ceiling, I just need to persuade Mark that we can paint ours like this! 

As the evening went on, we went down into the depths of Old Tom's bar, named after a gander who escaped slaughter in the early 1880s and lived to the grand old age of 37- not bad for a goose!

This rather cute 'Shanghai Shaun' the sheep provided much hilarity throughout the evening, as well as plenty of photo opportunities! 

This garden was tucked in by the New Court and was so beautiful. We did try and get some pictures in front of it but as it was a bank, a security guard told us that taking photos was forbidden and we had to scarper!

I have to say, the City is not an area of London that I know very well but it is absolutely beautiful, even if everything is shut at the weekend!

I fell in love with the inky blue/violet of this dress and these gorgeous embroidered flowers. As the dress was so elaborate, I kept my hair and make-up pretty simple and went for Essie 'Spin the Bottle' on my nails which may be my perfect nude shade!

We stayed at London Central Bank Travelodge which was gorgeous- way prettier than your average and super convenient too! The City may not be your first choice of places to stay but it was beautiful and it is pretty darned fun to wander around and pretend you are rich enough to live there!

Last weekend, Mark and I hopped into the car to head up to Chester to see one of my closest friends get married. I first met Ian on my internship four years ago and we have been friends ever since. I had never been to Chester before, despite my Grandad being a huge fan (it is where he went to college) and although we didn't get to see much time in the city itself, we will definitely be making a return visit. We stayed at a Travelodge the night before so we had plenty of time to get ready and these photos were taken in the car park- just be glad we managed to keep the Little Chef out of shot! The wedding itself was lovely and the reception was at Highfield Hall, a beautiful manor house in North Wales. Weddings can be tricky things to dress for and I wanted something a little different to the dresses that I wore to my cousin's and my best friend's wedding so I dug out my trusty 'prom dress' instead. I felt really comfortable in this dress and I think that shows in the pictures. There's nothing better than an outfit that make you feel like you can take on the world and this is certainly mine!

I bought this clutch bag in a moment of minor panic last week but I couldn't have been more thrilled when it arrived. The colour is ace, it matches my shoes perfectly and best of all, it is absolutely massive! It also makes me feel pretty cool so it definitely gets bonus points for that! Orange is one of my favourite colours and it made this dress seem more Autumn appropriate...

I couldn't write this post without giving a shoutout to these wonderful shoes. They are so comfy and the colour makes them super fun to wear. I just wish Clarks did them in ever colour!

On 7th September, Mark and I headed down to Orchardleigh House in Frome to see our best friend get married. Cindy and I have been best friends for 12 years and it was so lovely to be a part of her and Dan's special day. She wanted her (abso-blooming-lutely beautiful) dress to be featured on the blog so here you go Cindy! ;)

The happy couple outside the church

Attack of the confetti

I loved Cindy's hair, isn't it pretty?

Driving back to the house as husband and wife! I love how orange the car was, it matched the bright colours in the bouquets and buttonholes...

The wedding was held at Orchardleigh House in Frome- isn't it beautiful? We had such lovely weather and the house looked stunning, this is the back of it so you can imagine how fancy the front looked! We had the entire place to ourselves so it was like a very stylish house party :)

Me and my best friend Sophie all dressed up. This was the other of my two wedding outfits  and is another Coast  bargain, I just love the print so much!

A rare photo featuring Mark AND me!

And an even rarer one of all of us together as a group! Here's Chris, Sophie, Oli, Oli, me, Mike, Mark and Pete looking snazzy! We have all been friends for years and it was so lovely to be able to dance, eat and sing our hearts out :)

'My dress has pockets!'

The table decorations were beautiful. I was lucky enough to be able to take a vase filled with flowers home as I did a reading as part of the service. You can also see a bottle of some very good red wine...

Pretty party favours!

The food was delicious and we had champagne and canapes on the terrace (snazzy) before heading in for a 3 course meal. I ate my smoked salmon before Mark could take a picture but this was our main, beef stroganoff with rice...

Yummy puddings- chocolate torte, strawberry tart and sticky toffee pudding...

I love this picture that Mark took during the speeches, that really is the look of love, Congratulations guys! It was such a lovely day, I still had aching legs from dancing and an aching tummy from laughing so much a few days latwr- definitely the sign of a good day! We also got the chance to visit the Cosy Club in Bath on the Monday too, there were a few hangovers around that table! ;) 

A couple of weeks ago, my cousin got married at Ansty Hall and Mark and I were invited to the ceremony. The location was absolutely beautiful and the ceremony was lovely, very relaxed but very moving. I am a complete sap when it comes to weddings, I always get all over-emotional and end up crying. I dread to think what I will be like at my best friend's wedding in a couple of weeks! I managed to find this gorgeous Coast dress in my size on ASOS and I was absolutely thrilled. The colour is right up my street and I love the top too. Thanks to my pasty porcelain complexion, it looks like it is strapless, but without any of the faff or hoisting that a strapless dress requires! ;) I did have a pashmina type shawl with me too but I'm not sure what had happened to it in these photos!

I managed to get my hair cut the day before the wedding by my awesome hairdresser (go and see Thomika at Blushes in Cheltenham for the best haircut around!) and my blow dry managed to stay intact until the next day- result! I had such a faff trying to find a fascinator in the right colour but struck lucky in the Accessorize sale a couple of days before the wedding. The tendrilly bits were a bit annoying but the colour was a perfect match in the end!

The detailing on the dress was absolutely beautiful. I love the pleating on the bodice and the lace panels really give it that something extra special (can you tell I love this dress yet?!) These shoes were a bargain from New Look and matched my bag perfectly. I used to wear a lot of New Look clothes and shoes but other than this pair, I haven't been that impressed with their shoes recently. Is it me or do they just feel really cheap?

Gratuitous soppy couple photo, doesn't Mark look cute in his suit? ♥