cluck cluck

It's my Hen weekend!

I have no idea what's ahead. My only stipulation was that we stay in London (getting everyone to come out to Italy is a big enough ask), there is little chance of bruising and, at some point, we're dancing.

I've taking the day off tomorrow to potter about; pick up our wedding rings; tidy the house - and myself - up a bit (I'm thinking bright orange toe nails - what do you recon?)

Then I'm having dinner with my old uni friends, some of whom have come quite far for the weekend, and popping out to see a friend's band.

Saturday - I have no idea.
Sixteen of my friends and siblings are meeting up to do .... something.
I'm a flutter with anticipation.
However, as my very bestest friend has organised it, and she knows me so well, I'm pretty sure it won't be too embarrassing or strenuous!
Just good fun with my favourite ladies.

Yeay!

[a little selection of my favourite ladies]

Hunting for Dresses part trois

(Three is the magic number!)

So the story so far - after a fairly thorough search (see here) I finally found the perfect dress (see here.)*

But I am not the only one in need of frock .. I have an entourage and they need to look fabulous too!

Of all the decisions I have had to make, I never, ever, thought for a moment that this one would be the most difficult. Why on earth was it so difficult? My bridesmaids (sisters three) were pretty easy going about it, and they are all between a size 8 and 10 and would look good in a bin bag. The problem was me - I just couldn't make up my mind what sort of look we should go for. I fell in love with every idea I came across (I read too many blogs - that may be the problem.)

Back in the early days (a year ago now - eek!) I was pretty sure I didn't want them in matching block colour. I think mainly because I was (still am) resisting having a "wedding colour".

Then I was quite taken by the idea of Liberty print dresses.

Then I got my dress and wondered how much the girls' dresses needed to go with mine ... (answer, obviously: they don't)

Then I saw this picture and thought - I want them in a white or cream dresses of their own choice. How lovely and original!

[via once wed - so cute huh? by the way how lovely are the flowers?]

Then I found this collection of dresses all available at Portobello so it was off to the market. Possibly a bit optimistically since it was about 2c and trying on dresses in outdoor market stalls wasn't the funnest.

You see what a nightmare I've been? And my stoic sisters stand shivering in the cold hoping I'll make a bloody decision.

Nope.

We went to defrost in the Westfield (big mall, conveniently near) and thought we might as well have a quick peek in the bridesmaid staples that are Coast, Hobbs and LK Bennet. The latter had a couple of very pretty floaty little numbers. The sisters three tried them on and smiled.

"We like us being all matching" they chorused "We all feel pretty and just like bridesmaids" (well maybe a bit less Madeline) and the lovely lady in the shop who gave us bubbly and cups of tea said "I can give you a discount."

I wish I could say that was that. But is wasn't. For the next two months I vacillated. I thought about these dresses from Fenwicks (wouldn't they look nice in three different colours?)

[taken with my phone - apologies for quality]

but then they weren't really that nice on.

I went to a fabric shop with Mama and she offered to make the dresses**. Great idea - but then what style?

[from sewdirect - i love this website!]

More emails.

Two of the three are deep in their studies by this point. I would want to kill me.

Then last week Nick and I were back in the Westfield (we were buying maps) and we passed LK Bennet.

"Look Nick - that's the dress the sisters three quite liked and I didn't get."

"Show me"

So I tried it on for him and even held two more on hangers next to me so he could image the three of them together.

"And they liked them?"

"Yes. They said they felt pretty"

"and what don't you like about them?"

"umm - they are all matching and they are from an obvious shop"

"so you wanted to be more original?"

"um, yes"

"don't you think the sisters three have pretty individual styles and will make these lovely dresses look original anyway?"

"well, yes ..."

"the dress is gorgeous - get three now and make everyone happy"

Damn - I so should have brought him along ages ago.

So I slightly sheepishly asked the lovely manager (she really was very lovely) if could still have that discount. And now we have three of this dress and everyone has sighed a huge sigh of relief.

Hooray! - now what can I be a right pain about next ....

PS - I would like to thank the sisters three for lots of things but especially for their patience with this. Also - I actually only have two sisters, one is a doctor and the other is setting up her own business. The third is my sister-in-law-to-be who is doing her finals at Oxford a fortnight before the wedding. Saints I tell you!

*Well actually you don't get to "see here" because I'm not showing it anyone until the day. I'm crap at keeping secrets and very much want to show everyone but just this once I'm going to try.

** she really is that handy and has made our flowergirl's dresses in a jiffy including smocking them. Amazing. However, making dresses, if you choose nice fabric, is actually not at all cheaper than buying them off the rack. Ironic but sadly true.

Friends (virtual and real!)

A very quick post before I go off to Barcelona on a weekend break with six girlfriends (including my future maids of honour and little sister). Very excited as I've never been and everyone says such great things about the place. Most excited though about spending time with my best peeps - we don't see each other enough!

Also a very quick but big big thank you to Anna of Anna and the Ring - my new virtual friend! - who very kindly bestowed upon me a lovely blog award. How sweet! Makes me feel guilty though for updating the blog so sporadically!

So the rules are:
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to 10 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.

Well - these are some of my favourites:

the beautifully sane and first port of call in crazy wedding planning moments
A Practical Wedding

My first blog love
Absolutely Beautiful Things

Ever cool and amusing
Gangsta Bride

Beautiful and delicious
Lobster and Swan

Can't wait to read more of her wonderful words
Mother and Bride

Brilliant - my new favourite
Oola Moola

An inspiration and doing the deed TOMORROW - all the best Peacocks!
Peacock Feathers and Diamond Rings

Love love love - and so talented
Peonies and Polaroids

I'm addicted to her words, pictures and music and also one of my first blog loves:
Pia Jane Bijkerk

Love her style:
Soul Pretty

So you see - not too bride heavy, but all very very inspiring and a havens from the crazy world. Keep doing what you do!

Back in Blog

Good golly, over a month’s hiatus from blogging – hmm, not very committed or dedicated of me! I do have some excuses though.

Foremost of these is that I have been feeling a bit disconnected from the whole wedding planning thing. We had a big rush of excitement with the engagement and then the trip to Italy and the plan coming together and then ... not much! I read blogs and save some pictures of things we might like but somehow it seems so far off and unreal. Kindly people ask, with an expectant smile, how the wedding plans are coming along and I haven’t really much to say other than “great!” which is probably as much as most people want to hear anyway.

The other excuse is that I got burned – and not in a metaphorical way but in a right-arm-looking-like-giant-bubble-wrap way. Eeeek!
I was of course very brave about the whole thing (!?) but it did make me feel ugly and scratchy and a bit miserable as well as very stupid for letting it happen in the first place.
However, as the saying goes, every cloud has its silver lining or rather, in this case, a flowery one. I decided that as essential to the healing process as antiseptic pain relief cream were also some beautiful scarves to cover my bandages. Liberty’s was just across the road and has a bin full of hankies for about £6 each on the haberdashery floor. So, relishing the excuse to go into one of my favourite places in London, I treated myself to some beautiful cotton handkerchiefs in their lovely prints – so joyful and spring like and just what the doctor [should have] ordered!

And this is how I convinced myself that our bridesmaids would look lovely Liberty print sundress – now I just need to convince them!

[click for full image]