Leaning A Little To The Left

While lurking over at Cakes and Bunting, I came across http://www.theanycampaign.co.uk/ - a petition set up to allow weddings to take place outdoors. If you've ever drooled over American wedding blogs where people celebrate their nuptials overlooking beautiful landscapes, on the beach, or in their parents' back gardens, then you'll understand!

(source)


Please head over there and sign the petition - and while you're at it, go and visit Claire's blog!

Wandering

Today, I am guest posting for the lovely Fliss over at Any Other Wedding. If you haven't discovered this blog yet, do go and check it out - Fliss and Aisling discuss all things wedding, from a real-girl perspective!

Today's pic - one of my favourites from a solo-travelling sesh through Spain, France and Italy back in 2005. Cinque Terre is a beautiful area on the south coast at the top bit of the boot that is Italy. It was full of the most beautiful multi-coloured houses on the hillside, and this is the first time I thought "ooh, wouldn't it be cool to be able to take photographs?"

Ivory Brollies, Anyone?

According to legend, if it rains on St Swithin's Day, it will rain for the next forty days. This isn't just a folklore thing - there are scientific reasons that explain the superstition. Apparently, the position of the jet stream at this time of year means that weather suddenly becomes completely consistent for the next month or so. As I stare outside at the dreary, grey clouds, I have to remind myself of this gorgeous wedding and how fabulous those mean ol' clouds look.

Yes, the bottom of my perfect dress is likely to get muddy, and yes, we may be lumbered with a load of supposed-to-be-giant-but-actually-just-slightly-larger-than-usual games that haven't even been used, but sod it, we'll maintain that stiff upper lip and have a great time anyway. We are British after all - we've seen worse weather!

Socks

I've been having cold feet. As the dust of planning settles, and everything falls into place, I've had time to think - to freak out a bit, and to realise the things that will never be. I'm never going to date a pop star; volunteer with the Red Cross; or be an FHM High Street Honey. Well, yeah, those things were probably never going to be anyway, but you know what I mean.

I did Economics GCSE, and we learnt about opportunity cost. Every choice we make means a road that we didn't take - something we missed out on. But, you know what? Every time I feel this happy, safe and loved, I realise that those choices are exactly what got me to this place, and I wouldn't change a thing. The opportunity cost is negligible.

In one month and one hour, I will be walking down the aisle, on the arm of my new husband, and the road I won't be taking will be far from my mind. Just thinking about the possibilities that lie ahead, and my best friend at my side warms my feet up no end.

Photography Gripes and Seeing Results!

One of my blogger faves - Nodakademic - posted this very informative post about what it's like to photograph a wedding.  Rather than totally hijack her post with my thoughts-in-general about the world of wedding photography, I thought I'd share over here!

Having watched our photographer in action at a wedding recently, I have no doubt that it's a physically and emotionally tiring job. He was wearing a pair of North Face-type shoes, which my fiancé (his friend) commented were rather scruffy for a wedding, until he started leaping almost ninja-like from rock, to bench, to bit of ruined castle, all to get the perfect shot, without getting in the way of anyone.

The niggle that I do have about wedding photography is why photographers aren't more straightforward with their charging methods. When someone quotes me £1500 for a fancy album that I don't want, or £3000 for the jpegs as they don't want the quality of their work to be compromised by cheap printing or online sharing, it's hard not to be really confused about what exactly the role of a wedding photographer is.

Our wedding is not a piece of art, it's a day from which we'd like visual mementoes, and we don't want to have to rely on friends/family members (like we would at a regular party) to give up their party time - so we hire a photographer. We want them to have photography skills, an inquisitive nature, and a keen eye for detail.

That's where the first issue arises - with the increased popularity of recreational photography, there are more and more alleged professionals popping up with no more skill than I have with a camera.

While the improved accessibility is wonderful, and competition is healthy, the fact that these lower-skilled photographers are charging as much as the good ones is just not on. We, the laymen, are not always equipt to make the best decision regarding photography - we may naively fall in love with the details of a wedding and confuse that with good photography; a good-looking couple can also sway us; and the number of photographers peddling tales of celebrity clients is amazing. I know it's all a case of caveat emptor, but the accountant in me is just crying out for industry regulation!

My dream photographer? Someone who says "I'm going to be with you for X hours; travelling for Y hours; processing for Z hours. My hourly rate for onsite work is £A; my hourly rate for travelling is £B and my hourly rate for processing work is £C." They then charge for products at cost plus mark-up, like a regular business does.

I'd be happy to pay a handsome hourly rate to get exactly what I want - nothing more, nothing less. Good photography is a great skill, and it should be rewarded - but an industry where there is such emotion attached - it is rare to hear a bride confess that the photographer had been "just ok" - and where repeat custom is almost non-existent, I'm not sure that fair rewards are being paid.

I'm currently in negotiations with a boudoir photography company (I shall report more later!) who charged £50 for an hour-long shoot including five minutes with a make-up artist, and one 5" by 7" print. The next level up is four 5" by 7" prints, for £250! Not only were there not four that I *loved*, but this is a gift for the groom - but having already bought him a beautiful watch, I'm really not planning on spending even more. We've got a wedding to pay for, after all! 

I offered them a further £75 for a second print - there are two that I love - but they declined, saying that they felt their packages provided good value. Um... Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't buying more than you want kind of go against the principles of good value? Sort of why I'm not allowed to fill my trolley with the 10p-a-punnet tomatoes that are just about to go off. 

So, I'm just sticking with one photo. For the cost they have incurred providing the photographer and the make-up artist, not to mention the overheads -  a pretty studio; hefty marketing; two reception staff - they are reaping a total of £50, simply because they didn't want to compromise. And for the baby bump picture I was planning in the future? I'll be looking elsewhere.

Couldn't just leave you without sharing a pic of my super-slummy lunch! Half a vegetarian lasagne from Sainsbury's; brussels sprouts and spring greens, all on a tasty corn tortilla with lashings of extra virgin olive oil. 

Here's a little story about EVOO, as the food bloggers call it: some time ago, I read an article in goodness-only-knows-what magazine, but a chef who said that you should never use EVOO for cooking, because it loses its flavour - only ever for dressings and such. It was one of those things like saying "hippopotami" or naming your child after a celebrity - people do it to appear refined, but actually show themselves to be less so than if they hadn't tried in the first place. Well... Ha! Mr Snooty Chef. Call me unrefined, but I think that EVOO tastes delicious when used in cooking, and I definitely notice that it tastes fruitier than normal olive oil.

As a result of this discovery, I have decided that any calories I have left over at the end of the day (according to my beloved MyNetDiary app) will be used in a big ol' drizzle of olive oil in my supper. It makes even the diet-iest of meals taste like a treat - and the presence of good fats means that my body isn't going to freak out that I'm eating less and exercising more.

So... I should probably share some of my results thus far - 

Whoop! The dotty line is what the scales say; the solid line is the TrueWeight smoothing out. And... The dress is fully zipping up!! Relief. Now I can just get back to slow and steady health-improvement.

As an aside - I apologise if anyone felt that my use of actual monetary figures was a little crass - I just felt that quantities were necessary to make the illustration. x

Ack... The Dress, and The Final Hour

So... I tried on the dress on Saturday, and it's about an inch away from doing up. Oh the horror! 54 days to go, and let's be serious - I've kind of known about this day for almost 18-months, now. *Sigh*

Sometimes I think that maybe I just prefer myself cuddly, but I know that's not true - when I got down to a still-considered-obese-by-the-health-industry 12 stone after a week in hospital last summer, I loved how slim I felt! So, the military "get Becca into her dress" operation has been stepped up a notch. I have officially sworn off alcohol for the next fortnight, and the gym sessions are going to have to be longer!

Yummy lentils, spring onions, red peppers and apple balsamic vinaigrette for supper last night!

The Wonderful World of Wedding Blogs

We are in the thick of planning our wedding for August this year - terrifying how quickly it's sneaking up! - and the most useful tool throughout the process has been wedding blogs. In a world where publishers put out one magazine every two months for £5 a pop and more than half-fill them with adverts, the online community hits back and produces something, frankly better!

I stumbled upon this inspiring and heart-warming post on one of my favourite wedding blogs, Love My Dress and thought I'd share some of the sites (and their posts!) that are helping us make our wedding everything we dreamt it would be!

Savvy Chic Weddings - Becca in Wonderland

My dear friend, Steph was kind enough to put together a mood board for me on her wedding blog, which features all the style and sophistication of New England, along with so many excellent tips and hints on how to plan your big day!

Rock My Wedding - Sponsor... Liberty in Love Accessory Boutique

I have been searching high and low for the perfect necklace to complement my gorgeous, low-backed dress, and everything I found was just too flimsy or - let's face it - a little too Ivanka Trump's wedding budget rather than mine! Rock My Wedding introduced me to the gorgeous Liberty in Love website, where I fell head-over-heels for the Hayworth Vintage Necklace *sigh*.


Style Me Pretty

The Big Daddy of all wedding blogs, this American blog has inspiration in buckets - fully searchable, and oh-so-stylish. I couldn't possibly isolate one article, so I've just linked to the lovely Abby's page.


Happy reading!!

Look Away Now, Patrick!!

... because I am so buying these for his w-day present. How perfect for a poker addict and an Alice in Wonderland-themed wedding?

From Etsy seller, Crimson King

Etsy Gorgeousness 14 May

I'm particularly obsessed with the handmade/vintage site, Etsy, and have decided that so many of my Becca Loves would end up linking back to this heavenly place, that I'm just going to bite the bullet and make it a regular feature.

Here are a couple of beauties that caught my eye this week.

Antique Bronze Metal Keys from craftisland



Craft Island is based in Canada, and features so many beautiful charms and chains for crafters. These beautiful key charms would be a perfect detail for our Alice in Wonderland-themed wedding this August!

breathecontemplation collection from banished



Maybe I'm channelling Neil Patrick Harris, but I adore these motivational words that are cropping up in interior design across the world. These pieces made by Scott Snyder in Wisconsin are so inspiring - I feel like I should carry this one in my handbag at times!

Disney Little Golden Books by feathermar


Carrying on down the rabbit hole... My mental wishlist is full of these Little Golden Books. I was such a little bookworm as a child, and it is 100% down to my lovely Mum, who managed to read with me every day, as well as working a full-time office job and picking up after my house-proud-yet-domestically-challenged Dad!

Heather also sells the most heavenly baby tees that she has appliquéed herself.

Please do check out these items and others at Etsy.