What’s my role in all of this?
I sometimes wonder..

I was told I could set the date, so I did, only to be told 24 hours later that it ‘might clash’ with another wedding. Really? Might?
But I want a June wedding!
I was gutted.
Then I had my first sense of what this might be like going forward…
Luckily, its been good. So far.
Few date dramas, bit of guest list trouble, but nothing she hasn’t been able to sort out!

Q. “What kind of wedding do you want?”
A. Well, fun, family, friends… stress-free please. It surely couldn’t be more stressful than ignoring the hints about getting married for 6 months before I proposed.

Q. “How has it been so far?”
A. Great. Ok, we haven’t planned much yet- does that count? I wrote a guest list, well she put my mates names into the list on her phone, then changed them a bit. I haven’t seen the list since.

Q. “Who’s your Bestman?”
A. Erm, I don’t know. Its not a question of picking one, but do I need one?
Charlotte; OMG. That’s hilarious. Are you serious?
Rob; Maybe I need people, but picking a best one? Just one?

Q. “What kind of stag do would you like?”
A. Um, maybe go somewhere for a long weekend? Really, I just want to spend time with my friends. We don’t all get to be in the same place often so it would be nice to do more than one night together & have some fun. Bust some moves for sure!

Q. “What are looking looking forward to the most?”
A. I’ll enjoy the day.I know most of the plans so far & its going to be great. I want to have a party & celebrate! I can’t wait to see her in her dress looking amazing. Dancing together will be great. We always have a fun time dancing. I hope she wears the right shoes for it…

Q. “What else are you excited about?”
A. The honeymoon, getting away together & relaxing with no iphones, emails or twitter! I will have her attention at last! You don’t know how lucky you all are to have the future Mrs Rob in your day.

A word to the wise. When asked, give your opinion, but don’t be offended if it doesn’t count. Its the ’showing support & interest’ that matters….

Rob.
(AKA Half-job Rob)

Hello Monday!

Ok, so it the start of a very special week! My wedding week! Hurrah!

We have a very special post today – from Matthew – Emma’s Groom! We don’t feel there is enough groom’s thoughts out there – so here we go! And if you like it, we will make it a regular! Without further ado – the groom speaks…

The Groom Speaks

I once heard an old Jewish joke that goes something like:

Q- How do you make God laugh?

A- Tell him your plans.

My version of this joke might be:

Q- How do you make your fiancée, her parents and your parents laugh?

A- Tell them your wedding plans.

All those many months ago when the preparations first began I tried to get involved and offer ideas.  However, within in a few days I realised that my ideas didn’t quite seem to fit in with anybody else’s vision.  Within a month I was completely silent when it came to deciding on pretty much anything.

Now, before this starts to sound like a tale of woe, let me assure you dear reader that this is exactly the way I wanted it to be.

The fact is for me this wedding is extremely simple.  Get married then have a party.  For the Bride it’s about a whole lot more than that…

Bridesmaids dresses, décor, guest lists, shoes, bridesmaids dresses, bridesmaids dresses, f***ing BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES, the car, the music, the confetti, the politics, the venue, the colour scheme, the napkins, the hymns, the flowers, the bunting, the colour of the ties, the cut of the suits, the timing, the cheese, the bridesmaids dresses, the table plan, the favours, the programme, the lighting, the bridesmaids and, Oh, did I mention the bridesmaids dresses?

On not one of these things did I have any involvement whatsoever in the decision-making processes and that is just fine by me.  Sure, maybe a token colour swatch was waved in front of my face for my “approval” but, really, I was simply there to confirm a decision that had already been made, not to offer any kind of serious input.

You see, if I’d been organising and making decisions on this wedding I would be standing at the altar dressed as Willy Wonka with my groomsmen around me dressed as Umpla Lupas (I’m not joking).  The reception would be an open Facebook event and we’d probably all be eating crisps and Super Noodles for the wedding breakfast.

Emma, our parents and even God may have laughed at my plans but I have learnt that sometimes that’s for the best.

Matthew

(PS from Emma; Bridesmaids dresses are important Matthew!)

Hello Sunday, how I love thee!

I am at my Mama and Pops house this weekend up in the sunny West Midlands, having a fun old time with my hairdresser Stuart! As I told you in my earlier posts, I am the luckiest girl ever because Stuart is coming all the way from the West Mids to the wedding to do my hair, in manner of J-Lo, Madonna or other such diva. Stuart has done my hair forever and I can’t imagine anyone else doing it. Yay to that.

So on Thursday night I decided that having put it off for what seems like years, I was off to Oxford Street to get Matt and the other boys ties. It’s late night shopping on a Thursday so I thought it would be nice and quiet.

I was wrong.

I turned up and it was carnage. There were surging crowds everywhere. I walked the length of Oxford Street looking for ‘the one’. I went everywhere. The more I walked the more people there were. It didn’t help I was having a ‘bridal rage day’. A ‘bridal rage day’ is a day where I wake up and look at myself and get an attack of the self loathing. All girls get it, but when you are getting married, it magnifies by ten fold as you examine every part of yourself and convince yourself that as you walk down the aisle, everyone will see your cellulite/pale skin/eye bags/funny eyebrows from plucking after wine/cankles/short nails (the list goes on, delete or add as necessary).

It didn’t help I was wearing the tightest jeans known to man and it was REALLY hot. And after one lap, my feet had swollen up like little trotters cantering down the street. I did not realise, but it was the first day of the summer sale. Good timing.

I FOUND NO TIES.

I am now in a massive panic as with 5 weeks to go I cannot find one I like (yes yes, I realise how dramatic and silly this sounds but I am being honest and I know other brides will understand)!

So, following on from the volcano song success, I have penned a ‘Tie song’ for everyone to sing in unison and chant to the great clothes God in the sky in the hope I find one!

Without further ado, here are the lyrics (sang to the theme of Bonnie Tylers, I Need a Hero)…

Where have all the good ties gone, and where are all the shirts?
Where’s the super candy stripes that will look pretty with my skirt?
Isn’t there a striped tie, in which I can believe?
Late at night I toss and turn and I dream of what I need…..

I need a neck tie, I’m holding out for neck tie ’till the end of the night
It’s gotta be cool and it’s gotta be pastel
And it’s gotta look good all the night
I need a neck tie, I’m holding out for a neck tie ’till the morning light
Its gotta be sure and it’s gotta be soon
And its gotta be larger than life, larger than life

Somewhere after shopping, in my wildest fantasy
Somewhere just beyond my reach
There’s a neck tie reaching back for me
Please show me the silk style that’s good enough to eat
It’s gonna take a super tie to sweep me off my feet….

Oooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh

Repeat Chorus to fade…

Sing it loud people. Sing it proud. Find me a tie (thanks to Bonnie Tyler)!

Love
Emma xxxx

Morning!

With such a positive response to the men’s products we bought to you last month, here’s more!
Firstly, some men’s products for your consideration as voted in the 10 best by the Daily Mail. Whatever you might think of the source… my man tried each for a week so we could get his verdict!
He wants to look good too.

LAB Series MAX LS Age-less Face Cream

“This intense perker-upper freshens and revives weathered skin to give it a youthful glow. Low on stickiness, high on radiance.”
Price: £45 for 50ml
Labseriesformen.co.uk

Rob’s verdict; light product but not keen on the texture its a bit like a gel but smelt great. I noticed a change in my skin after a week. It was smoother for sure.

Molton Brown Skin-firm Hydrator

“A little goes a long way with this lightweight, discreet-smelling hydrating cream. It’s easily absorbed and leaves skin feeling smooth”
Price: £35 for 50ml
Moltonbrown.co.uk

Rob’s Verdict; I have been using this for a week now & I like the lightweight of this product. My skin feels more hydrated.
Really nice product. I am a keen fan of Molton Brown so its good to know they are catering for a variety of men’s needs.
Not sure if I look younger yet!

And for the ladies.

I have recently been using L’Occitane Shea Butter Shampoo/ Shea Butter conditioner, as recommended by my fabulous friend, Miss Adams.

I’m really loving the glossy thick feel to my hair.
Its even tamed some frizz!
Ok, it comes at a price, but well worth it for your wedding hair prep!
For discount codes, click here.

Another good’un for the Brides!

This next one might not be super dooper fabulous, but is worth a mention becasue its keeping my hands ‘wedding-photo-fabulous’.
They may look wrinkly. but not a dry patch or flake in sight!

Thanks to Vaseline Healthy Hands & Nails; softening..

Think we should try a fab product you recommend?

Flick flick
Charlotte x

Hello Monday (why come round so fast!)!

I hope you all had a lovely sunshine filled weekend – I did, and it was wedding-a-rama as I head into the last 6 weeks (arrrrrrghhh) of wedding prep!

So, Sunday is Father’s Day! Hurray! So in true Electric Wedding fashion we have hunted down the best wedding related pressies for you Daddy! And we did not have to look much further than Yarwood White (who save my life every time), for these fabulous little numbers……

These gorgeous cufflinks will send you Dad down the aisle in style… they are made from sterling silver and pearl and cost a very reasonable £60.

Now, not that we are trying to make these a present for us or anything (hee hee) -we also found out you can also match them into your colour scheme (he doesn’t need to know that)! A voila…

We think they make the perfect pressie to spoil your Papa – hope you like them too! Thank you Yarwood White for being so pretty!

Love
Emmaxx

Let me start by thanking you all so much for your emails! Its great to know what you are concerned about & the things you’d like more tips on.
Men’s products is ringing clear on your messages so…
Today, I deliver the first hit…

I appreciate its not much of a man’s thing to trawl wedding blogs for tips.. I sense many of you, like myself, need to guide him a little (or in some cases, alot) with this. Especially when you know like I do… he’s a bit vain but mis-guided or uninformed!
So here’s something you can tell him about in preperation for the Big Day.

Pukker Up lover-boy!

Lips by Molton Brown
Protecting Vitamin Lipsaver
Images copyright of Molton Brown
“With honey, beeswax and vitamin E to keep your lips looking and feeling conditioned, whatever the weather. This guards against the dehydrating ravages of the sun, wind and air conditioning and is designed to fit into the lifestyle of frequent travellers”

Sounds good to me! Another plus point about this product is that is not glossy.
its in a small handy tube & doesn’t have a strong scent either.
This lipsaver is only £10 too, which for super soft kissable lips, isn’t too bad? You can pop in to Molton Brown & test it out for yourselves. Let me know what you think!

Hair by Molton Brown
Images copyright of Molton Brown

“Our purifying plum-kadu hairwash removes the abuses of modern city life including excess oil build up, pollution and general environmental damage. The hairwash leaves hair cleansed, refreshed and delicately fragranced”

Sounds good, but a fingers through the hair test is what’s needed ladies!

This also smells great- I did a personal check. They also do matching conditioners which are not too greasy.

Now onto a precious part of the wedding pics… his face.

For a man, something as simple as using face wash & moisturiser can make a big difference. Its also key to get the right products for your skin. This is where clinique comes up trumps! They have skin specialists at every counter & can easily recommend the simpliest of products. Here’s some to consider.
Face by Clinique
M-Lotion (Normal to Dry skin) & Extra Strength Face wash (Normal to Oily skin)

They have a huge range of men’s products, so don’t think you are limited to just a few! Anything from blemishes to scrubs & oil contol.

I truly hope he likes these! I have more to share soon, I’m still investigating…

Do you have any recommendations for our Grooms? Please share!

He’s lush, truly.
Charlotte xx

Soooo many of you have been writing in to tell me that you are having recession-crippled wedding budgets & are dispairing at saving & not being able to treat yourselves.
You are all right, its for the greater good.
But, its now possible to take it easier on yourselves!

We don’t all like spending out on pampering ourselves, though we desperately want to & let’s face it, we need to feel prepped & glowing for The Day!
Now, I have something that will raise the eyebrow.

If you haven’t stumbled across this amazing website already, now you have.
My City Deals.

Both me & my man love this site & all the things we can now do to treat ourselves & each other! Daily.
I’m not telling you more. Just check it out.

But do bare in mind your hen & stag do’s….

Deal Time,
Charlotte xx

Gifts.
A great side-effect of your engagement and an equally great start to your honeymoon.
I just wanted to share with you my ultimate gifts and they are completely my personal recommendations.
If in doubt, Molton Brown.

All images copyright of Molton Brown

Enagagements, weddings, moving home, birthday, Christmas, Molton Brown have it covered. Not to mention… something for the honeymoon!
Bride, Groom & Married…

And in my somewhat penny-pinching opinion, I think they are great gifts at a reasonable price.
Here’s some of my favourites for you to enjoy.
Wilde Fairy Fleur
The new range & for me, a must have hand wash & lotion decanter! Its white china with a light green pattern on the top- gorgeous. Add the White Mulberry Hand wash & Lotion, simply perfect.
The new Wilde Fairy Fleur Body Wash & Lotion is Molton Brown at its best.

Some more of my personal Favourites! What are yours?

Here’s some products I will be indulging in- before, during & after my Big Day!
Heavenly Gingerlily Body shimmer & body oil. If you haven’t smelt this, get down to Molton Brown.

And for some great beauty sleep…

These products are available in all main department stores! So why not add a few to your gift list? Great items for your new home, honeymoon or to simply pamper yourselves! They also do a fabulous men’s range, so you can been seen to be fair…

Sign up to thier site to get some great deals emailed to you, plus they do some lovely events too. I went to one last December in the Regent Street store… glass of champers, nibbles & testers. Lush.
And totally free!

If you pop in, you must must have a sniff of the Heavenly Gingerlily Range.
Oh. My. Favourite.
Thank-you to my big sis for introducing me to Molton Brown, may I never be short of a gift idea again.

Heavenly.
Charlotte xx