Sunglasses Shop Win!

Tuesday 30 August 2016

So about a week ago I was posting about my win in the Plus Equals instagram competition, and my lucky streak continues! Today I'm sharing my recent win of a blog competition ran by Nerd About Town and The Sunglasses Shop. Nerd About Town is one of my absolute favourite blogs, so if you don't follow Steph on her blog and social media, you need to correct that ASAP!


My prize? A pair of Ray-Ban wayfarers! I've never owned a proper 'designer' pair of sunglasses, so I was really excited. I got to pick the chunkiness of the frames, and opted for the thickest they have. I'm a tall person, so bigger sunglasses generally work better for my face.


They came in a cardboard Ray-Bans case, and inside was an official case, lens cleaner and the sunglasses themselves, all beautifully packaged and sent direct from The Sunglasses Shop.


They are made of a really thick, heavy plastic, really making them feel expensive. Compared to other plastic frames I've owned, these weigh a ton! The Ray-Ban branding is on the arms, and in two spots on the front of the frames.


Can you see the subtle RB? It's barely noticeable, but definitely there. I'd never seen a real pair of Ray-Bans in the flesh, but I guess this is one of the ways you spot a legit pair.


From my googling, the case seems to be faux leather but I can't be entirely sure. If it is leather, I wouldn't use it and would give it to Stu. However, he has other plans....


Mostly in the way of stealing the sunglasses themselves! He's a bit of a sunglasses collector and as soon as I told him I'd won these he wanted them. They aren't the best fit for me, because they are so weighty it'll irritate my chronic headaches. They fit Stu far better than they fit me. I used to work in optics, and I wouldn't have bought these for myself because when I smile my cheeks touch the bottom of the frames. This shouldn't happen in sunglasses that fit you well.

These are lush, and have most certainly been thoroughly claimed! I've been so lucky lately with winning prizes, but you've got to enter to win!

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

A Cloudy OOTD : Plus Equals Win!

Sunglasses Shop Win!

Tuesday 30 August 2016

So about a week ago I was posting about my win in the Plus Equals instagram competition, and my lucky streak continues! Today I'm sharing my recent win of a blog competition ran by Nerd About Town and The Sunglasses Shop. Nerd About Town is one of my absolute favourite blogs, so if you don't follow Steph on her blog and social media, you need to correct that ASAP!


My prize? A pair of Ray-Ban wayfarers! I've never owned a proper 'designer' pair of sunglasses, so I was really excited. I got to pick the chunkiness of the frames, and opted for the thickest they have. I'm a tall person, so bigger sunglasses generally work better for my face.


They came in a cardboard Ray-Bans case, and inside was an official case, lens cleaner and the sunglasses themselves, all beautifully packaged and sent direct from The Sunglasses Shop.


They are made of a really thick, heavy plastic, really making them feel expensive. Compared to other plastic frames I've owned, these weigh a ton! The Ray-Ban branding is on the arms, and in two spots on the front of the frames.


Can you see the subtle RB? It's barely noticeable, but definitely there. I'd never seen a real pair of Ray-Bans in the flesh, but I guess this is one of the ways you spot a legit pair.


From my googling, the case seems to be faux leather but I can't be entirely sure. If it is leather, I wouldn't use it and would give it to Stu. However, he has other plans....


Mostly in the way of stealing the sunglasses themselves! He's a bit of a sunglasses collector and as soon as I told him I'd won these he wanted them. They aren't the best fit for me, because they are so weighty it'll irritate my chronic headaches. They fit Stu far better than they fit me. I used to work in optics, and I wouldn't have bought these for myself because when I smile my cheeks touch the bottom of the frames. This shouldn't happen in sunglasses that fit you well.

These are lush, and have most certainly been thoroughly claimed! I've been so lucky lately with winning prizes, but you've got to enter to win!

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

A Cloudy OOTD : Plus Equals Win!

A Cloudy OOTD

Sunday 28 August 2016

I've written before about my love of CowCow, they make really cute stretch dresses in fantastic and ridiculous prints. I've got 3 now, the one in this post, a tiger print dress, and a dinosaur print. This dress is the first true skater style dress I've gotten from them and it's definitely my favourite.


How cute is that pink cloud print? They aren't a flat colour and instead have a variety of shades of pink and purple to give them depth. It's so damn adorable and has quickly become a wardrobe favourite for me. I love the length of this dress, above the knee, but not so short I really worry about flashing my butt. For reference, I'm 5ft 11. I sized up in this dress, which is available in up to a 5XL as the others are so short, and I really didn't need to, it's a tad too big on the bust but it'll do me just fine.


I paired it with some old Evans sandals, and a New Look denim jacket I've cut the sleeves off and started to cover in pins. I have a denim jacket I've modified that does have the sleeves, but for those slightly warmer days this is ideal. I feel very rock and roll in it, which is always my aesthetic!


When buying from CowCow, the key things to bare in mind is that while all the dresses describe themselves as skater dresses, they aren't. If you want the style that flares out at the waist like I'm wearing, you need to pick the style shown on their website with the model holding the skirt section of the dress straight out from their waist at 90 degrees, not at 45 degrees. I prefer this style to the other style I have as it's longer on me.

I definitely plan on buying like, all the ridiculous and fun prints I can. I wished for years I could find a plus size stores that sold these sort of dresses and now I've found one I need to collect them all.

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

Plus Equals Win : Swimsuit Impossible

A Cloudy OOTD

Sunday 28 August 2016

I've written before about my love of CowCow, they make really cute stretch dresses in fantastic and ridiculous prints. I've got 3 now, the one in this post, a tiger print dress, and a dinosaur print. This dress is the first true skater style dress I've gotten from them and it's definitely my favourite.


How cute is that pink cloud print? They aren't a flat colour and instead have a variety of shades of pink and purple to give them depth. It's so damn adorable and has quickly become a wardrobe favourite for me. I love the length of this dress, above the knee, but not so short I really worry about flashing my butt. For reference, I'm 5ft 11. I sized up in this dress, which is available in up to a 5XL as the others are so short, and I really didn't need to, it's a tad too big on the bust but it'll do me just fine.


I paired it with some old Evans sandals, and a New Look denim jacket I've cut the sleeves off and started to cover in pins. I have a denim jacket I've modified that does have the sleeves, but for those slightly warmer days this is ideal. I feel very rock and roll in it, which is always my aesthetic!


When buying from CowCow, the key things to bare in mind is that while all the dresses describe themselves as skater dresses, they aren't. If you want the style that flares out at the waist like I'm wearing, you need to pick the style shown on their website with the model holding the skirt section of the dress straight out from their waist at 90 degrees, not at 45 degrees. I prefer this style to the other style I have as it's longer on me.

I definitely plan on buying like, all the ridiculous and fun prints I can. I wished for years I could find a plus size stores that sold these sort of dresses and now I've found one I need to collect them all.

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

Plus Equals Win : Swimsuit Impossible

A Morris-Wood Wedding : Alivya V Free

Thursday 25 August 2016

When one of your best friends is as ridiculously talented as Alivya V Free is, you have to make full use of her talents. She is an incredibly talented makeup artists, you can find her website here http://www.livfreemakeup.co.uk/ and she also makes the most incredible hair accessories under the name Liv Free Creations. I had several requests of Liv, I wanted her to do my hair and makeup for the wedding, to make me an incredible flower crown and veil... and to also be my bridesmaid! She had a huge amount to do on the day, and could not have been more help!


My flower crown was a mixture of purple flowers, along with some fake succulents to tie them in with the real flowers in the wedding. It was everything I could have dreamed of! I gave Liv free reign because I trust her implicitly, and I was so in love with the results. I wore it all day long, and as someone with chronic headaches and migraines, that says it all about how comfy it was.


We opted for purple tones in the makeup to tie in with the colours of the wedding. I'm also really partial as to how purples make my green eyes look. I wore my hair in a half up sort of style with long tendril curls, and extensions I dyed myself to thicken my hair out and add a bit more length. I wanted to be a mermaid!


Liv also did hair and makeup for herself, and Roswell Ivory, and my Mum's, so she had a really busy morning! She was a total pro and was so relaxed the whole time. Everyone was ready and perfect well in time for the ceremony.


My veil was made of soft tulle, that was also in my underskirt. Liv put silver glitter throughout so it sparkled gently, and it sat in my hair on a comb. Save for my standing on it, it did not budge! It looked so amazing draped down the back of my dress.


I didn't want a traditional veil that covered my face, whereas my Mum really wanted me to have one, but Liv made it so that I had the option of either so I could change my mind on the day even! 


My makeup did not budge throughout the day, and it was so warm. A touch up on lipstick was all that was needed. Liv made sure I had a little pot of the same colour in my handbag so I could touch it up whenever I needed it. My skin was absolutely flawless, which is really, really isn't!


Alivya was a total dream. To be able to book one of my best friends to be such a big part of my day, as well as be my bridesmaid, was such a pleasure. She made the whole day run smoothly, from doing all the things I'd booked her to do, to also lacing my corset, helping tie my shoe ribbons, and generally being a total star! Whenever someone needed help, Liv was there, going above and beyond. I cannot recommend her enough to be part of your wedding day. Liv is prepared to travel, so book her!


When we got our photos back, every pair of helping hands in every photo was Liv's. She did so much for us that we never even realised, I can't tell you how much I adore her.


Much love,
Kitty xxxx


A Morris-Wood Wedding : Alivya V Free

Thursday 25 August 2016

When one of your best friends is as ridiculously talented as Alivya V Free is, you have to make full use of her talents. She is an incredibly talented makeup artists, you can find her website here http://www.livfreemakeup.co.uk/ and she also makes the most incredible hair accessories under the name Liv Free Creations. I had several requests of Liv, I wanted her to do my hair and makeup for the wedding, to make me an incredible flower crown and veil... and to also be my bridesmaid! She had a huge amount to do on the day, and could not have been more help!


My flower crown was a mixture of purple flowers, along with some fake succulents to tie them in with the real flowers in the wedding. It was everything I could have dreamed of! I gave Liv free reign because I trust her implicitly, and I was so in love with the results. I wore it all day long, and as someone with chronic headaches and migraines, that says it all about how comfy it was.


We opted for purple tones in the makeup to tie in with the colours of the wedding. I'm also really partial as to how purples make my green eyes look. I wore my hair in a half up sort of style with long tendril curls, and extensions I dyed myself to thicken my hair out and add a bit more length. I wanted to be a mermaid!


Liv also did hair and makeup for herself, and Roswell Ivory, and my Mum's, so she had a really busy morning! She was a total pro and was so relaxed the whole time. Everyone was ready and perfect well in time for the ceremony.


My veil was made of soft tulle, that was also in my underskirt. Liv put silver glitter throughout so it sparkled gently, and it sat in my hair on a comb. Save for my standing on it, it did not budge! It looked so amazing draped down the back of my dress.


I didn't want a traditional veil that covered my face, whereas my Mum really wanted me to have one, but Liv made it so that I had the option of either so I could change my mind on the day even! 


My makeup did not budge throughout the day, and it was so warm. A touch up on lipstick was all that was needed. Liv made sure I had a little pot of the same colour in my handbag so I could touch it up whenever I needed it. My skin was absolutely flawless, which is really, really isn't!


Alivya was a total dream. To be able to book one of my best friends to be such a big part of my day, as well as be my bridesmaid, was such a pleasure. She made the whole day run smoothly, from doing all the things I'd booked her to do, to also lacing my corset, helping tie my shoe ribbons, and generally being a total star! Whenever someone needed help, Liv was there, going above and beyond. I cannot recommend her enough to be part of your wedding day. Liv is prepared to travel, so book her!


When we got our photos back, every pair of helping hands in every photo was Liv's. She did so much for us that we never even realised, I can't tell you how much I adore her.


Much love,
Kitty xxxx


I need your votes!

Wednesday 24 August 2016

You guys know I'm a huge fan of Cowcow, and recently they asked for people to submit to be brand ambassadors and reps for them. I've been selected as one of the final 10, but I need your votes to be one of the 3 picked!

If you've got Facebook, all you need to do is visit this link https://www.facebook.com/Cowcow/photos/a.1243546502342905.1073741829.448752898488940/1243546652342890/?type=3&theater to my photo, and click like. You have until the 26th August to do it!


This is the photo you're looking for. The gorgeous Leah of LoveLeah is also in the running, so be sure to give her a like too!

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

ps. my full post on this outfit will be coming ASAP!

I need your votes!

Wednesday 24 August 2016

You guys know I'm a huge fan of Cowcow, and recently they asked for people to submit to be brand ambassadors and reps for them. I've been selected as one of the final 10, but I need your votes to be one of the 3 picked!

If you've got Facebook, all you need to do is visit this link https://www.facebook.com/Cowcow/photos/a.1243546502342905.1073741829.448752898488940/1243546652342890/?type=3&theater to my photo, and click like. You have until the 26th August to do it!


This is the photo you're looking for. The gorgeous Leah of LoveLeah is also in the running, so be sure to give her a like too!

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

ps. my full post on this outfit will be coming ASAP!

Plus Equals Win!

Tuesday 23 August 2016

Recently I was immensely lucky, and I won a £100 Plus Equals voucher via an instagram competition they ran! I was so excited, and I also immediately knew what I was going to spend that voucher on.


This magnificent faux leather jacket. I'd seen it before and fell in love, but just couldn't justify buying a third faux leather jacket, even if it is totally different to the others I own. This jacket retailed for £100, my voucher was for £100, it was meant to be.


Plus Equals sell up to a size 26 and are a vintage shop that specialises in plus size. I don't think I've ever seen another store offering vintage plus sizes, and especially not such unique upcycled and reclaimed pieces.


This jacket features a white panel along the inside of the collar and it fastens over to the left side rather than in the centre. The white sections have black ink splatters, and the rest of the jacket has predominantly white splatters, with some red. It also features rose gold hardware, which is a trend I am really late to get into and am now totally sold on.


Probably the coolest thing about this jacket is that the sleeves zip completely off, making it into a waistcoat. It makes the jacket so much more versatile, perfect for when the days start turning to autumn. I love a sleeveless cover up, I actually just cut the sleeves off a denim jacket I'm modifying because I love the style so much.


This jacket is all kinds of punk rock cool, and I am so happy I could add it to my wardrobe. Plus Equals have so many unique and unusual pieces, if you want a really stand out piece definitely check them out. All their pieces are one offs, so you know you aren't going to bump into anyone else rocking the same thing!


This is absolutely one of the coolest things I own, so thank you Plus Equals! 

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

PS. My sunglasses are by Quay Australia and I got them on ASOS. They are sold out, but they tend to release this style in other colours each season.


Plus Equals Win!

Tuesday 23 August 2016

Recently I was immensely lucky, and I won a £100 Plus Equals voucher via an instagram competition they ran! I was so excited, and I also immediately knew what I was going to spend that voucher on.


This magnificent faux leather jacket. I'd seen it before and fell in love, but just couldn't justify buying a third faux leather jacket, even if it is totally different to the others I own. This jacket retailed for £100, my voucher was for £100, it was meant to be.


Plus Equals sell up to a size 26 and are a vintage shop that specialises in plus size. I don't think I've ever seen another store offering vintage plus sizes, and especially not such unique upcycled and reclaimed pieces.


This jacket features a white panel along the inside of the collar and it fastens over to the left side rather than in the centre. The white sections have black ink splatters, and the rest of the jacket has predominantly white splatters, with some red. It also features rose gold hardware, which is a trend I am really late to get into and am now totally sold on.


Probably the coolest thing about this jacket is that the sleeves zip completely off, making it into a waistcoat. It makes the jacket so much more versatile, perfect for when the days start turning to autumn. I love a sleeveless cover up, I actually just cut the sleeves off a denim jacket I'm modifying because I love the style so much.


This jacket is all kinds of punk rock cool, and I am so happy I could add it to my wardrobe. Plus Equals have so many unique and unusual pieces, if you want a really stand out piece definitely check them out. All their pieces are one offs, so you know you aren't going to bump into anyone else rocking the same thing!


This is absolutely one of the coolest things I own, so thank you Plus Equals! 

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

PS. My sunglasses are by Quay Australia and I got them on ASOS. They are sold out, but they tend to release this style in other colours each season.


Radioactive Unicorn Haul

Sunday 21 August 2016

I love bright make up and unusual nail varnish, and Radioactive Unicorn are the absolute leaders in the nail varnish of my dreams. I've blogged several times about my love of their products, and this is yet another blog about how much I adore them! I placed two orders recently, one that arrived no problem, and one that went missing in the post. Radioactive Unicorn were fantastic and dispatched another order to me recorded to replace the missing order, no problems. I have to mention this because their customer service was great, and nothing was too much trouble. They were apologetic, and immediately set out to replace my order.


I ordered the Ru Paul's Drag Race inspired collection (which is now sold out), along with their new top coat, and 'Stay wild moon child'. I've photographed all the bottles individually to show off all the textures and colours in each. To get the true colour to show in the photos I have slightly edited the photos, which is why the colours of the succulents I've photographed them on vary slightly. This has been done to show the truest colour I possibly can.


'Stay wild moon child' is a really versatile varnish. It is a multifacted white base that has the pastel rainbow hidden inside of it. It is slightly sheer even when layered, but a white base coat would prevent that. It also works beautifully as a top coat for something completely different! You could use this to add a shimmer to any plain nail varnish.


The new clear top coat is one I was desperate to try out. To really get the most out of these nail varnishes a good glossy top coat is a must, so I was really excited that they released their own.


'Kim-Chi that walk', I'm behind on drag race so I haven't seen much of Kim-Chi save for what I've seen on instagram! This is a very pale pastel toned glitter, with purple, pink and white tones.


'Supermodel of the world', inspired by Mama Ru herself. This is a super bright mixture of pink and yellow, it's almost coral toned. I usually find I need 3 layers to get a really solid finish with any Radioactive Unicorn varnish.


'Not today satan, not today' inspired by Bianca Del Rio. This was the hardest to capture a true representation of. It's a clear polish with a mixture of different size glitters in black, pinks and holographic tones. It's amazing! This could be layered up thickly to make a solid colour, or used as a top coat.


'Beautiful, spooky and stupid', inspired by Sharon Needles, was always going to be a stand out for me. It's an amazing Halloweeny varnish full of silver mirrored crescent moons, and orange and black glitters in different sizes. This is absolutely my nail polish for Halloween!


And finally, 'Your makeup is terrible', inspired by Alaska Thunderfuck. Silver and white glitters in a clear base, this would make a stunning top coat over a solid base coat too.

One thing I will recommend with these varnishes is not to use a base coat with them, I find the glitters tend to lift up and peel off in a solid section.

I am absolutely obsessed with my Radioactive Unicorn collection, and can't wait to see what else they release!

Much love,
Kitty xxxxx

Radioactive Unicorn Haul

Sunday 21 August 2016

I love bright make up and unusual nail varnish, and Radioactive Unicorn are the absolute leaders in the nail varnish of my dreams. I've blogged several times about my love of their products, and this is yet another blog about how much I adore them! I placed two orders recently, one that arrived no problem, and one that went missing in the post. Radioactive Unicorn were fantastic and dispatched another order to me recorded to replace the missing order, no problems. I have to mention this because their customer service was great, and nothing was too much trouble. They were apologetic, and immediately set out to replace my order.


I ordered the Ru Paul's Drag Race inspired collection (which is now sold out), along with their new top coat, and 'Stay wild moon child'. I've photographed all the bottles individually to show off all the textures and colours in each. To get the true colour to show in the photos I have slightly edited the photos, which is why the colours of the succulents I've photographed them on vary slightly. This has been done to show the truest colour I possibly can.


'Stay wild moon child' is a really versatile varnish. It is a multifacted white base that has the pastel rainbow hidden inside of it. It is slightly sheer even when layered, but a white base coat would prevent that. It also works beautifully as a top coat for something completely different! You could use this to add a shimmer to any plain nail varnish.


The new clear top coat is one I was desperate to try out. To really get the most out of these nail varnishes a good glossy top coat is a must, so I was really excited that they released their own.


'Kim-Chi that walk', I'm behind on drag race so I haven't seen much of Kim-Chi save for what I've seen on instagram! This is a very pale pastel toned glitter, with purple, pink and white tones.


'Supermodel of the world', inspired by Mama Ru herself. This is a super bright mixture of pink and yellow, it's almost coral toned. I usually find I need 3 layers to get a really solid finish with any Radioactive Unicorn varnish.


'Not today satan, not today' inspired by Bianca Del Rio. This was the hardest to capture a true representation of. It's a clear polish with a mixture of different size glitters in black, pinks and holographic tones. It's amazing! This could be layered up thickly to make a solid colour, or used as a top coat.


'Beautiful, spooky and stupid', inspired by Sharon Needles, was always going to be a stand out for me. It's an amazing Halloweeny varnish full of silver mirrored crescent moons, and orange and black glitters in different sizes. This is absolutely my nail polish for Halloween!


And finally, 'Your makeup is terrible', inspired by Alaska Thunderfuck. Silver and white glitters in a clear base, this would make a stunning top coat over a solid base coat too.

One thing I will recommend with these varnishes is not to use a base coat with them, I find the glitters tend to lift up and peel off in a solid section.

I am absolutely obsessed with my Radioactive Unicorn collection, and can't wait to see what else they release!

Much love,
Kitty xxxxx

A Morris-Wood Wedding : WedFest

Thursday 18 August 2016

One of the key themes of our wedding, right from the invites to the day itself, was music. It's a huge part of our lives and helped bring us together, so it was important for our music and day to reflect us. When we first began planning our wedding the invites were the first thing we looked at, and they set the tone for the whole day. It's the first part of your day that your guests get to see, and it hints at colours and themes and even how formal the day would be. 

When we discovered WedFest, we knew we were onto a winner. They offer festival style invites, stationary, wristbands and so much more, all designed for weddings, or any other event you could imagine. 


We knew we were having purple as our main colour theme, so it was an easy choice for our invites. We both prefer silver as a metal so knew that would feature too. We had a good look through WedFest's previous work and loved the flame and heavy metal styles. They have a huge variety of different styles so have a good look! The attention to detail on the invites was fab, Stu had his name written in the Metallica font (his favourite band) and the invite was like a gig ticket. You tore off the stub to send back to us with your RSVP. The barcode on it was my favourite part, with our names and the date of the wedding on it.


The advantage of using WedFest for our invites, was that we were able to carry the artwork on the invites into the stationary on the actual day. We commissioned our table plan and the table name stickers to use the same artwork style and fonts. We love the table plan so much we plan to put it up in the house somewhere!


It's a really thick material that means it stands up independently, so all we needed to do was pop it on an easel and it stood up no problem. We called our day WedStock because it sounds a bit more 'metal' than Fest.


We carried on the music and festival theme and named each table after one of our favourite bands. We picked some together, and a couple each, trying to keep them appropriate for the people on each table. For example, Stu's daughter Robyn was really into Machine Head as a kid, so her table was the Machine Head table. 


All the detail in the artwork was so cool, the different shades and tones, the swirls, it has so much attention to detail.


We decided we wanted to use records as centre pieces and to share the table names, so bought a bunch of 7 inch vinyl off ebay cheap, and after checking we hadn't accidentally bought a real bargain, we ordered stickers for the vinyls from WedFest too.


Some of the bands and artists we picked were easy choices, Prince and Motorhead had to be part of our day after losing Lemmy and Prince this year. True artists we both admire. Others were less easy!


We picked out the Rolling Stones for my Grandparent's, because my Grandad has a tendancy to sing Ruby Tuesday whenever he is in a good mood!


Metallica, Stu's favourite band, is where we sat our bridesmaids and groomsmen, we also had the Black Sabbath table for my Welsh family as we have several secret metal heads who are Sabbath fans. 


We know Evil Scarecrow personally, so couldn't resist naming a table after them! Several of our friends are also Scarecrow fans so they sat at that table.


Some of our best friends sat at the Disturbed table... a cheeky play on words as well as a band Stu loves! 


Skid Row are my favourite band, and the band that brought us together.  When we met I had no idea who they were, but when Stu invited me to see a Skid Row tribute if I was into them, I said yes and lied... oops. I went home and googled them and thankfully they turned out to be hair metal magic and I adore them. I fessed up two years later!


The top table was the Main Stage, we couldn't pick a band for us so decided we were the headliners instead. The stickers were incredibly easy to apply, which was a real relief! You can buy them pre-made on the records, but I hadn't realised that at the time.

WedFest were fantastic to deal with, and provided such gorgeous stationary, I can't recommend them enough!

All photography by ClickClickBang, save for that first phone photo by me!

Much love,
Kitty xxxx




A Morris-Wood Wedding : WedFest

Thursday 18 August 2016

One of the key themes of our wedding, right from the invites to the day itself, was music. It's a huge part of our lives and helped bring us together, so it was important for our music and day to reflect us. When we first began planning our wedding the invites were the first thing we looked at, and they set the tone for the whole day. It's the first part of your day that your guests get to see, and it hints at colours and themes and even how formal the day would be. 

When we discovered WedFest, we knew we were onto a winner. They offer festival style invites, stationary, wristbands and so much more, all designed for weddings, or any other event you could imagine. 


We knew we were having purple as our main colour theme, so it was an easy choice for our invites. We both prefer silver as a metal so knew that would feature too. We had a good look through WedFest's previous work and loved the flame and heavy metal styles. They have a huge variety of different styles so have a good look! The attention to detail on the invites was fab, Stu had his name written in the Metallica font (his favourite band) and the invite was like a gig ticket. You tore off the stub to send back to us with your RSVP. The barcode on it was my favourite part, with our names and the date of the wedding on it.


The advantage of using WedFest for our invites, was that we were able to carry the artwork on the invites into the stationary on the actual day. We commissioned our table plan and the table name stickers to use the same artwork style and fonts. We love the table plan so much we plan to put it up in the house somewhere!


It's a really thick material that means it stands up independently, so all we needed to do was pop it on an easel and it stood up no problem. We called our day WedStock because it sounds a bit more 'metal' than Fest.


We carried on the music and festival theme and named each table after one of our favourite bands. We picked some together, and a couple each, trying to keep them appropriate for the people on each table. For example, Stu's daughter Robyn was really into Machine Head as a kid, so her table was the Machine Head table. 


All the detail in the artwork was so cool, the different shades and tones, the swirls, it has so much attention to detail.


We decided we wanted to use records as centre pieces and to share the table names, so bought a bunch of 7 inch vinyl off ebay cheap, and after checking we hadn't accidentally bought a real bargain, we ordered stickers for the vinyls from WedFest too.


Some of the bands and artists we picked were easy choices, Prince and Motorhead had to be part of our day after losing Lemmy and Prince this year. True artists we both admire. Others were less easy!


We picked out the Rolling Stones for my Grandparent's, because my Grandad has a tendancy to sing Ruby Tuesday whenever he is in a good mood!


Metallica, Stu's favourite band, is where we sat our bridesmaids and groomsmen, we also had the Black Sabbath table for my Welsh family as we have several secret metal heads who are Sabbath fans. 


We know Evil Scarecrow personally, so couldn't resist naming a table after them! Several of our friends are also Scarecrow fans so they sat at that table.


Some of our best friends sat at the Disturbed table... a cheeky play on words as well as a band Stu loves! 


Skid Row are my favourite band, and the band that brought us together.  When we met I had no idea who they were, but when Stu invited me to see a Skid Row tribute if I was into them, I said yes and lied... oops. I went home and googled them and thankfully they turned out to be hair metal magic and I adore them. I fessed up two years later!


The top table was the Main Stage, we couldn't pick a band for us so decided we were the headliners instead. The stickers were incredibly easy to apply, which was a real relief! You can buy them pre-made on the records, but I hadn't realised that at the time.

WedFest were fantastic to deal with, and provided such gorgeous stationary, I can't recommend them enough!

All photography by ClickClickBang, save for that first phone photo by me!

Much love,
Kitty xxxx




Swimsuit Impossible

Tuesday 16 August 2016

When we started getting bits and pieces together for our honeymoon I didn't anticipate what a problem swimming costumes would be! I knew I wanted one piece suits, I like to swim and dive about so I tend to think they are a bit more suitable for activities, but other than that, I had no preferences.

I tried on so many swimming costumes before I actually found one that fit. Anything with built in padding was gapey and too big on the bust, half of them were way too short in the body and I was at risk of a severe nip slip, or they were just baggy on my bust generally! I think I tried on about 20 different pieces before I found one that worked for me. I tried Bon Marche and Yours Clothing, as I could try them on in store, and had no luck at all. The Bon Marche styles were all far too short to be at all suitable for swimming or moving around in, and the Yours Clothing ones were all enormous on the bust so were indecent again, as my boobs were just out!

Swimming costumes being too short seems to be a running theme in the plus size world. I'm 5ft 11, so I expect things to be shorter on me, but some of the pieces I tried on didn't even attempt to cover my boobs, or were so short I couldn't get the straps over my shoulders, and sizing up did not help!


The one I ended up with was a swim dress from ASOS, and I ended up buying it in every colour! My favourite, the white with tropical print isn't listed on the website anymore, but the black and red are. I also got it in red that had 'nude' mesh sections in a light tan colour that matched absolutely no one's skin colour. I hate the word nude as a descriptor of colour, but that's a whole other blog post.


I should have taken some proper photos of them, but I was all distracted with you know, the whole honeymooning thing! My white cover up was also from ASOS and got so many compliments, I thought it was on the expensive side at over £20 but I was desperate for something plain that also covered my arms. I'm not one for tanning, so  something that was lightweight, but provided a lot of cover was a must. I took another cover up with me but I pretty much wore this one everyday!


I wore the black swim dress on a trip we did with my favourite Navabi skirt* over the top of it because pockets! I wore the black colour the least, because it was 46 degrees a lot of the time we were in Turkey, and even I don't want to wear black in that heat.


All 4 swim dresses, whilst seemingly the same style, fit slightly different in the bust. They had different levels of padding, from a bit too big for me, to none at all, which was unexpected to say the least! So even if you think you are ordering all the same style, make sure you try them on before you actually head out on your holiday just in case.

The 4 swim dresses I got will probably have me covered for the next few years, but I am always interested to hear where you get your swimwear from. Especially if you are tall and not-so-busty like me! I love the idea of some of the really funky strappy ones, but 1) tan lines? and 2) the price is just...wow.

Much love,
Kitty xxxx


*denotes items that were gifted for review purposes, in no way does this impact upon my opinions which are entirely my own.

Swimsuit Impossible

Tuesday 16 August 2016

When we started getting bits and pieces together for our honeymoon I didn't anticipate what a problem swimming costumes would be! I knew I wanted one piece suits, I like to swim and dive about so I tend to think they are a bit more suitable for activities, but other than that, I had no preferences.

I tried on so many swimming costumes before I actually found one that fit. Anything with built in padding was gapey and too big on the bust, half of them were way too short in the body and I was at risk of a severe nip slip, or they were just baggy on my bust generally! I think I tried on about 20 different pieces before I found one that worked for me. I tried Bon Marche and Yours Clothing, as I could try them on in store, and had no luck at all. The Bon Marche styles were all far too short to be at all suitable for swimming or moving around in, and the Yours Clothing ones were all enormous on the bust so were indecent again, as my boobs were just out!

Swimming costumes being too short seems to be a running theme in the plus size world. I'm 5ft 11, so I expect things to be shorter on me, but some of the pieces I tried on didn't even attempt to cover my boobs, or were so short I couldn't get the straps over my shoulders, and sizing up did not help!


The one I ended up with was a swim dress from ASOS, and I ended up buying it in every colour! My favourite, the white with tropical print isn't listed on the website anymore, but the black and red are. I also got it in red that had 'nude' mesh sections in a light tan colour that matched absolutely no one's skin colour. I hate the word nude as a descriptor of colour, but that's a whole other blog post.


I should have taken some proper photos of them, but I was all distracted with you know, the whole honeymooning thing! My white cover up was also from ASOS and got so many compliments, I thought it was on the expensive side at over £20 but I was desperate for something plain that also covered my arms. I'm not one for tanning, so  something that was lightweight, but provided a lot of cover was a must. I took another cover up with me but I pretty much wore this one everyday!


I wore the black swim dress on a trip we did with my favourite Navabi skirt* over the top of it because pockets! I wore the black colour the least, because it was 46 degrees a lot of the time we were in Turkey, and even I don't want to wear black in that heat.


All 4 swim dresses, whilst seemingly the same style, fit slightly different in the bust. They had different levels of padding, from a bit too big for me, to none at all, which was unexpected to say the least! So even if you think you are ordering all the same style, make sure you try them on before you actually head out on your holiday just in case.

The 4 swim dresses I got will probably have me covered for the next few years, but I am always interested to hear where you get your swimwear from. Especially if you are tall and not-so-busty like me! I love the idea of some of the really funky strappy ones, but 1) tan lines? and 2) the price is just...wow.

Much love,
Kitty xxxx


*denotes items that were gifted for review purposes, in no way does this impact upon my opinions which are entirely my own.

A Morris-Wood Wedding : Flowers by Fleurations

Thursday 11 August 2016

One of the hardest suppliers to find locally for me, was my florist. I had a set image of what I wanted in my head, and I rang every local florist with the concept I had. And with every phone call I got more disheartened. I got 'Oh, I suppose we could do that', or 'for wedding flowers? Really?' and even just flat out 'No, we can't do that'. Until finally I rang Fleurations Florists. And when I told them what I had in mind, I got an excited squeal and asked if I could come in right away for a chat. That's what I wanted! Their enthusiasm sold me right away.

All photos below are by our incredible photographer ClickClickBang Photography.


What I wanted, was succulents. I have about 40 different varieties in the house and just adore them. So it's what I wanted for our wedding! I've never been the sort of girl for flowers, you get them and they die, but succulents and cacti you can keep and grow, and always be reminded of the person who gave you them.

 

Succulents as wedding flowers have started to catch on, but living in a small town no one had ever made them before. But Fleurtations were immediately so excited and wanted to be a part of our day so eagerly that we had to book them. An enthusiastic supplier is the best kind of supplier! After I'd spoken to them we went to the store to see them and when we walked in I was greeted with a huge grin and 'Please tell me you're the bride who wants succulents'. They had already been googling ideas and wanted to know if I had examples to show them too. So cool!


Our colours for the wedding were purple and silver, so I wanted a hint of purple amongst all the green. One of the other things I wanted was protea. I think they are super adorable! There are a bunch of different varieties of protea, but none that came in a suitable colour that would be in bloom at the time of our wedding. The team at Fleurations saw that as a good challenge rather than an impossible mission, and they actually hand painted the protea themselves to match the wedding!


Now that is the kind of care and attention you dream of in a wedding supplier! Look at how gorgeous that purple is. I was so blown away by their detailing. My bouquet was actually a mixture of real and fake flowers! Looking at the photos I bet you'd struggle to pick out which were fake, I know I did and I carried it about all day! One of my personal favourite touches was that they used banana leaves around the outside of the bouquet to keep the shape, it looked so lush and green.

 

They also made our amazing buttonholes. I showed them a bunch of different inspiration photos from my Pinterest (which you can follow here) and gave them a free reign to create. All the groomsmen, my Grandparents and a few other guests wanted buttonholes, and we fell totally in love with what they created for us.


Succulents are really heavy compared to your usual buttonhole type flowers, and they provided really thick long pins to attach them that did not budge at all. The pop of green against the silver grey suits was such a good choice. It could have been too much if there had been purple in them, and they really brightened up the suits.


Seriously, how ridiculously handsome is my husband? Side note,our friend Max spent literally a month learning how to do various plaits and practicing so she could do Stu's hair the morning of the wedding in this epic Viking inspired do. How incredible is that?!



One of the things we've also done is plant some of the succulents from the buttonholes. Succulents are sturdy little beasts and so long as they have a bit of root left they should take hold, so fingers crossed!

 

 Fleurations also provided our favours. We wanted to give guests a succulent so they could take them home and let our love grow with them. Yep, we are that cheesy. They provided such a great mix of breeds and put really sweet silver hearts in each pot which really finished them off beautifully. We were so impressed with these and so many guests have told us how much they liked them. That people could take home a part of our day that will grow and last makes me so happy. 



They also made us our amazing centre-pieces. We got the skull vases from Ebay, and Fleurtations did the rest. We had a mixture of silver, black and purple stones filling them, and fake succulents in the top. We've given some of these out as thank you gifts to our close family and of course kept some too. Skulls are very 'us' and rather than more traditional candelabras or flowers in the middle this was much more fitting!


Fleurations were wonderful to deal with. When my carpal tunnel got really bad in the run up to the wedding I panicked badly, thinking my dream bouquet was out of the question because of the weight of it. I rang them and they immediately set about figuring out a way of fastening the bouquet to me using ribbons so that I could carry it with less pressure on my hands or wrists for the photos. They were so reassuring and lovely! They also sent me a huge succulent on the morning of the wedding as a present, it's truly massive compared to all my existing ones. It was such a kind gesture and really made me smile.

If you are local to Grimsby, I cannot recommend Fleurations enough. Their whole team is fab and they were so filled with enthusiasm and excitement about doing something different that it made the planning go so easily!

Much love,
Kitty xxxxx

A Morris-Wood Wedding : Flowers by Fleurations

Thursday 11 August 2016

One of the hardest suppliers to find locally for me, was my florist. I had a set image of what I wanted in my head, and I rang every local florist with the concept I had. And with every phone call I got more disheartened. I got 'Oh, I suppose we could do that', or 'for wedding flowers? Really?' and even just flat out 'No, we can't do that'. Until finally I rang Fleurations Florists. And when I told them what I had in mind, I got an excited squeal and asked if I could come in right away for a chat. That's what I wanted! Their enthusiasm sold me right away.

All photos below are by our incredible photographer ClickClickBang Photography.


What I wanted, was succulents. I have about 40 different varieties in the house and just adore them. So it's what I wanted for our wedding! I've never been the sort of girl for flowers, you get them and they die, but succulents and cacti you can keep and grow, and always be reminded of the person who gave you them.

 

Succulents as wedding flowers have started to catch on, but living in a small town no one had ever made them before. But Fleurtations were immediately so excited and wanted to be a part of our day so eagerly that we had to book them. An enthusiastic supplier is the best kind of supplier! After I'd spoken to them we went to the store to see them and when we walked in I was greeted with a huge grin and 'Please tell me you're the bride who wants succulents'. They had already been googling ideas and wanted to know if I had examples to show them too. So cool!


Our colours for the wedding were purple and silver, so I wanted a hint of purple amongst all the green. One of the other things I wanted was protea. I think they are super adorable! There are a bunch of different varieties of protea, but none that came in a suitable colour that would be in bloom at the time of our wedding. The team at Fleurations saw that as a good challenge rather than an impossible mission, and they actually hand painted the protea themselves to match the wedding!


Now that is the kind of care and attention you dream of in a wedding supplier! Look at how gorgeous that purple is. I was so blown away by their detailing. My bouquet was actually a mixture of real and fake flowers! Looking at the photos I bet you'd struggle to pick out which were fake, I know I did and I carried it about all day! One of my personal favourite touches was that they used banana leaves around the outside of the bouquet to keep the shape, it looked so lush and green.

 

They also made our amazing buttonholes. I showed them a bunch of different inspiration photos from my Pinterest (which you can follow here) and gave them a free reign to create. All the groomsmen, my Grandparents and a few other guests wanted buttonholes, and we fell totally in love with what they created for us.


Succulents are really heavy compared to your usual buttonhole type flowers, and they provided really thick long pins to attach them that did not budge at all. The pop of green against the silver grey suits was such a good choice. It could have been too much if there had been purple in them, and they really brightened up the suits.


Seriously, how ridiculously handsome is my husband? Side note,our friend Max spent literally a month learning how to do various plaits and practicing so she could do Stu's hair the morning of the wedding in this epic Viking inspired do. How incredible is that?!



One of the things we've also done is plant some of the succulents from the buttonholes. Succulents are sturdy little beasts and so long as they have a bit of root left they should take hold, so fingers crossed!

 

 Fleurations also provided our favours. We wanted to give guests a succulent so they could take them home and let our love grow with them. Yep, we are that cheesy. They provided such a great mix of breeds and put really sweet silver hearts in each pot which really finished them off beautifully. We were so impressed with these and so many guests have told us how much they liked them. That people could take home a part of our day that will grow and last makes me so happy. 



They also made us our amazing centre-pieces. We got the skull vases from Ebay, and Fleurtations did the rest. We had a mixture of silver, black and purple stones filling them, and fake succulents in the top. We've given some of these out as thank you gifts to our close family and of course kept some too. Skulls are very 'us' and rather than more traditional candelabras or flowers in the middle this was much more fitting!


Fleurations were wonderful to deal with. When my carpal tunnel got really bad in the run up to the wedding I panicked badly, thinking my dream bouquet was out of the question because of the weight of it. I rang them and they immediately set about figuring out a way of fastening the bouquet to me using ribbons so that I could carry it with less pressure on my hands or wrists for the photos. They were so reassuring and lovely! They also sent me a huge succulent on the morning of the wedding as a present, it's truly massive compared to all my existing ones. It was such a kind gesture and really made me smile.

If you are local to Grimsby, I cannot recommend Fleurations enough. Their whole team is fab and they were so filled with enthusiasm and excitement about doing something different that it made the planning go so easily!

Much love,
Kitty xxxxx