Bloomin' Lovely!

There's poppies in my front garden. Wild, crepe paper- like, dark sugar pink with purple centres. Just one plant - in the corner, catches my eye as soon as I come out of our front door and again when I return. I mention it because the individual flowers that come and go in a day are simply beautiful and having them there just makes me love life.

Flowers do that don't they? If you look at them long enough-they kind of blow your mind with their natural beauty and the point here is that there doesn't need to be bountiful amounts of them to make an impact.

Each season presents a different offering. Hues and scents that evoke memories of balmy summer evenings or crisp spring mornings and there's something for everyone for every personality and style.

Choosing the flowers for your wedding is exciting because you can identify your unique character with them and include memories from your life too. There is no need to over indulge, to spend too much or try to impress by having hundreds-in some cases thousands of pounds worth of blooms that will only have the effect of being overdone-overdressed, over embellished on the floral front. For some reason massive dispays of flowers are just not heart warming -it's like they aren't real-they don't touch you. Whereas single stems, rustic bunches, or dramtic combinations of two or three colours/types will add another soul-lifting dimension to your wedding that will positively affect everyone.

Choose local, if poss- in season and use a scent, colour and variety that draws something from you. Use your wedding flowers to capture your essence and complement the spirit of the day. Just another reason to delve below the surface and discover more about your individual self so that you can be even more authentic, artistic, creative. Just another way to break with the formula prescribed by the wedding industry and instead of being a stepford bride with your generic wedding flowers, you can really, honestly truly be a bride that gets married from the inside out!

The Cloning of a Bride

There's no excuse. It's three weeks since I posted and though in my head I have had plenty to say-i haven't made enough time to commit it to blog. I feel most dissatisfied about that. Having said that-the mother board on my PC finally threw the towel in-it was over ten years old-and it took some time to deal with the shennaningans that ensued. The pay off is a new, shiny, faster model that is making life so much easier.
Today I was taken by another inane article that appered in the Daily Mail entitled Bridal Beauty Tips.

I would love to know if anyone finds these things helpful or if they are simply there to pad out the paper. Here we go: Apparently some brides will go to great lengths to look amazing on their wedding day by having dental work, breast implants, liposuction etc but really, says the article, all you need to do is keep it simple and relax.

1. Don't look too orange-go easy on the fake tan and put your make-up on in natural light

2. Get a good nights sleep-duh!

3. Don't get stressed-it causes spots and greasy skin-use peppermint tea as a toner

4. Keep it natural-your hair that is -down and tonged is suggested-washed well in advance

5. Keep it in place-your veil that is-with grips instead of a veil comb and make sure your hairpiece actually matches the colour of your hair(or it will look rubbish on the photos)

6. Don't have dead ends-cut them off a week before-also ask bridesmaid or similar to carry shine spray with her to refresh you throughout day and night. Honest-it says that.

7.Practise your make-up beforehand. Take photos of it. On the day use a primer and custom blended foundation with extra coverage for photos... and powder on top of that.

Well, it's no wonder that brides get so anxious and stressed with all this fussy, uneccessary palavering. Hairdressers and make up artists -layers of foundation and endless top up spray. Fake tan and hairpieces-why hairpieces? What is with brides and hairpieces?

I agree with keep it simple and relax. Wholeheartedly. But this is not what this piece is about. Just reading it makes me on edge .Firstly the condescending tone of it which is more suitable for teenage readers than intelligent women reading the Daily Mail -and the feeling that it invokes of-there's just so much to think about.

Yes,keep it simple-strip it back to basics. True bridal beauty comes from within. Prepare yourself mentally and emotionally and be your wholesome, natural self on the day-with light make-up -hair that suits you that you feel comfortable with and a clear, calm mind that allows you to be in the moment. You will never have been more radiant and beautiful and not a can of fake tan in sight.