Getting ready for a wedding with Simply Be*

It’s not going to be long until wedding season is upon us again, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t think there’s anything better than planning the perfect outfit. I’ve been dreaming about my wedding dress since I was a little girl, and still hope that one day I will meet my Prince Charming so I can choose the perfect dress. But it’s not just the bride who has to pick her outfit – there are bridesmaids, mother of the bride, mother of the groom and wedding guests too! I was recently contacted by Simply Be to see if I wanted to check out their wedding collection, and, of course, I jumped at the chance! They kindly let me choose a couple of pieces and I’m excited to share them with you.

Up until last year, I hadn’t really paid much attention to clothes from Simply Be, mainly because I associated them with plus size clothing and I’m generally a size 12. But I was pleased to discover they actually cater for a whole range of sizes, from 10 upwards, and are passionate about women embracing their curves and feeling confident. They have a huge selection of clothes, shoes, accessories, beauty products and more, as well as a range of different brands including AX Paris, Benefit, Coast, Jimmy Choo and YSL. And just to make things that little bit easier for you, they have a section specifically for weddings, which you can check out here.

I’ve been lucky enough to be a bridesmaid a few times over the last few years, and as I’ve got a couple of weddings to go to this year, I thought I would look for an outfit that I can wear as a guest. It took me ages to choose my pieces – they have so many lovely items, I just couldn’t choose! But I finally settled on this beautiful Scarlett & Jo Prom Dress for £65. I know there’s a bit of debate about whether you should wear black to a wedding, but I think this is perfect for this time of year. The longer sleeves will keep you warm, but you’ve got the gorgeous winter floral design on the skirt. It’s incredibly comfortable, and can easily be paired with a variety of shoe colours (I chose these amazing rose gold glittery ones, which I picked up in Next a couple of years ago).

When you’re planning a wedding outfit, finding the right bag is vital. You want something just big enough to fit all your essentials in (phone, camera, lipstick) but nothing too large to be carrying around all day. I found this adorable little Satchel Bag with a gold bow, which is currently reduced to £25. The blush pink goes perfectly with the bright pink floral design, and it really reminds me of a Ted Baker bag I’ve seen before, but obviously a fraction of the price! It’s just the right size for my camera and phone, and can either be held as a clutch or has a long strap if you want to wear it over your shoulder.

Once I’d got into my dress, I thought I would go for a natural make-up look with a rosy pink lip. But the great thing about this outfit is, it would suit all sorts of make-up looks from glam to barefaced. I decided to leave my hair fairly un-styled, with just a slight wave, but again, any style would look good. To take these pictures, I went down to my local church (it’s a wedding outfit after all!) and got so many lovely comments from people who were visiting. I definitely felt like I was waiting for the bride to arrive! The great thing about the Simply Be collection is that they also have a selection of fantastically priced wedding dresses and a range of items perfect for bridesmaids too. So whatever your role in the big day, I would really recommend checking out the website for some inspiration.

Do you have any weddings coming up this year? What do you think of the Simply Be collection?

*The dress and bag were kindly sent to me by Simply Be to write about. However, I chose them myself and all opinions are my own. I will only ever talk about items that fit with my blog/lifestyle.

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In the lavender fields

A couple of weeks ago on a lovely sunny day, my Mum, Dad, sister-in-law and I hopped in the car and drove for about an hour to some lavender fields in Banstead. I’d been desperate to visit some lavender fields for a couple of years, but didn’t ever get as far as finding any. So, when I was watching the Saccone-Jolys recently and saw that they had visited some, I decided to do a bit of investigating. I live roughly in the same area as them, so knew they weren’t too far away, and after a bit of research found out about Mayfield Lavender Fields, Café and Shop.

We got a little lost on the way there, but as soon as we caught sight of the rolling purple fields we knew we were in the right place. We went on a Monday, and despite it being a hot and sunny day, it wasn’t too busy. The fields stretch for 25 acres, so even when it is busy I can imagine the experience would still be peaceful and enjoyable.

I knew I would struggle to walk very far, so we took my wheelchair with us. Disabled access is a bit patchy with it essentially being a wild field, but the spaces between the lavender rows were wide enough to fit my chair (although it was rather bumpy and I think my Dad got quite a good workout by pushing me!) The only thing they didn’t have was disabled toilet facilities, which made life a little difficult. They had portaloos, which aren’t much fun at the best of times, but it did make me wonder whether disabled portaloos exist.

The actual fields were incredibly beautiful, with a deep purple hue stretching for what felt like miles. As we moved through the field we passed so many different types of lavender, from dark purple to lilac and even some white lavender, which I’d never seen before. The scent was amazing too. Not too overpowering, but delicate and fragrant. I closed my eyes, letting the warmth of the sunshine bathe my face as the relaxing scent enveloped me, and for those few minutes I felt completely calm.

As we were in such a beautiful setting, I decided to get some photos of my gorgeous new dress from Simply Be. The white sundress with colourful polka dots and little pompoms around the skirt, designed by the lovely Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter was a complete bargain at half price in the sale. I’d been eyeing it up for quite a while, so when I found out it had been reduced I knew I had to snap it up. I paired it with this pretty white sunhat from Primark, which kept the sun off my face.

I absolutely love it, and it’s perfect for the warm summery days we’ve been having over the last couple of months. It is made from a very lightweight fabric, which helped me keep cool as the sun beat down on us. The colourful polka dots give it a fun, cheerful feel and seriously make me smile every time I see them poking out of my wardrobe. And the little pompoms around the bottom of the skirt are just the cutest little addition and so on trend at the moment. I did find that it comes up a bit bigger, so you may want to size down if you’re thinking of buying it, although I don’t actually mind it being a little looser, especially when it’s warm.

After taking our photos and soaking in the relaxing atmosphere, we made our way down to the little café and gift shop. Although very rustic, the café had a fantastic menu full of dishes infused with lavender. From lavender scones to lavender ice cream, as well as homemade sandwiches and toasties, there were so many options to choose from. I was particularly impressed with their lavender lemonade, which was so delicious and refreshing, perfect for quenching our thirst after being out in the sun. The little gift shop was very cute, with lots of homemade products such as teas, pillows and toiletries. I picked up a beautiful lavender plant for our garden, but was very tempted by lots of other things! Overall, it was such a lovely day out and something I would definitely recommend checking out either this year (until the 14^th September) or next summer.

Have you visited any lavender fields this year? And have you bought any clothes from Louise’s Simply Be range?

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