Simply Bows Real Life Bride: Cherie....

Friday, August 31, 2012

Today we interview a Simply Bows and Chair Covers Real Bride Cherie who married her lovely hubby Paul at Langley Castle Hotel...



Tell us about your engagement...

We got engaged on the 7th April 2007, I was outside hanging out the washing and my oldest daughter came and give me a ring and said “mammy I think you should marry daddy” when I looked up Paul was standing there smiling! 

Where and when did you get married?
 
We got married on Friday the 23rd March 2012 . We got married at Langley Castle. We choose Langley because the venue is amazing and our children loved the idea that mammy and daddy were getting married in a real castle. Also it’s close to where all our family and friends live. 



Did you have a wedding theme?
 
We didn’t really have a theme, although I just wanted it to look amazing. 
Our colour scheme was dark blue and cream.
The first time we looked around Langley simply bows were setting up for a weeding and when we walked into the function room it took our breath away. We instantly knew we had to have chair covers, chair covers were never in the budget but after what we show we had to have them! Kristy from Simply Bows and Chair Covers was recommended to us by the venue and she was brilliant to work with, she listened to what we wanted and then came up with what we asked for and the attention to detail was out of this world. We received so many comments about the finished room. The worst bit was having to wait nearly 1 year before I could see it all set up!




Tell us about your dress...

I wore an Amanda Wyatt dress which I bought 18 months before my wedding, it was the first dress I saw and fell in love with it straight away, I even nearly had a fight with some other bride who wanted the same dress! 

It had just been reduced from £800 to £300 that morning. I went for bodice style dress with a long train, I loved wearing this dress, and have even had it on a few times since I got married just because I feel amazing in it! 



And your bridesmaids...
 
They wore navy blue dresses with a cream sash around the middle, and my little flower girl wore a navy blue and cream dress, this dress was my bargain. 

 
Who photographed your big day?
 
Sarah Thew took our photos, Sarah and her husband Peter was amazing on our day so friendly and were amazing with our guests. I love my wedding photos so much!



Tell us about the little touches...

Our table names were named after streets that meant something to us i.e. Hill Street was where we had our first kiss, hallstile bank our first house etc.  

The most amazing part of the day for me, was when I started to walk down the aisle and looked up and saw Paul, I fell in love with him all over again!


Did you have a honeymoon?

We didn’t have a honey moon, as we couldn’t go away due to having three  children. But we did have a 2 nights in York which was amazing. 

What is your special tip for other Bride's to be?

My tip would be enjoy planning and do what you want not what other people want you to do, IT’S YOUR WEDDING!!

 

Have a happy long weekend.

What are your plans for this Labor Day weekend? I'm excited to come home, scoop Toby up into my arms and cover him with kisses. Oh, that little bunny! Hope you have a great weekend, and here are a few fun posts from around the web...

A song for your weekend. (Dude, acapella!)

Hipster soups.

A most unusual test.

Who wants a pet lamb?

This is what a scientist looks like.

Would you do a mirror fast?

OMG, this gave me a heart attack. (Thanks, Dad.)

Cute cute cute.

12 fantastic recipes for corn.

This awesome blog has now published a book!

Homemade baby wipes.

Cookie dough bites.

Can you believe this is a marble sculpture?

These would be perfect for the beach.

Plus, three past posts you may have missed:
* Touch tours.
* Do you get freaked out at night?
* Photobooth proposal.

Have a good one!

(Photo by Maddie Joyce)

Pools!

Can you believe we're only one day away from September?! This summer flew by. To keep the summery mood going, here are 8 incredible pools around the world…Have you been to any? Which one would you want to dip into?

From top: Berlin, Victoria Falls on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe (see more insane photos here), Singapore, Portugal, Chile, Sydney, Utah and Bali.

(Photos via and links on Apartment Therapy)

Our third anniversary

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Alex is definitely nicer than I am. Here's why...
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Movie: Sleepwalk with Me


The other day, my mom and I went to see Sleepwalk with Me, the new comedy produced by Ira Glass and written by Mike Birbiglia. The main character is a comedian who gets engaged to his girlfriend but has cold feet. Although it sounds like a typical rom-com, it’s actually hilarious, honest and surprising (with a lot of stand-up comedy) and we both really enjoyed it. Here's the trailer. Will you see it?

P.S. Judd Apatow said, "A funny and insightful movie. I could have watched it for ten hours." High praise!

Simply Festive Plans... yes already!

Scarily the Christmas party season is galloping towards us at break neck speed despite us still being in full summer wedding swing! We therefore thought it may be a good time to give you a little of our party inspiration or even inspiration for your Christmas table as I'm sure by now you will know that we dress much more than just weddings! 


We can help make any event look spectacular at Simply Bows and Chair Covers including Christenings, Birthday Parties, Baby Showers, Christmas Parties, Bridal Showers and even Dinner Parties in your own home! Not only can we dress them for you but we can help you pick a theme, style and look to make your event stand out!


Below is just a little taster of what we can offer...

















 



 

Wednesday giveaway!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Today's giveaway is from GwenDelicious, a handmade jewelry shop based in Vancouver. Today the designer is offering one lucky winner a $250 gift certificate. Which pieces would you choose? (I love her letterpress necklaces and alphabet jewelry.)

For a chance to win, please visit GwenDelicious and leave a comment below. A winner will be chosen at random tomorrow. Good luck! Update: Tiff is our lucky winner. Thanks for playing.

Bonus for all readers: Get 10% off with the code CUPOFJO10, good for one week.

Slate cheese boards

We're big cheese eaters around here (ob-vi-ous-ly), and one of the best purchases we've made was a Brooklyn Slate cheese board. The dark color makes cheeses look bright and beautiful, and you can label them with a soapstone pencil. And the company sells not only cheese boards, but also packages of a campfire kit or a ploughman's satchel. Would make a great gift for a hostess (or just a hungry friend).

The Best Corn on the Cob You'll Ever Have (With Herb Butter!)

When we were growing up in Michigan, we would eat corn on the cob almost everyday in the late summer and early fall. We'd slather it with butter or shave it into salads, and I even loved to eat cobs raw (have you ever tried that?). But the recipe that tops all others is this incredible one from Rachael of Tokyo Terrace, below...
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Four-day trip to Italy

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

So Alex and I have decided to take one final short trip this summer. We've been blowing out travel this summer (Amsterdam and Chicago) because we're really hoping to get pregnant this fall (have I mentioned that already?:) and if all goes according to plan, we know next summer will be a wash. With a newborn and a toddler, we won't be traveling much! We figured we'd treat this summer like One Last Hurrah, before what (hopefully) will be a chaotic, noisy, sleepless couple of years ahead:)

We decided to go alone to Italy for the next four days, and my mom is staying with Toby. We're going for just four days to keep it more affordable and also because we didn't want to be away from Toby for too long. We chose Capri because tomorrow is our third anniversary, and we went to nearby Positano for our honeymoon, so this will be like a fun flashback. We're really, really excited, and it seems surreal. (Even while I'm writing this, it still hasn't kicked in that we're actually going.) I'll be posting every day this week and am looking forward to sharing photos next week.

Have you ever been to Capri? Any advice? We would love to hear:) Thank you so much! xoxo

(Sorry this post kept disappearing! Blogging was tricky from our hotel in Italy:) Photo by Giuseppe Greco in National Geographic)

Travel beauty

Years ago I went on a business trip with a photographer, and she spritzed rosewater on her face during the flight. It was such a lovely (and fancy!) ritual, and after that, I was inspired to come up with my own trusty beauty arsenal when traveling. (I basically pare down my everyday makeup to the essentials.) Here's what I've packed every trip since...

1. Hair powder. Dry shampoo has changed my life, since you can skip showers and still have beautiful bedhead hair. This travel size smells like lavender and clary sage. $10.
2. Supercurl mascara. This mascara curls and thickens lashes so you'll look wide awake when you land. $20.
3. Chloe perfume is a fresh floral fragrance to keep you feeling pretty. $25.
4. Dopp kit. Unison Home has canvas toiletry bags in three different sizes to hold all those lotions and potions. $35.
5. Cucumber towelettes. I use these every night at home to wash my face (the lazy way!), but they're also perfect for traveling. The cucumber scent feels fresh and invigorating, $9.99.
6. Benetint gives your lips and cheeks a rosy glow, so it's my go-to cosmetic for a trip. (My sister actually wears this, and once I was raving about how pretty she looked, so she let me try it, and now I'm hooked:)
7. Muji Travel Pillow. This comfy pillow folds into a pouch and helps you actually sleep on a plane, $9.95.

(Plus, of course, I pack my face powder!)

What beauty products do you pack when you travel? I'd love to hear your tips...

P.S. Plane picnics (pack an orange!), and five best shoes for traveling.

(Post by Joanna. Layout design by Rachel from Elephantine for Cup of Jo. Top photo from Villa Brunella. I mentioned a couple of my travel staples on CNT, as well.)

Motherhood Mondays: What's the best age gap between siblings?

Monday, August 27, 2012


I've noticed something interesting about people...
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