It feels like I haven't done much recently because my focus (and money) has all gone on the new house but I went to see the American Idiot musical on Friday, visited friends in Eastleigh yesterday and I've got a early 40th birthday trip to Liverpool planned for Martyn and a Manics gig both coming up next month so lots to look forward to.

A meal out and going to watch the musical was a bit of a date night for me and Martyn so I made an effort and put my glad rags on. You have to look smart if you're going to the theatre dahling, right? The cast of the show were great (including Amelia Lily) and it made a nice change to the more traditional musicals I'm a fan of but was a bit more in keeping with Martyn's musical taste. Really looking forward to the next show that I have booked which is Billy Elliot.

All of my time online is spent looking at wedding venues and pinning bedroom inspiration so I've not done any online shopping for dresses for aaaages and I've been wearing the same ten dresses on rotation which can get a little dull so I was super excited then this polka dot number was delivered. I've worn this Wallis dress from House of Fraser a handful of times including on my date night and I've only had it for just over a week. It is definitely my new favourite and a nice summery addition to my wardrobe. I'll be wearing this in the summer with sandals and a denim jacket and to work with a cardigan. 

Are you a polka dot fan? I must have at least 5 polka dot dresses, one more can't hurt ;)

      

With inspiration and advice from over 250 wedding specialists, thousands of dresses to suit all budgets and a show-stopping catwalk, The National Wedding Show is a fun day out and a great place to start planning your perfect wedding.

I attended the show in Birmingham NEC with my mum and made a real day of it. It was the first time I had done any real wedding planning and tried on dresses. No High Street stores stocks wedding dresses in Cardiff, you have to order them in specially. This is a bit tricky for a bride on a budget as I don't have a credit card to put the dresses on and I would want to order a few sizes and shapes to try on. Most bridal boutiques are completely out of my price range so I was really excited to attend the show and actually get to try some dresses on and take a look at some designer dresses with Wedding Show discounts and offers that would fit my small budget. 

I was a guest of Debenhams for the day and headed straight to their beautifully presented stand. Their entire bridal collection was there to view along with their bridesmaid, bridal lingerie and bridal accessories collections, as well as the Mother of the Bride and kids collections.  Staff at the stand and in-store can offer style advice for the big day and make suggestions for a gift list, it can be a one stop shop for all of your weeding needs. I fell in love with a Coast two piece outfit for my bridal party at the Debenhams stand and my mum was particularly taken with a grey and pink dress that featured in the catwalk (photo above). 

As well as trying on some dresses the day was also useful in terms of getting inspiration for cakes, invitations, photographers and even the honeymoon. I hadn't really put much thought into how I was going to capture my day on film before going to the show and I'm now seriously considering a photo booth and videographer if I can stretch my budget or discuss only a couple of hours coverage at a reduced price. If you would like to attend the show yourself there will be another chance in the autumn.

This is my first wedding post on the blog, I'm now in full on wedding planning mode so I'm sure there will be a couple more to follow. Can you recommend any South Wales wedding vendors? Have you been to a wedding show as part of your wedding prep or did you you exactly what you wanted right from the start?

Well I guess this is growing up... 

I moved in with Martyn this week two years ago into a rented house and I never thought that my life would change so quickly in such a short space of time. Martyn proposed in December and the new year was a blur of house viewings, making an offer and waiting nervously to find out if we were able to get a mortgage on the house we both loved. With no chain for both myself and Martyn and for the sellers the whole house buying process went very quickly. I would say that the whole process took no longer than 6 weeks and I was very unprepared for the big move, we were packing up the old house a couple of weeks after we got the keys for the new place. 

There was quite a bit of work to do on the house when we moved in as there always is with old houses. My mum and Martyn gave the whole house a lick of white paint and a good clean before we moved in (I make tea and point out bits that have been missed). Some rooms were missing skirting board, lots of things were a bit wonky and previous owners had been a bit slap dash in their approach to painting, tiling and general level of finishing so we have been rectifying some of that. The features like the original doors, picture rails, tiled hallway and fireplaces made me fall in love with this house but old houses are also drafty and need a lot of repairs so the next year will be spent getting the house up to modern standards as far as energy efficiency and safety are concerned and the roof needs some attention.

The hallway has had a relatively small amount of work done. It's had a fresh lick of paint on the walls and woodwork and a new fuse box to make the electrics safe but that's about it. I want to clean the floor tiles properly and restore them to their former glory. This will require some industrial strength cleaner and some sealing wax and a lot of elbow grease. I also want to have a picture gallery going up the stairs and the outside of the house needs some paint and a jet wash.

The living room is probably the most completed room in the house so far. We had a new carpet fitted before we moved all the furniture in, fixed the fireplace to the wall and gave the walls, woodwork and radiators a few coats of brilliant white. The only thing left to do in the living room is find a coffee table and paint the chimney breast a pale grey colour (Maybe F&B cornforth white). You can see a 'before' photo here. I am feeling very proud of the home that Martyn and I are building together and I'm looking forward to relaxing and enjoying the house once it is complete.

I'll share some photos of the dining room, kitchen and the bedrooms later in the week and if anyone would find it useful I may write a simple guide to buying your first house/what you can expect when buying your first house.