Ok, it’s that time again… What have I been up to and what precious gems do I have to share with you lucky things? As it happens… absolutely loads of goodies. It’s a mammoth one guys, so get a coffee and something naughty to eat then enjoy…

RMW hit the slopes…

So you may not have known as everything carried on around here as normal, but Charlotte and I managed to get a little holiday in last week with the boys, when we jetted off to St Anton for a spot of skiing (and ‘boarding in Charlotte and James’ case.) In another random twist of fate, months ago we both realised that we were looking for ski holidays and decided to go together, cue much stressing about leaving the blog for a week and all the extra work of preparing in advance but it was all worth it as we had a Fabulous time.

So we made you a little video to see what we got up to…

RMW hits the Slopes on Vimeo.

We travelled with Crystal Ski and stayed at Hotel Banyan which was very nice indeed, adjoining rooms and balconies, huge cooked breakfast and spa-like wellness centre for stretching those ski-sore muscles off at the end of the day. I think we would all go back and St Anton was a fabulous resort. So we are now back, rested and raring to go .

Blogging in the dark

This week has as always, behind the scenes here at RMW, proved to be an interesting one. I am absolutely loving the debate and feedback that the comments on the Cherry Cool Inspiration Board provoked. (If you didn’t get a chance to have your say, take a look.)

Charlotte and I have a constant joke that some of the things we post are going to go down a storm, and then others that we assume will be less popular become the most commented upon items. We don’t pretend to know everything about everything in the world of weddings and we certainly don’t know everything about what you guys want… which at the end of the day is the reason for the existence of Rock My Wedding. So it’s time to unveil my baby… The Big Rock My Wedding Survey! Over the next week we will be putting the finishing touches to it and then we hope you will bear with us and do us the massive honour of sharing your opinions on everything about Rock My Wedding so we can make it better and better for you guys. Watch this space!

Contra got the Chop!

I finally got around to getting my hair chopped again and I can’t tell you how good it feels. I grew my hair about for the whole 18 months of my engagement as I always knew I wanted it put up… (This was after the small stumbling block of me having already been growing it in anticipation prior to the proposal… but I got in a huff one day and went and get it chopped then came home and showed Pete who was slightly aghast. I flounced around saying ‘Well, it’s not like I’m growing it for anything is it?!’ and he proposed about 10 days later… Ooops!)

Anyway, since then I haven’t really bothered to get it chopped and I was so fed up with having it long and boring. I’ve got to say I’m absolutely loving it, I just feel like me again – smart, a bit sassy and in control.

Fashion Fantastic

I’m loving the whole nautical theme sweeping the high street now and don’t even get me started on the new nudes. As a dedicated hater of black as a clothing option, blue is a colour I wear ALL the time and a good stripe always looks fresh yet classic in the fashion stakes. So when Charlotte and I went to the Net a Porter Bridal Launch I hit a flat panic about what to wear, until I stumbled upon my statement Jacket in Reiss that is. Although not normally a wearer of Jackets, I’m really having a bit of a fashion moment…

Super Stripes. From: (Left to Right,) Topshop, Reiss and good old Marks and Spencer.

Real Wedding Week… kicking off with Chic in the City!

I know I know, it has been a long time coming… but I’m actually almost done, Charlotte and I have been debating how to post my wedding as it is almost as long as Charlotte’s and will make some serious reading.

I really don’t want to detract from the amazing weddings we post here every week and truth be told, am more than a little nervous to be showing off how I did My Day My Way, as in comparison to some of the stuff I now wish I had done, it seems pretty pale in comparison. I reckon it’s only fair though and so I really hope you’ll all bear with the blog whilst we post Chic in the City throughout next week.

*Image by Roger Ford

Every day next week RMW will be taken over by real wedding gorgeousness, with Chic in the City forming the bulk of the content and posts coming thick and fast throughout the day – Please bear with us if your google reader or RSS feed gets a little assaulted – it’s only a week then we promise to pipe back down again to the usual style .

So that’s all for now folks,

Are you excited about next week? I am…

Yours Truly,

Rebecca
xoxo

No I am not about to tell anyone as really I have no idea, all I know is that it feels lovely when James says “My wife” and that it is everything I thought it would be and more.

I’m not wearing rose-tinted spectacles though ( nope not even heart-shaped ones) and I know that a relationship takes commitment, compromise and sometimes a lot of blo*dy hard work.

I walked down that ailse and said “I Do”. That means I’m in it for the long haul – even the bumpy bits.

A lady who certainly does know a thing or two about marriage however is the brilliant author Polly Williams who’s forth novel “How To Be Married” is released on the 4th March and is sure to follow the success of “The Rise And Fall Of The Yummy Mummy” , “Good Girl Gone Bad” and a “Bad Brides Tale”.

And guess what….

Rock My Wedding has 10 copies of “How To Be Married” to give away to all you gorgeous book worms out there.

The Obamas have got one. Those parents of four kissing outside the school gates have got one. But how do you get a hot marriage? And, more importantly, what kind of wife do you need to be to make such a marriage work?

But what is a perfect wife anyway?

Ahem.

Quite.

We asked Polly a few questions that we thought you guys would find interesting and she really delivered with the answers, take a minute or two to have a peek and absorb the good advice.

Rock My Wedding: “How to be Married” amongst other things details the challenges presented in a marriage, what advice would you give our future brides from your own experiences? 

Polly Williams: If you’re one of the lucky ones – I am thankfully – you’ll be more in love with your husband after clocking up a few years of marriage and a baby or two. But you won’t get back that dizzy, weak knees kind of honeymoon love, so enjoy it while it lasts and accept it when it’s gone, or, hopefully, when it’s changed into something deeper and quieter. Those that pine for that old adrenaline fuelled passion often end up looking elsewhere eventually…Don’t do it!

Rock My Wedding: For all of the budding authors amongst us what would you recommend as a starting point for writing your first novel – what percentage of your content is gained from your own home/family life for example? 

Polly Williams: Ah, the most important thing to remember about writing novels is the inconvenient truth that you actually have to write them. You can plot, plan, and dream all you like but until you’ve got about 100,000 words smiling back at you on your computer screen you haven’t got a novel. Beyond that I think it’s about finding a story that means something to you. I don’t take real life incidences from my own life – not dramatic enough! – but that said, I definitely wouldn’t have written my first novel, The Rise and Fall of a Yummy Mummy, if I had not had a baby.

Rock My Wedding: What is the most positive response you have received to your books that detail weddings, marriage and family?
 
Polly Williams: My website received an amazing email last week that brought a tear to my eye. It was a very sincere thank you from a woman whose partner, and father of her child, had strayed. All her friends and family were advising her to leave him but she read The Rise and Fall of a Yummy Mummy and the fictional mother character’s advice to stick with marriage, give it another chance, really moved her. They are now happily united, with a new baby one the way. She said if she hadn’t read that book at that time she wouldn’t have taken him back. Books do matter!
 

So right Lady. Books certainly do matter.

So then what do you have to do to win one of these beauties….

Simple really, just drop us a comment on this post about a book that has really made a difference to you and why. There is no right or wrong answer, we will just pick names out of a (fancy) RMW hat from everyone that has entered and contact you direct to let you know.

Don’t forget to leave us your correct email address so we can get in touch

Go check out Polly’s website for more information on all of her best selling page turners.

We heart her.

Big Book Geek Love

Charlotte xxxx

P.S Competition closes Wednesday 3rd March – Good Luck lovelies!

Goodness it’s been a mighty ol’ while since I have done one of these posts, I feel I have so much to share – especially in terms of what’s hot in the shops!

In fact I have so much I’m going to do my best to create a pretty list and as many images as I can muster…..

Girly Dresses

Now you may or may not know but as much as I love looking at and can often be found admiring a super cute dress I don’t really wear them.

Why?

Because I feel a bit of a pilok in a frock to be honest.

I am very much “me” in a pair of jeans, a funky T-shirt and a blazer and that’s how I feel most comfortable, the amount of dresses I have purchased and ended up not wearing/taking back is verging on the completely ridiculous.

Until I met Rebecca that is.

Rebecca is very much a girly girl, all skirts and Mary Jane shoes and frilly bits…. looks fancy schmancy without even trying and actually made me want to invest in a few more permanent lovely-lady-like wardrobe items.

So I have.

At French Connection.

When I first saw the Meadow Jersey Dress on the hanger I was a bit “Oh looks a bit….dull?” but let me tell you it is anything but – slinky, ULTRA flattering, bust enhancing and thrown on with a pair of black tights, killer heels and a long cardigan you can do that whole winter floral fashionista/sexy librarian thing.

The Sahara Stripe Dress was my “work” purchase, again looks great with black tights ( Am a big fan of Wolford Matt effect and more recently Topshop 120 denier – genius legwear at only £8), majorly comfortable and has great swishiness…. ( No clue if that is a word but I kind of like it)

See I can do a bit of a frill, even if it is only a sleeve

The T-Time Dress is a bargain at £35 and as well as black comes in a delicious plum and prom pink….colour me beautiful.

Business Ladies

As you all know we love creating this blog and finding amazing and creative content to keep all our gorgeous readers brimming with ideas from our inspirational twice daily updates. It was never going to be a permanent or certainly not a full time gig though until Rock My Wedding turned into a bonefide money making business and we are pleased to report that although we are certainly not by any stretch of the imagination making a fortune we are starting to see the fruits of our labours.

I just want you all to know that without you none of this would be happening and we sincerely appreciate it – your commitment, enjoyment and feedback to our little piece of pretty in the blogsphere.

And we certainly don’t take any of it for granted. We are constantly striving to bring you innovative content and make sure Rock My Wedding is somewhere you want to visit often.

Here is a little postcard we made to hand out at the recent London shows – video coming up tomorrow!:

You Like?

The Big 3 -0

Yep that’s right folks in the not too distant future I will be turning 30. And I won’t lie – I have been pretty fed up with the whole thing for a good few months now.

But do you know what?

To hell with it – I am going to celebrate turning 30 years YOUNG and in true O’Shea style am throwing a last minute birthday party complete with live band, D.I.Y photo booth and a full on “Cool Britannia” theme.

I actually took inspiration for my birthday bash from a Rock My Wedding mood board would you believe:

Have a look at the entire post here if you fancy something similar for your rehearsal dinner/engagement party/any bl*ody excuse to have a good time.

Next to consider of course for such a significant coming of age is what I actually want as a gift, not necessarily from anyone else either. Maybe just a treat to myself from myself…. why not.

Happy Birthday me.

And on the wish list?

Well I have to say I am having somewhat of a Lady Luxe moment folks:

The Datya leather jacket from All Saints, tried it on in the Birmingham store… BIG MISTAKE.

Because now I am in love with it.

Crystal Snowflake earrings by Erickson Beamon are simply to-die-for beautiful. If you are a winter bride – heck ANY bride please please consider these beauties.

The over-sized Alexa bag by Mulberry. No I could never be as cool as Madam Cheung and frankly the waiting list is apparently as long as the nile but still – I wouldn’t mind a piece of her arm candy.

Valentines Day

I hope everyone had a great one and enjoyed our “Get Sexy” week.

I received a card from my husband that simply said “You Rock My World” on the front.

He in return got one that just read “I Love You”

Sometimes you don’t need to say a lot to mean a lot.

Big Wifey Love

Mrs O’Shea xxx

Valentines is fast approaching… if you celebrate it, then visions of romantic meals, sexy getaways and beautiful blooms come to mind and this post is kinda appropriate.

However, it’s also appropriate if you are looking for a mini-moon location, a place to spend the first night or 2 of your married lives if you’re not jetting off on honey moon immediately… or if in fact you want to book a weekend away before your wedding for some serious R ‘n’ R, where wedding talk is off the table and some serious hotness and rediscovery is firmly at the front of the picture

All the below sexy get aways have been personally tried and tested by Charlotte or myself and hand selected so if you trust our judgement get booking and look forward to a blo*dy brilliant time.

Tigerlily Cool

Located in the heart of Edinburgh’s fashionable George Street and surrounded by boutique shops, upscale restaurants and bars Tigerlily is as cool as they come.

Be greeted by black kilted staff and escorted into the restored Georgian building which has has a sympathetic but totally funked up overhaul. Think lots of light oak furniture, venetian mirrors, crystal chandeliers, pink damask covered furniture and a touch of the orient thrown in. Your first view will be through into the champagne bar where the stand out feature is a whole mirror tiled wall with a huge white fireplace in the middle and knock out statement wall paper.

Behind the bar and reception is a lounge area and then you hit the black bar and restaurant where you can choose from various seating styles from casual noodle house benches to enclosed booths surrounded by shimmering metal curtains to keep you and your intended away from the hustle of the evening. It doesn’t take much to imagine this place coming alive at night with all the beautiful people coming out to play… perfect for a pre or post dinner cocktail.

If a cool room is what you’re after without any loss of comfort I can wholly recommend the Tigerlily luxury double. Massive bed with fabulous cotton sheets and a million pillows? Check. Revolving widescreen TV at the end of it? Check. (I watched Obama get win the 2008 election on it in fact!) Seating area? Check. And to top it off, the most spacious bathroom I have ever enjoyed in the UK, with cool pink lighting and oodles of fluffy towels and bath robes.

Stay there or be square, or at the very least, pop into the bar for a drink next time you’re in Edinburgh.

Mancunian Madness

Part of the hotel group that I stayed at the night before and the night of my wedding, Great John Street is an eclectic converted school house in the heart of central Manchester. A stones throw from the best shopping, dining and drinking spots in the city, you’re sure to have a great time.

What I love about these hotels is the way you can just ‘be’ there. In these days of hectic lifestyles, busy working lives and on top of that, now wedding planning, finding the perfect place to relax and unwind is a huge priority for me. With a love of home decor and design I like visiting places to inspire my own Grand Designs fantasies.

Again the rooms are sumptuous with a real eclectic design flair in each uniquely styled bolt-hole. Many of the rooms feature mezzanine floors and freestanding tubs in the room, perfect for a bath à Deux, after a hard days wedding shopping with your man.

Retro Romance

Glamour not really your thing? Can’t think of anything worse than another night in the city?

How about a cosy weekend with Vintage Vacations? Based on the Isle of Wight, Helen and Frazer Cunningham started Vintage vacations in 2004 with their first vintage Tradewind Airstream and isn’t she magnificent?!

All restored with original features of their era (1950’s and 60’s depending on the airstream) vintage lovers will definitely want to check out this sunny patch of our fair isle.

For a greater level of comfort and privacy Vintage Vacations has branched out into bungalows, a converted tin tabernacle – ‘The Mission‘ with uber cool decor, and Charlottes personal favourite, The Bungalow. I honestly can’t think of a better place to start playing house with your Mister

So where are your favourite Get Sexy Getaways?

Tell us about them, and if you liked this article we will do more on honeymoon or mini moon locations.

Yours Truly,

Rebecca.
xoxo

I love Janet Street-Porter, she is no-nonsense, straight talking, take no Bullsh*t cool.

So obviously I was more than a little bit thrilled when my Mother-in-Law bought me her recent book “Life’s Too F***king Short” for Christmas.

It is ( and I quote) “A guide to getting what YOU want out of LIFE without wasting time, effort or money”

And let me tell you it’s hilarious – and really quite brilliant.

And what the hell has this got to do with my wedding I hear you ask? well nothing really. And at the same time everything.

There are especially great sections on both beauty and fitness which cuts out the media hype/crap (and the associated expense)…. and just might make you feel that little bit more fabulous.

When you are having a sh*t day and wedding planning is getting on top of you and people are nagging at you to have things on your Big Day you don’t want then recite this particuarly genius mantra that Madam JSP recommends:

You like?

Well you will certainly like the rest of the book too.

ENJOY every bit of your wedding planning, every bit of your Big Day and every bit of your marriage because Madam Porter is right – life is too short to sweat the small stuff.

“Life’s too F***king short” is available from all leading bookshops and Amazon.

Big No-nonsense Love

Charlotte xxx

Phew! It’s been a busy old few weeks over here at Rock My Wedding but a good few weeks too, so here is the list of what made my month so good – I hope some of it makes yours too .

The Snow

I’m sad that the snow has gone… it was so pretty, and whilst getting to work (or not in fact,) was becoming a daily trauma that I’m happy to be free from, I do miss it’s perfect whiteness. Being up in the North West, we had snow on the ground fairly consistently since the week before Christmas to just the last couple of days but it’s all finally starting to melt away. It did make me think more than once that the lucky Brides planning a winter wedding would have had the most perfect backdrop to the day, so long as their guests could make it. In fact, I am hoping that we will soon be able to bring you the shots of more than one perfect white winter wedding, so watch this space!

Even better than the snow that’s gone however, is the snow that is to come as Mr Contra and I booked to go skiing soon. It will be my first time skiing in Austria so I’m looking forward to pretty pistes and lots of glamorous apres ski!

Ugg

Ok, so they are not what you might call new or cutting edge, but my Ugg boots have not been off my feet for the afore said month, and therefore they have to make the list. I bought my Uggs in Santa Monica on my honeymoon, (thereby saving a packet,) and had never had a pair before. Suffice to say their snuggly sheepskin interior and chunky knitted exterior (yup, those are mine in the middle,) saw me through the snow day after day and I can see I am heading towards becoming a life long devotee.

New Shop Discovery: Pedlars!

Pedlars is the latest concession addition to the home department in my local Selfridges and I am totally in love with its vintage retro assortment of home and decorative items. With tons of cool-britannia inspired bits, war time nostalgia and actual vintage items, if you are looking to give your home a bit of something unique this has got to be the place to find it.

I’m particularly loving the vintage signs and Ink prints as shown above, Not one to miss a wedding related opportunity I’d love to see the milk bottles or other unique vases bring a bit of chic to a relaxed wedding table with casual flowers. Or if you’re stuck for a wedding present for a list free wedding this is the perfect place to find something for the modern home loving couple.

A Make Up Splurge!

Ah shiny packaging, how you do tempt me… but it was with a mission that I actually stepped into Selfridges on my last shopping trip. Having read Kit Hall’s post I had decided I should invest in an eye primer or base as I have several gorgeous loose powder metallic eyeshadows that were sliding into my eyelid creases faster than I could drive to work. Not a good look.

In the past I had heard only one eye primer which was Benefit’s Lemon Aid so off I went and was helped by a charming young man to try it out. (I NEVER purchase things, or at least very rarely, without trying them first. I used to work on a Make-up counter as a teen and believe me, all they want is to try something out on you! Plus, it avoids expensive mistakes.) I decided to walk around a bit and see how it settled, then no sooner had something caught my eye on another counter, where I started peering in the mirror at it, and it had creased already! Rubbish!

Fortunately, I had been attracted by Laura Mercier’s Eye essentials, a velvety eye base, that I subsequently tried, tested and purchased in ‘flax’. I’m pleased to say I have worn it everyday since and it really doesn’t budge until home time, which I think is fair enough after a long hard day.

While I was there I also splurged on the liner that completely made my eye make-up on W-day, aptly called Eye Liner. Applied with a flat brush after wetting the ‘cake’ the liner is then applied from underneath whilst looking straight ahead, and wiggled into the base of the lashes, giving a thick luscious look without any heavy residue or stark lines. Definition without disasters!

I managed to step away from the counter without purchasing the new creme blusher – Radiant Creme Cheek Blusher but I’ll be going back soon!

Avatar 3D

Although I’m not really a film buff I do love a trip to the cinema on a date night with Mr Contra and Avatar is on my must see list. This weekend suddenly ran away with me and we didn’t get to see it but it’s definitely on the list for next week. Has everyone seen it before me?!

We love to hear what our readers have been up to so what has been the highlight of your month? Wedding related or not, comment away!

Yours Truly,

Contra
xoxo

P.S. Are you looking for some wedding day cinderella worthy slippers? On my ‘research mission’ (ok, this might be stretching my shopping jaunt a little bit..) I did spy 50% off Jimmy Choo Bridal shoes in Selfridges. The website has 3 styles still available but there were more in Selfridges so for a bargain pair of designer fabulousness for your tootsies, make that call!