Monthly Round Ups
Monthly Round Up | March 2016
At the start of this year, I made a promise to myself to blog more often and felt inspired to blog weekly. However, I’ve been a whole lot busier with work and family than I anticipated and so it’s fallen by the wayside slightly over the last couple of months. BUT, March has been the kickstart of my blogging journey for 2016, so I felt it appropriate to start a monthly round up post of what I have been up to each month! So here’s what I have been up to in March:
BUSINESS
It was a cold and wet start to the month, so a lot of time has been spent in my office catching up on emails, planning admin, and creating design plans for my 2017 clients. I have some truly beautiful weddings coming up this summer too, which have been months (and some years!) in the planning, so it’s really exciting to see those coming to life as we have been finalising more detailed plans over the last few months. I love discussing floral design with my clients and their florists, and designing the look and feel of their wedding day.
A teeny tiny snapshot of a Design Plan I have been working on for a May 2017 wedding in Norfolk.
I was lucky enough to be invited to an exclusive pamper day in the most beautiful home in Holland Park by Julie Michaelsen a couple of weeks ago. I had such a wonderful day with a handful of other Planners, and we were treated to a photography session with Julie after we had been madeover by the lovely Zara and Anni at Portraits Bridal, and Beth from Elizabeth Carter Design created a stunning bouquet and floral crown especially for me, which paired perfectly with my style and business branding. That’s all I can say for the moment, but I can’t wait to share some of the images with you soon!
Being pampered by the lovely ladies from Portraits Bridal
Earlier this week I met with one of my 2016 Brides to have a walk through of her Oxfordshire wedding venue and finalise details with her marquee and security companies, as well as meeting the new Wedding Co-ordinator at the venue, whom I hadn’t yet met. I’m super excited about this wedding; a festival style celebration, set in a 15 acre field; where there will be a girls vanity tent and a chill out tent in addition to the main tent, with a vintage caravan, especially for the Bride to take a few moments to compose herself in throughout the day! There are a few surprises too, so I won’t share too much with you now – but it’s promising to be amazing!
I’ve also been planning exciting stationery details for a Spring 2017 wedding, with Julie at Hollyhock Lane, and I literally cannot wait to see what she creates for my lovely couple!
Amidst the plans, I have had a number of Skype and telephone catch-ups with my international couples to talk through their plans to date, and set an action plan for the coming month as their wedding date is nearing!
FAMILY
Over Mothers Day weekend, we met up with some friends at Legoland which my two year old daughter Bella absolutely adored! As it wasn’t open to the public yet (it was a friends and family pre-opening day), it was wonderfully quiet with no queues for the rides or restaurants! On the Sunday we had brunch with my parents at their home, followed by an afternoon wander around one of my favourite Cotswolds villages; Broadway. We had a spot of Afternoon Tea at the Market Pantry and stopped off at Batsford Arboretum on the way back home.
One weekend we visited The Pig nr Bath for a cocktail or two, and a wander around the gardens. I haven’t had the opportunity to visit The Pig before, and it’s been on my list for a long time and it was definitely worth waiting for. It is a beautiful venue for a country luxe wedding!
The Pig nr Bath in the sunshine
We have been spending a few months visiting possible schools for Bella, and have finally found the perfect school for her in nearby Abingdon. Registration form submitted, we have our fingers and toes crossed that she will be offered a place for September 2017!
Some friends of ours were staying at Soho Farmhouse for a special birthday, so we visited them one Sunday afternoon for a wander round and a coffee, as I haven’t been to the Farmhouse since it was finished. Last time I went, it was super muddy and lots of the buildings weren’t yet finished, so it was a real treat to see everything finished. It looks absolutely gorgeous, and is just what Oxfordshire has needed for a long time! The cinema and kitchen gardens were my favourite spots, and it’s easy to sink into one of the deliciously cosy armchairs in the restaurant and dream away the afternoon!
The Kitchen Garden at Soho Farmhouse, ready for planting!
We spent the Easter weekend with my parents in Dorset, and celebrated my parents 40th wedding anniversary with a delicious lunch at Limewood in the New Forest. It’s such a beautiful setting, with some gorgeous buildings and architecture, and the spa is to die for – with my favourite Bamford products! It was the perfect end to a busy March, and lovely to spend some quality time in Dorset where I grew up, as I don’t get to go back anywhere near often enough.
The beautiful Limewood in the New Forest
Weymouth Beach, Dorset
HOME
At home, we have renovated our en-suite bathroom, which has been possibly about 8 months of planning. Who knew changing a bathroom would be such a challenge?! We had the builders, plumbers and electricians in for just over three weeks, which was a challenge in itself, but I’m delighted with the contemporary spa-like results and having a shower in our new bathroom is a luxurious experience every morning now!
I’ll be celebrating my 30th birthday this year with a bohemian garden party, so we’ve been busy making plans for our garden improvements in time for July. Nothing like a little bit of pressure to kickstart the motivation to get cracking…. We bought a summerhouse for us and a playhouse for Bella last year, which have both been painted but have remained unfurnished since then, so I’ve been searching for some suitable furniture to fill them this month too.
I hope everyone has had a wonderful and productive March, and I’ll catch up with you again in April! Hopefully April will bring a little more sunshine, and now that the clocks have been put forwards, I for one am most definitely enjoying the lighter evenings!
Jeni xx
