First Dance

Elton John – Your Song

Goodbye Bowie

January 8, 1947 – January 10, 2016

Lil’ Shorty

One bridal style which is a firm favourite of mine is a tea length gown which puts a pair of stunning shoes proudly on display.

One British bridal designer who seems to share this opinion is Vikki McCarthy at House of Mooshki. The ever growing designer collection has some of the most exquisite tea length gowns on the market today.

Their ethos is simple “One You, One Day, One Dress”, and there is sure to be that One Dress as the range satisfies every taste; from tulle to satin, scalloped to illusion necklines, cap sleeves to strapless.

It’s impossible to pick just one favourite!

 

To view more from House Of Mooshki, visit the website here.

First Dance

If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me

God only knows what I’d be without you

Bridesmaid Beauty

Long gone are the days where bridesmaids would be forced to wear the puffiest, pinkest, most outlandish gowns a la 27 Dresses.

The styles on offer for bridal parties now are incredible, and 2016 is no different.

The bridesmaid market is a notoriously difficult one for retailers, with many couples choosing to cut costs by purchasing gowns from the highstreet or online. Brands such as Jenny Yoo from The Dessy Group are trying to change this. The latest collection offers 21 unique styles in an array of colours, something for every woman, and trust me – you’ll be in pastille paradise.

The collection even incorporates one of the biggest growing trends in bridal; separates.

Yoo’s goal is to give bridesmaids a quality gown to last forever, using “rich and luxurious silks, chiffons and cottons to create an elegant, feminine and refined look”. Here are a few of my top picks:

See the full collection on the Jenny Yoo website here.

The First Dance

One of my all time favourite pianists – Ben Folds with one of the most romantic songs. Perfect for a first dance:

Confidence

Day 4 of being back to work and I’ve yet to do the first “brave” thing of the year. I know what it should be – sit down with boss and ask for a promotion, or at least a raise. Why is that always the hardest thing to do?

I work hard; I have been at the job for over a year, and am already undertaking managerial duties. But why can’t I tell the person who needs to hear it? Why can’t I verbally praise my own self?

Personally I’ve always lacked confidence and self-belief and I know I’m not the only one. One thing I have noticed is this problem seems more common in women in the office than men. Women tend to think long before they speak, often deciding in the end not to speak at all. In some circumstances the women are overshadowed by men who ooze confidence, who don’t even take a breath before sharing their opinion.

This has long been a problem for me personally since Primary School. Often if the teacher asked a question, male students in the class would raise their hand immediately unafraid if they had the right answer or not. Personally, I would only put my hand up if I was 110% sure it was correct, constantly in doubt.

Now I’m not saying ALL women are the same as me and lack confidence, and of course not all men think they are Brad Pitt, some men share these issues too. Though I think it’s fair to say a fair portion of the female population have suffered confidence issues, especially in the workplace.

The company I work for has a female CEO who is a talented public speaker and seems to handle situations effortlessly. Though she even admits she wasn’t always confident.

So how do we (male OR female) learn confidence?

I’m going to try and find out in 2016, and see if I can finally tackle my own confidence issues. Let’s get this promotion!

The First Dance

Every time I read about a recent wedding, the second thing I do (after checking out the brides beautiful gown of course), is find out what song the couple chose to share their first dance. Music is so important and personal to every couple, and the song chosen will forever be THE song that will make you smile and think of each other.

I’m building the ultimate first dance playlist and will gradually post my choices.

Today’s choice:

Bright Eyes – First Day Of My Life

New Year, New You?

2016 is here and so are the TV ads telling everyone to get fit, lose weight and stop drinking…

Though I understand these are all great things for one’s health, I have decided not to set unrealistic resolutions this year. I AM going to drink, (glass of Prosecco in hand as we speak), I AM going to continue to stay in and watch Netflix for hours on end, and I AM going to continue to eat my bodyweight in pasta.

Rather than cut things out, I thought about things I’ve always wanted to do and things to work on during the year instead.

This is where Something Borrowed was born.

Last year, I was in a job I had a love/hate relationship with. I worked in a sales position for a bridal magazine, and though I loved all things bridal, the job made me dread waking up in the morning. My boss was cruel, the wage was insulting and I stuck with it for three and a half long years. One way I’d get through each difficult day was to keep on track with wedding trends, read the latest bridal blogs and keep tabs on the industry and its hardships. I made brilliant relationships with people in the industry, from fabrics manufacturers to gowns designers, and I loved to see new bridal business’ flourish. The job was far more than just sales and targets to me.

Now I am in a sales position in a completely new industry (a job I love to go to every day), but I do miss all things weddings, and I thought, why not write about it in my spare time? Amongst other interests and passions I have. A lifestyle blog, with a wedding twist.

I want to practise writing every day, as I don’t often have the opportunity to in my career, and I envy people like Lena Dunham, who has the self-belief to just go ahead and do it (everyone should sign up to http://www.lennyletter.com/ for a twice weekly email on feminism, style, health, politics, friendship and more).

Even if nobody stumbles upon it, at least I can practise writing and hopefully improve.

I’m definitely no J.K. Rowling or Charlotte Bronte, but I simply enjoy writing and if it’s something you enjoy (like eating, drinking and watching TV), than why the hell not do it. You only live once.

5 things to do in 2016

1. Something Borrowed, Something Blue
2. Be brave
3. Budget!
4. Focus on relationships
5. Focus on career