My Lovely Weddings.
Since February I’ve styled six lovely weddings and I finished the season last Friday with one last event, a small wedding for 26 guests at a private villa in Dubai. I posted a few sneak peeks on Instagram over the weekend, so if you’re interested you can pop over and have a little look.
On the 20th February Hoda & Khaled got married at Dubai Equestrian Polo Club. It was a lovely outdoor wedding with pretty vintage touches, and a few rustic elements such as wood slices and tall winding willow. Despite the fact that I was challenged with a sandstorm, high winds and clouds of yellow dust; the wedding was absolutely fabulous.
Ten days later I landed on The Palm, and assisted wedding planner Sarah Feyling at Couture Events with an outdoor DIY wedding at Kempinski, Palm Jumeirah. The bride was a mutual friend and since she had 3 different areas around the property; a beach ceremony, followed by cocktails in the gardens and a dinner reception and after party at the penthouse there were a lot of details to be taken care of. It was actually one of my favorites because the bride let myself and the florist get really creative. Even though we had a pretty small budget to play with we made it really beautiful (I think I’m allowed by boast a little bit right? ) 🙂
Over the following weeks I styled a few more weddings, a couple of styled shoots and even found time to update www.lovelystyling.com , it’s due for another update soon so watch this space.
Working hard
The past five months have been pretty hectic. Trying to balance meetings, blogging, proposals and everything else that comes with a business has been a real learning curve for me. At one point I felt like I was drowning and even neglecting my blog. (Sorry MLW readers) But when it comes to a wedding my brides come first, hence why some times blogs get posted at 5pm and emails are not updated every day. (I’m working on it)
Also, working nearly every weekend for 8 weeks on the trot was rather tiring but I have to say that I loved every minute of it. My brides have all been totally amazing and every wedding has been unique in it’s own way. I have to be honest I’m looking forward to a holiday and taking some time off. Of course I’ll be blogging as usual over the summer but I’m going to focus on ‘Me’ for a few months. (Read my Getting in shape update below)
The month of May
So May is a pretty cool month for me. Not only does it mark the end of the wedding season but it’s also the month when I started my blog. Believe it or not three amazing years have flown by and I’m still here writing about weddings, vendors and all the loveliness that goes with it.
Three years ago when I first started MLW I never imagined that I’d be where I am today. I had a vision that I would work hard, be successful and inspire brides in UAE but I never really knew if it would work well enough to be my ‘full time’ job. I guess all the hard work has paid off! #yay!
So two weeks back I had a little party for all my lovely vendors, close friends and brides and grooms I’ve worked with. It was so nice to have all my favorite people in one place and celebrate with good wine and really good food. We went all out and hired Ghaf Kitchen to come in and cook us up a storm. And OMG the food is amazing! (More info coming soon)
This month I also decided to update my blog. I’ll be launching a brand new vendor directory and a new gallery. It’s summer project and I’m working with some amazing talented web designers/ programmers in the UK. I’m excited because I think it’s going to make sourcing vendors, looking for inspiration and finding previous blog posts that much easier. So watch this space people!
Getting in shape
By the end of April I was feeling really run down, and I didn’t quite realize how tired I looked until a few people pointed it out to me. I wasn’t eating right and grabbing a quick slice of toast for breakfast or munching down cereal for lunch if I had the time. I think I’ve mentioned this before but I am trying for a baby. It’s been almost two years and I’ve decided now to take serious action.
- I need to get fit. In order to do so I joined BARE and Dylan and his amazing coaches have been putting me through my paces 3-4 times a week. I feel amazing. I’ll be posting a full update with photos tomorrow. I may even include my stats too… if I’m feeling brave.
- Nutrition. I’ve come to realise that this is so important. Fueling your body with the right things can only be good for you. BARE created a programme designed for me and I’ve adapted it a little to help with fertility. I cut down on caffeine and alcohol for a while and now I’m going cold turkey. (It’s so hard!)
- Chilling out. While the summer months are quieter I’ve decided to cut down on meetings and chill at home. I’m training 3-4 days a week so it’s not like I’m sat on the sofa doing nothing, but I have made a conscious decision to relax more. I blog, and catch up with admin in the morning and after lunch I watch TV or read a magazine for an hour or so. I feel like I’m skiving off work but maybe I’ll get over that feeling eventually? Lol.
So to round this blog off I’m going to say thank you once again for reading MLW, following me on social media and basically keeping me in business. Without my lovely wedding readers I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
