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Valentines Day Lingerie Offer

Valentines Day Underwear

Photo Credit: Sunchild57 Photography  

If like me, you love treating yourself to the occasional luxury of some beautiful new lingerie, you are going to love this! Debenhams have got a special 15% off sale running on their rather gorgeous designer lingerie between now and Valentines Day 🙂

I love these Valentines Day Lingerie pieces as they come in at very reasonable prices with a bra from Frost French starting from around £14 in the sale and some very alluring boudoir underwear from Janet Reger like the gorgeous embroidered corset which is under £30.

It's a great opportunity to have a little spending spree whilst keeping a tight handle on your budget! For the same reason that I love shopping in designer outlets and TK Maxx, there is something very satisfying about buying something that is wonderful quality but without the completely unjustifiable price tag.

 

Valentines Day Underwear from Frost French
Valentines Day Underwear from Janet Reger

 

If you’re looking for more of a Valentines night snuggle with your beau, then there are some really super cosy looking fleecy socks and super cute checked pyjama bottoms.

Snuggle Sock

Whether you’re going for snuggle time or full on flirt time, this is a great place to shop for something that is kind of a Valentines Day Lingerie present for your beau… but also a nice little present to yourself as well 😀

Have fun!

Laura xx

 

A Moroccan Mini Moon Adventure – Part 2

So, here is the second part in our Moroccan Mini Moon Adventure feature! If you missed the first part, you can catch up on it here.

The next day was a Saturday and I had booked us in a trip to get out of the Medina and to go and see a little more of what Morocco had to offer. Our guide came and met us bright and early and led us to our private taxi which was waiting for us on the outskirts of the Medina.

Our first stop was at a Berber house in the winding roads taking us up to the Atlas Mountains. The Berber people are indigenous to the area and are highly self-sufficient. Whilst we were in the house, we were given homemade bread and honey, along with countless cups of their amazing Moroccan Tea.

After the house visit, we continued in our taxi up into the mountains. We made a little stop off to ride a couple of camels, which was quite an experience, and then carried on our way.

 

 

The aim of our trip was to climb up one of the mountains to see the Setti Fatma  Waterfalls at the top  and so as we neared the spot, our taxi pulled over and parked up. Our guide said to us ‘you ready to climb’? I nodded my head vigorously, having no idea that what lay before us was actually quite a challenging climb (well, in my books anyway!) Only wearing a pair of converse, we climbed up river beds, scrambled over boulders and jumped across from rock to rock to get us to our destination. It was a breeze for Mr John with his long legs, but for me and my five foot not much frame, it wasn’t so easy!

 

But we made it in the end, and after two hours of climbing the views were amazing. Check out these waterfalls!

 

 

The climb back down the mountain was much easier and it was great to climb back into the taxi to be whizzed back to the Medina!

After a lovely relax with a glass of wine on the roof terrace at the Riad, we went for dinner at an incredible French Moroccan restaurant called Le Foundouk which had been recommended by Nicolas. The ambience was incredible with the layout around an open courtyard (much like in our Riad). We had a three course feast of lamb, vegetables and couscous washed down with a beautiful bottle of wine.

On our final morning, we decided to head back out into Marrakech for a whistle-stop tour of some of the ‘must see’s’ before we headed back home. Our first stop was the Bahia Palace, which had some of the most gorgeous architecture and beautiful tiling and carvings that I have seen.

 

 

 

 

Then we headed over to the Botanical Gardens. These are a little way out of the centre and we were told that you can get a horse and carriage for a reasonable amount there and back. However, as we were short on time, we hopped in a cab and were there in ten minutes. This was a wonderful place to visit, and was a complete rest from the hustle and bustle of the Medina.

We decided to have lunch at the Gardens and this little chap thought he would join us!

 

 

We made our way back to the airport in time to catch an early evening flight back to the UK. What an incredible fun packed Mini Moon Marrakech makes! I would wholeheartedly recommend this to newlyweds in the UK, looking for a more exotic and adventurous honeymoon on a small budget.

Laura x

Easy like Sunday Morning…

Now that we are properly into the Summer, are you making the most of the long days to get as much wedding planning done as possible? I always find it so much easier to get more done when the sun shines (or sometimes shines!) for longer into the evening. Let us know how you’re getting on!

Here’s this week’s round up of favourite things…

 

Budget wedding tips from Cosmo!

 

♥ Seeing our garden produce some stunning flowers! We heart pink and white 🙂

 

 

♥ Great DIY budget wedding on one of my new favourite blogs here.

 

♥ Just the sight of these peach margaritas are making me thirsty! Perfect for a sunny day, I think!

 

Photo Credit: A Beautiful Mess

 

♥ This is so so true – why should your groomsmen all wear identical suits?

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and see you next week!

Laura xx

A Moroccan Mini Moon Adventure – Part 1

One of the most frequent questions that I am asked by brides to be, is about how to have an amazing honeymoon or mini-moon on a tight budget. As an absolute holiday addict, I have always been one for scouring for the best travel deals and love nothing more than finding a complete bargain and knowing that a dream holiday is just round the corner.

 

When you and your Beau start thinking about your honeymoon, it can be a bit daunting, knowing about all of the other things that you have to stretch your budget to accommodate.

 

The best thing to do first off is set your budget and try your absolute best to stick to it. For this Moroccan Mini Moon Adventure blog post feature, I took Mr John to Marrakech to see how much gorgeousness we could fit in on a tight budget. This was truly an incredible mini moon break away and one that I would recommend whole heartedly to any couple looking for a little bit of an adventure to start off their married life together.

Here’s how we got on!

 

Actual amounts spent

Flights: £119 each

Parking at the airport: £14 each

Riad: £165 each

Total Spent: £298 per person (plus spending money for food and fun!)

 

After landing into Marrakech on our Ryanair flights from Stansted, we jumped into a taxi and made the twenty minute journey across to the Medina where our Riad was situated. Less than four hours flight from the UK and we were completely blown away by how utterly different everything was. We may as well have been on the other side of the world. Looking to our left we could see the rubbly desert stretching off into the distance and to our right, the sandy coloured old walls of the Medina.

Our taxi dropped us off as close as it could get us to Riad Camilia where our host, Nicolas, came to meet us and show us the way through the labyrinth of streets to where we would be calling home for the next few days.

Nicolas was such a pleasure to meet – the perfect host, asking us questions about our journey and showing us sights as we made our way to the Riad. The streets were dusty and zigzagging as well as being so narrow that you could barely fit three people across widthways. We shared our short walk with stray cats, moped riders peeping their horns and all manner of vendors trying to sell us treats from carpets and lanterns through to fruit and meat.

Arriving in front of a small alleyway, Nicolas asked us to mind our heads on the low overhanging ceiling and to follow him. At the end of the dark alleyway, Nicolas clunked a couple of locks and then opened his doors onto what I can only describe as an oasis of calm and beauty. A marble floor lined with carpets led to an open courtyard atrium, where all of the bedrooms could be accessed.

 

 

 

 

 

We were incredibly lucky as, due to a couple cancelling late notice, Nicolas was sweet enough to give us a free upgrade to our bedroom. Huge wooden doors opened into a high ceilinged room with our own private courtyard (complete with huge banana palm) and bathroom with steps down into a huge open his and hers shower. This was truly luxury and after our short haul flight and small walk through the medina, the tranquillity that settled over us as we settled in at the Riad was quite amazing.

 

 

 

But as well as feeling calm, we wanted to explore! Riads in Marrakech are often set out around a central courtyard area, with the opportunity to relax in the centre of the building whilst looking up the sky. Riad Camilia had a gorgeous dip pool on the ground floor and after exploring a little more and making our way up a winding stone staircase, we found ourselves up on the roof terrace. A haven of palms, herbs and flowers, the terrace has been carefully designed to make you feel as comfortable as possible with cushioned seating areas, little dipping pools to jump in when the sun gets too hot and huge parasols to relax beneath.

 

 

 

 

Looking out across the city, you can see the Atlas Mountains stretching off into the distance and then a panoramic view 360 degrees around you, so that you can see all of the rooftops of the medina around you. Nicolas informed us that breakfast would be served up on the roof terrace each morning - breakfast up there sounded just fab to us!

 

As it was already late, we decided to take dinner at the Riad. Nicolas and his team had prepared us a beautiful dinner table down in the dining room beside a roaring open hearth fire. As soon as we walked into the room, we could smell the delicious spices from the cooking and knew that it was going to be a really yummy dinner!

 

Sitting on the low cushioned chairs, we were brought an array of dishes – from flatbreads with chutneys and dips through to a delicious chicken tagine. Moroccan cuisine was everything that we had hoped it would be; fresh, fragrant and super tasty! As we were inside a private dwelling in the Medina, we were able to drink wine with our dinner – it’s worth bearing in mind that a lot of restaurants and the shops within the medina will not serve alcohol as the Medina is the most religious part of the city.

Our desert was freshly sliced orange sprinkled with rosewater and cinnamon. The entire dinner was such a treat and we headed off to bed very sleepy and happily full.

 

The next morning, we awoke early, ready to head out and explore the Medina. It is important to respect the local customs and so I covered up my arms, legs and chest with a comfy pair of linen trousers, long sleeved t-shirt and a light cotton scarf.

 

We headed straight into the middle of action and made our way into the Souks. This was such a fantastic experience of finding your way down the tiny streets and seeing shops selling spices through to tiny little turtles and lizards.

 

 

The souks are an incredible experience and it is very worthwhile spending a good half a day wandering through the maze of shops to see what it is on offer.

 

 

 

Come the afternoon, after browsing the souks to our hearts content, we went for an invigorating couples Hammam massage at Le Bain Bleu (which had been recommended to us by Nicolas). Mr John was understandably wary (having never been for a massage before) but I convinced him that it would be a great experience and in we went.

After walking into a marble lined steam room, scattered with rose petals, we were scrubbed and massaged with salts and rinsed with cool water. We then relaxed in a giant bath (which seemed like more of a mini swimming pool to me) before being taken off into a candle lit room for a his and hers massage.

 

 

We emerged after the Hammam massage feeling like new people! Mr John’s skin looked bright and revitalised and I felt completely relaxed and pampered – as well as having the softest skin I have had in years!

That night, we had dinner on a roof terrace on the other side of town, swapping my usual large glass of red wine for a bottle of Orangina.

 

 

It had been a great first full day in Morocco. And despite the fact that we had walked a long way through the souks, the Hammam massage meant that we felt relaxed and ready to have a good sleep so that we were ready for the next day’s adventures…

 

Keep an eye on the Blog for Part Two of this Mini Moon feature coming up soon!

 

Have you booked your minimoon yet? Have a look at easyJet Holidays for some fantastic deals to Marrakech as well as tonnes of other minimoon and honeymoon detinations here.

Laura x

Easy like Sunday Morning…

I hope that you have had a good week and that you got to enjoy some of the sun? Here is a roundup of our favourite things from the week just gone…

 

♥ In love with this Coral themed wedding and the glee on the Brides face warms the cockles of my heart!

♥ Chuffed to bits with my new skincare set from Philosophy. After my makeover at Space NK back in March, I learned that using a harsh toner on my face is really not the way forward and that I should be using a moisturising Serum instead. So, when I saw this little pack on the Duty Free for £39 (saving £34 on the high street price) on a recent EasyJet flight I was on, I snapped it up!

 

 

♥ Wow, look at these beautiful home made giant white paper flowers, I love this girls total dedication!

♥ Beautiful wedding with sunflowers – just lovely 🙂

♥ We’re in this month’s Perfect Wedding Magazine. A great issue with a free DIY wedding special magazine. I especially like the rainbow wedding cake tutorial!

 

 

♥ This wedding in Brittany, France is so pretty.

♥ Some food for thought here on why low budget weddings might equal more offbeat themes.

♥ This wedding is so beautiful – and just look at the picture of the couple at the alter with their little baby watching them – just melts your heart!

Sun = Barbeques! Some nice advice here for how to have a good one.

♥ I’m an absolute sucker for a Piñata at the best of times, but a neon pink one filled with mini bottles of spirits?! Top marks!

 

 

♥ Buying our new Budget Bride Company camera – a Panasonic Lumix G5. Cannot wait for this to be delivered – watch this space for lots of gorgeous photography heading your way…

 

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and see you next week!

Laura xx

Budget Bride Company Wish List…

Here’s a little peek into what we have been lusting over in the Budget Bride Company office recently!

 

This Florentina Garter from Just For Eve at £38. I love the lace and satin combo.

 

One of these beautiful three tier wedding cakes from Just Devine Cakes. Amazing value at £210…

 

This crystal forehead band is so art deco. Want one now!! £30 from Pippy’s Vintage.

 

Words cannot describe my love for this H&M Conscience Collection dress which I think would make a perfect Honeymoon outfit. A bargain for £19.99.

 

 

I would like to be writing my thank you letters with this Swarovski Crystal Pen . Pretty in pink at £24 from Beaver Brooks.

 

What’s on your wedding wish list this week?

Laura xx

On taking time out and doing what makes you happy…

I remember that I used to be really good at recognising when I needed to take a day off and just do some of the stuff that makes me happy. I would book a random day off work (usually a Friday) and then I would set about making plans. These would usually entail booking myself in for  some form of beauty treatment and booking in a lunch date with my Mum, Sister or a friend. I would then decide on where I might head after my lunch – perhaps a café with a good book or magazine, perhaps visiting a museum or gallery that I had wanted to wander around for some time, or simply driving to a nearby town with good shops so I could just wander around and maybe buy a new top or piece of jewellery or something for the house.

 

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/antitezo/384291454/

 

But it seems that recently, my Time Out prerogative has slipped out of view all together. There always seems to be another appointment or thing to do that takes priority over just having a good fun day off!

 

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/iamjessdamen/4864011696/

 

Since becoming engaged have you found that your life has become a whirlwind of appointments, tasks and meetings – squeezing out that precious time for you to just enjoy yourself and take a breather? With the amount of wedding suppliers to book, venues to view and friends and relations to catch up with, it’s no wonder that the lead up to your wedding can sometimes be the very opposite of relaxing!

 

How would you feel about booking yourself a Time Out day to do with whatever you wish? Be it catching up with your best friend for a sleepover and some soppy rom-coms, or going out to the seaside with your other half – I would love to hear what you would plan!

 

 Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jjjohn/2124496278/

 

I am going to promise myself a Time Out day off before the end of March and here are some of the things that I plan to do…

♥ Book in an appointment for a facial at my local beauty therapists

♥ Go to my local garden centre and look at all of the plants that could fill my garden

♥ Dig out my favourite book and take it to my local café, sit in my favourite chair in the corner and read it for a good couple of hours – accompanied by multiple cups of cappuccino

♥ Bake an impressive chocolate cake (maybe this one )

♥ Purchase a lovely new dress from Oliver Bonas on line

♥ Change into my pyjamas early and have a posh Marks and Spencer’s Meal Deal (complete with bottle of red!) whilst watching Carlito’s Way from start to finish with my beau.

 

Cake picture from www.nigella.com

 

How would you spend your perfect day off?

Laura xx