I was lucky enough to be invited to a VIP Launch evening at a local attraction, Stockeld Park. It is right on our doorstep and for some reason I have just never thought about going as I have heard that the entrance fee’s are quite high, so we have always steered clear. I’m so glad they invited me along because I realised that it was worth every single penny that warranted the £12 ticket.
Blue Fluffy Jumper, Miss Selfridge (eBay) || Skirt, H&M (eBay) || Shoes, Birkenstocks || Leather Bag, Gloves (Italy)
I was really excited because I got to bring along a guest so I decided to bring along my little sister so we could act like big kids of course. I’m sure you can see from above just how much she enjoyed it.
We made our way round Enchanted Forest first of all which took a good 45 minutes to walk round. At each corner as you can see from the photographic evidence, there was something exciting lurking and awaiting our arrival. From musical tree’s to a belching Ogre, not only was everything visual it was a delight for all the senses too!
The best way to describe it would be that it was a slightly lesser version of Forbidden Corner. I was surprised to find ourselves keeping busy for the 2 and a half hours we were there and we didn’t even take part in all the activities!
We made our way round the Maze which was a rather bad idea. Navigation is not my strongest point. However, we came across some fun little treasures and also a Tardis (or two!) which made my sister VERY happy as a Dr. Who fan.
When we eventually managed to work our way out of the Maze (I promise it wasn’t because I took a photo of the map to help get us out. Brownies honour!) I was desperate for an ice cream so we headed over to the Ice Cream Parlour before we headed home. On site you will find a cafe, picnic area and toilets for all your amenity needs.
Alongside the Enchanted Forest (which, you can motorised scooter around also!) and the maze, there are also go karts, various play parks in and around the Enchanted Forest and also a Skating Rink! You will be spoilt for choice.
Tickets cost £12 per person or you can purchase a family tickets for £42!
If you are thinking of heading to Stockeld Park, click here!
So, here it was. My first ‘’OFFICIAL’’ Blog Meet. As the wedding took up a lot of my time and effort I had slightly forgotten about my wee, little blog! So I have been determined to ramp up the volume and get involved in the ‘’Blogosphere’’ (Ah yes, I just pulled the ‘’B-BOMB!’’)
The lovely Carrie-Ann of Beauties Unlocked & Faith of Music and Eyeliner decided to create ‘’Blog Yorkshire’’ to showcase Brands with us lovely Bloggers, and thus it was born. They had an amazing response to tickets with people clambering to get one for the event & I was lucky enough to snag a ticket, making it officially my first little outing as ‘’QueenBeady.’’
The theme was (my favourite theme of all!) FESTIVAL. So out come the flower crowns, the sparkle, the glitter, the kimonos & everything in between. Dust it off, because it was welcome at this event. In the morning I thought to myself, ‘’Am I nervous?’’ and the answer was a resounding NO. I was so looking forward to meeting some lovely, lovely people who all shared a common passion with me.
The venue was Revolution Bar on Call Lane & I couldn’t help fall in love with this little piece of gorgeousness! I want one. It’s pretty awesome, right? I think we should try and fill one of the frames with a snap shot of the event!
So after mingling and saying hello, meeting new faces it was time to get down with the brands that were showcasing at the event and we were not disappointed with what was on offer. I of course had a personal favourite which was Country & Attire a typically english, out in the countryside type of company. As soon as they mentioned Hunters & Barbour to me, I was there! I spend a lot of time on Mr C’s parents farm so these brands are a must when you rolling up your trousers and wading through mud frequently.
Gee, thanks Faith! Gosh, I do love your macaroons!
They hosted a bit of welly croquet later on in the day which was so much fun! And, they even contributed a pair of Hunter wellies to the raffle. If you didn’t win, you could win with my giveaway here!
Because I am more in to Fashion & Lifestyle blogging, Quiz Clothing were another firm favourite at the event. They brought along some super cute dress (albeit some were a little too glitzy for me!). A firm favourite was a colourful, tropical dress and the metallic heels.
I loved the Great Gatsby style of this dress!
I was lucky enough to get the chance to style an outfit with the dresses, shoes & accessories they had brought along. Everyone had to vote for their favourite outfit, and guess what? Little old me WON! Yes, the unluckiest person, who never wins anything WON! So, I now have a £50 voucher to spend with Quiz. If you can think of any options for me, feel free to suggest.
Because I’m not really a beauty addict I had absolutely NO IDEA about ESPA & I am so glad that they were there because Danielle gave us a run down of their products and taught us that depending on our skin type we are swayed to certain smells. 95% people are drawn in to a particular scent and I fell in to that statistic. I technically chose the dry skin smell!
They also gave us the most gorgeous goody bags depending on our skin type & it has tempted me in to actually creating a skin care regime for myself. Let’s see how my trial run goes with these little beauties.
Pastille Leeds were also there on hand to create the perfect mani. I so would have had my nails done, but I already had them painted & couldn’t bear to part with my own Ciate Mani that I had created the night before. But I am sure you will agree Jenna from Hepcat Blogs nails looked amazing in a matte finish.
The wonderful Georgina from She Might Be Loved another super, talented blogger was also offering the services of a beautiful make over. No amount of pretty can fix my ugly so I didn’t take up the offer, but, the makeovers she did were incredible & I really hope this has encouraged her to get out & just DO IT!
The amount of prizes in the raffle draw was just ridiculous! I bought a strip of tickets but failed to win any prizes! Like I said, I’m terribly unlucky (bar my earlier win!) so a big congratulations to all the winners, you are so so soooo lucky! With prizes from Zatchel Bags, to Nair products to the penultimate prize of a pair of Hunters from Country Attire there was literally something for everyone!
The sweets, biscuits, cupcakes & even strawberries kept our palettes happy. A bit of indulgence is always acceptable and I have to say, whoever baked those buns is nothing short of a genius.
I met so many lovely people & quite frankly the blogging world is lovely. It’s inspirational to meet people who are just as passionate as you are about reading and writing (our little babies!) Like my new Blogging BFF Frances from Then Let’s Begin(She has probably hit block or delete once she reads that!) it is like a Solidarity, Sisterhood and it’s empowering that we are kicking ass and showing the people out there that we are a voice & you better well damn listen to it!
I am so looking forward to our next meet which word on the grapevine is not going to be until November! But, it something for us to look forward to when I get a serious case of ‘’Winter Blues.’’ I’d love to hear if there any sporadic Yorkshire Blog events in the future, keep me posted.
Now if you know what it’s worth, go follow all the lovely people mentioned and also head over to Blog Yorkshire and find some amazingly, talented bloggers/writers for all your fashion, beauty, lifestlye needs!
Festival season is well upon so what better way than to celebrate with a giveaway. I have just surpassed the 900 follower mark & I’m super, super excited that you are enjoying all my new posts whilst I suffer from post-wedding blues!
Of course, the other thing that you know about me is that I love Music & Festivals. So when Cloggs UK wanted to join in the fun we decided that my favourite pair of wellies (The PillarBox Red Wellies – to be exact) would be the BEST prize for a giveaway.
To enter all you have to do is follow the instructions below! I look forward to seeing who the winner is in 2 weeks time!
And whilst you’re at why not browse the Hunter Range here!
When I say ‘’The One’’ I’m not actually referring to that bearded, curly haired man that I call my Husband. I’m talking about THE ALL IMPORTANT dress.
We all often dream of what wedding dress we want on our big day & I was no dissimilar to that typical girly dream. My figure is say, a little difficult, in my eyes. Through school I was stick thin and then suddenly when I left school I grew hips and not just normal sized ones, I’m talking Kimmy K, Baby Rearing HIPS! And then there was the lady lumps, that went from a modest 32B to a sizeable cup size that I don’t wish to admit to. I found it difficult to adjust to but, if that was what life was going to throw at me with my hourglass figure I was going to rock it. I had to.
I made 3 appointments that cold November 2012 morning. I was eager to get in fast and buy the dream dress. I dragged my Mum & Nana along too. They weren’t getting out so easily!
My first Bridal store did not inspire. I was certain that the dress I wanted was going to be perfect. You are a Bride once. So not feeling too disheartened we made our way to Brides of York on Micklegate. The shop itself was dark panelled wood, it looks like a gentleman’s drawing room & I was adamant that when I stepped foot in this store, that we would be leaving empty handed again.
But, like a book, things don’t always appear to be what you think from the outset. I tried on the exact style of dress I wanted. No funny business trying to sell me a style I didn’t want. We got too it. It suited me so why ruin a good run. The ladies were so lovely in helping me get in & out of the dresses and gushing in the right places but also advising me if something didn’t sit right or that the buttons ‘’were a must!’’
I was smiling from ear to ear, I had found ‘’the one’’ in quite frankly, what I thought, the least expected place! So off we trotted to the next place. I tried on all the Maggie Sotterro dresses (the dream dresses I thought I wanted! How could I have been so wrong?) Nothing felt right and whilst I tried my hardest to sound interested in what the lady was saying my mind kept wandering back to THAT dress.
It was simple, as I got dressed back in to my clothes and buttoned up my coat we were going to go get the perfect dress.
The Bridesmaids, except my sister & cousin hadn’t seen the dress so the morning of the wedding tears were certainly flowing. I would seriously suggest keeping it a secret because it builds up the excitement!
My beautiful dress is from the White Rose collection, which is a range that not many Bridal Stockists have in this area so it felt nice that I was wearing a dress that not many people would have! Apparently, I was the only Bride that had bought the dress without making any alterations to it. It was almost like it was made for me.
My beautiful veil was a heavy material which I really wanted to hang. I never thought I would wear a veil but after trawling through Pinterest and seeing these slightly more delicate style, one tier veils I knew I had to try one & when I did it fit perfectly.
I’d love to hear about your dream dress & was it what your Mr expected? I can’t wait to hear from you. If you have missed any of my other Wedding Diary posts click here!
Now, call me a bitter bride I don’t care. To my dismay when our photographer, Jenny Prest (who is AMAZING by the way and all the photos you are seeing are hers!! Bar one or two shots!!) was loading some snippets to her facebook page and people were commenting MORE on the Bridesmaid dresses than mine.
Although, secretly I was pleased as no-one could see my vision. I told everyone numerous times, red shoes & petticoat. I was greeted with looks of despair and questionable glances ensued but I was adamant. That was what it was going to be!
And, look how pretty they all look. The Cath Kidston style fit in perfectly with the wedding. They all looked amazing in them and it is such a flattering style of dress. In fact I was jealous that I wasn’t a bridesmaid in one of them. (Although, I personally don’t think I could trade my beautiful dress in just yet!)
I stumbled upon these dresses on, you guessed it, eBay. They were from British Retro eBay Shop and at £45 they were a steal. They even gave me a small discount for purchasing 6 dresses. If you are looking for something a little bit kitsch and cute this is the place to go!
What Bridesmaid dresses have you chosen or have you been a Bridesmaid where you loved or loathed your dress? I want to hear so drop me a comment below.
You can see all my other posts over here! For all my Wedding Diary posts press that ‘’Follow Button’’
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