High Street Bridal

The dress: the bridal element a girl dreams of the most. For many, this will be the most expensive dress they will ever wear, especially considering they only get one use out of it.

My dress was no exception, as beautiful as it is and as princess-like as it made me feel, the thought of such a costly gown hanging in its garment bag, with no prospect of seeing the light of day again, brings me a little pain.

Fortunately, brides today don’t have to spend a small fortune on that beautiful white dress, as more and more high street retailers are trying their luck at becoming part of the bridal fashion industry.

Now, you may be skeptical, and I can’t blame you, I was, but after spending a considerable amount of time browsing the current selection of high street wedding dresses, I can honestly say, I like what I see.

Have a look at some of my top picks in four different styles, with cost ranging from surprisingly affordable to high street indulgent.

Style: V-Neck

These modern yet whimsical dresses are perfect for the romantic bride that wants a daring neckline. Both feature a scalloped trim in the V-neckline, which I adore.

The Gardenia Wedding Dress (Phase Eight £750) is made of floral tulle tapework and is hand embellished with delicate sequins and beads. The slinky material results in a feminine silhouette with the godet detail creating a full skirt, which gracefully flows into the train. The keyhole back elegantly completes the dress.

The Sofia Long Bridal Dress (BHS £150) is made with delicate lace and has an empire waist and full skirt, with a V-neckline across the back and front of the dress, with satin champagne lining and a grosgrain belt.

Style: Illusion

These beautiful lace creations are prefect for the girl who loves a sweetheart shape but prefers the modesty of a higher neckline. The lace overlay of these styles makes them effortlessly elegant and timeless.

The Mariette Wedding Dress (Phase Eight £650) has intricate embellishments of shimmering beads and sequins on the lace, a delicate train and a concealed back zip.

The Début Ivory Lace Maxi Dress (Debenhams £195) is a delicate satin and lace silhouette dress with a fishtail bottom and V line back.

Style: Cover-up

For the bride that prefers a little extra fabric in the shoulder area, a bolero or shrug is a flexible way to have two looks for the same dress, wear it for the ceremony and lose it for the reception, or whatever feels comfortable. Alternatively, a dress with sheer sleeves will allow the cut of the dress to shine while maintaining a demure bridal look.

The Ellis Bridal Dress & Shrug (Monsoon £699) has a captivating sheath silhouette and scallop-edge train. The embroidered tulle has been generously embellished with beads and sequins that create an everlasting shimmer. The dress includes a concealed zip and a hidden finger loop to lift the train. 

The Elbertine Wedding Dress in Ivory (Phase Eight £650) is a stunning 1920's inspired style which boasts exquisite embellishments and beading. It also includes a detachable sequin belt with a bow at the back to adjust the waist.

Style: Strapless

Perhaps the most popular style in modern brides, and for good reason, with a choice of sweetheart, straight across or semi-sweetheart, you can pick the cut that suits you best and give your neckline and accessories pride of place.

The Imogen Bridal Dress (BHS £450 is made of organza fabric with a satin underlay and netting to allow a full skirt effect. The dress is completed by the intricate embellishments across the bodice and stunning lace-up back. 

The Esme Wedding Dress in Ivory (Phase Eight £350) certainly looks like it stepped out of a fairytale. It features a fitted sweetheart neckline and a fishtail silhouette with a lace skirt and tulle overlay to add volume. Details like detachable straps, a concealed zip at the side and train loops finalize the ethereal design.

Walking Down the Aisle...

As much of a cliché as it may be, I am a girl who loves shoes, and bridal shoes are no exception.

The journey to find my perfect wedding footwear was lengthy and a little obsessive, if I’m honest. I had a very specific idea of what I wanted and did not rest until I found it, using all the search engines and key words, browsing high street and designer brands alike.

My initial inspiration came in the form of an Australian brand called PeepToe and their beautiful MrsWhitedress design (above). A five inch ivory satin creation, with lace overlay and a scallop trim. However finding a picture of these was far easier than actually finding the shoes, and once found they were out of budget and in another continent, so the search continued.

I finally found what I was after when I came across the Odeon Lace Peep Toe Platform Stiletto Heels. Five inch heel: check; White satin with a lace overlay: check; Scallop trip: not check, but the diamante studs on the heel and toe area make up for that, because a little bling is fine by me!

I adored my wedding footwear, but if I had to do it all again, here are some of the gorgeous (yet affordable) designs I would swoon for these days…

No1 Jenny Packham for Debenhams

There is beauty in simplicity and this pair of No1 Jenny Packham sandals are simply stunning. I love the delicate lace detailing on the elasticated strap, a very romantic touch.

Victoriana Diamante Bridal Court by Monsoon

These beautiful satin court shoes offer a very classic look with some modern sparkle. I love that they have combined diamante gems with pearl beads for the trim.

Faith Ivory Sequined Court Shoes for Debenhams

If bling is your thing, then you can’t go wrong with these sparkly court shoes by Faith, which feature an all over sequined detail, very wow factor.

Lilliana Vintage Bow Peeptoe by Monsoon

These dreamy vintage style peep toe heels are just adorable, I love the crocheted lace accessorized with a statement satin bow at the ankle.

How I Married Your Mother

Another great US sitcom has drawn to a close, and with it came many surprises! But this is not a review of How I Met Your Mother’s final episode, it is a recap of the beautiful weddings and relationships that made it memorable.

Marshall Eriksen and Lily Aldrin

Lilypad and Marshmallow are one of my all time favourite couples. College sweethearts who are in no way perfect but are absolutely perfect for one another. During the show’s nine seasons we saw them overcome many a fork in the road, but they always chose each other.

At the start of episode 21 ‘Something Borrowed’ in Season 2, Ted says “The wedding you set out to have is almost never the wedding you end up with”, and as the episode goes on, the intimate wedding they wanted turns into a much larger event where many things go wrong, including an ex crashing the wedding, no photographer, late flowers, a trashed veil, a harpist in labour and a groom with a shaven head.

Despite it all, they end up having the intimate outdoor wedding they wanted as they meet at the gardens before the official ceremony, with Barney officiating their first marriage of the afternoon. In a stunning Monique Lhuillier gown, Lily marries Marshall with just their close friends present, the music of an acoustic guitar and words of love in place of written vows.

Barney Stinson and Robin Scherbatsky

The 9^th season of the series (excluding the finale) is a countdown to Barney and Robin’s nuptials, two people who through the series are portrayed as the most unlikely to marry, yet against all odds they do, with the wedding taking place in episode 22 ‘The End of the Aisle’.

Although it’s Barney and Robin’s big day, one of the most inspiring moments comes from Marshall and Lily, when they realise they have broken every vow they made to each other and decide to update them because as Marshall said “wedding vows need to be real commitments”.

“I vow to keep updating them as we go, because one set of vows, it can’t cover a lifetime of growing and changing with you, of raising children with you, falling more and more in love with you every day, which is what I vow to do for the rest of my life.”

Barney is inspired by his friends’ moment and makes only one vow to his wife-to-be: to always be honest with her, and during a ceremony at Long Island’s Farhampton Inn, which sees Robin walk down the aisle in the beautiful Monique Lhuillier ‘Addie’ dress, followed by a ring bear (yes an actual bear), they become man and wife, despite the many twists and turns in the run up to that legendary day.

Ted’s wise words at the end of the episode lingered with me: “None of us can vow to be perfect, in the end all we can do is promise to love each other with everything we’ve got, because love is the best thing we do”.

Ted Mosby and Tracy McConnell (The Mother)

Nine years is quite the build up for one wedding. Throughout the show, viewers patiently waited to meet ‘The Mother’, and with the final season offering many flash forwards to how they fell in love, the finale of the series finally sees Ted marry the woman he searched for all his adult life, the woman of his dreams, his perfect match.

Although Ted and Tracy originally plan a lavish wedding in a 17^th century castle in France, a baby bump changes their plans and the celebration is postponed, but fear not because the episode reveals that seven years and two children later, the couple finally tie the knot in a simple and heart-warming ceremony.

On a Thursday afternoon, the gang gets together at MacLaren’s Pub for pre wedding drinks, and Tracy makes and appearance to capture the moment, looking breathtakingly stunning in her elegant vintage strapless gown. The ceremony takes place during a voiceover from Ted, and I’m certain many hearts skipped beat when he finally kissed his bride.

“It was at times a long, difficult road, but I’m glad it was long and difficult because if I hadn’t gone through hell to get there, the lesson might not have been as clear. You see kids, right from the moment I met your mom, I knew, I have to love this woman as much as I can, for as long as I can and I can never stop loving her not even for a second”.

Kim and Kanye on VOGUE

Kim Kardashian on the cover of Vogue… never thought I would see this day! Not because I believe her to be ‘undeserving’ as many of the twitterati do, but because of the enormous steps American Vogue has taken over the years to distance itself from the reality TV star.

Photographed by Annie Leibovitz, the cover features Kim looking flawless and elegant in a Lanvin strapless wedding gown, her brunette locks styled into an impeccable chignon, with smokey eyes, nude lips, and nothing but her Lorraine Schwartz designed 15-carat diamond engagement ring as an accessory.

Kim is the epitome of a Vogue cover girl with fiancé Kanye West tenderly wrapping his arms around her. Vogue readers may not deem her lifestyle worthy but for the purpose of this cover, she certainly looks the part.

As Vogue readers and fashionistas everywhere are voicing their outrage about Anna Wintour’s controversial choice, I applaud the distinguished editor, for keeping up with the times (no pun intended). I especially admire how she has, from the get go, stood her ground regarding this decision, made with complete awareness of the reaction it would cause.

In the Editor’s letter, she not only acknowledges the social and cultural effect of the West-Kardashian relationship, but claims responsibility for her choice as her own, squashing the rumours that Kanye West used his friendship with her to obtain this high fashion honour for his beloved.

“Part of the pleasure of editing Vogue, one that lies in a long tradition of this magazine, is being able to feature those who define the culture at any given moment, who stir things up, whose presence in the world shapes the way it looks and influences the way we see it. I think we can all agree on the fact that that role is currently being played by Kim and Kanye to a T. (Or perhaps that should be to a K?)

As for the cover, my opinion is that it is both charming and touching, and it was, I should add, entirely our idea to do it; you may have read that Kanye begged me to put his fiancée on Vogue’s cover. He did nothing of the sort. The gossip might make better reading, but the simple fact of the matter is that it isn’t true.

There’s barely a strand of the modern media that the Kardashian Wests haven’t been able to master, and for good reason: Kanye is an amazing performer and cultural provocateur, while Kim, through her strength of character, has created a place for herself in the glare of the world’s spotlight, and it takes real guts to do that.”

Truth be told I enjoy watching KUWTK, it doesn’t add any intellectual value to my life but it sure is entertaining, and everyone likes a little escapism every once in a while, regardless of its shape or form.

Kim Kardashian may have began her career with an X-rated tape but has since worked hard and tirelessly to build herself an empire in the spotlight, and that has a lot of merit. She has had more than her fair share of 15 minutes of fame, and considering the uphill battle she has faced to get the renowned Editor's ultimate seal of approval, these will be ones she will certainly enjoy. Well done Kim, you are living proof that against all odds, dreams do come true.

The Vow... A Story of True Love

As a lover of rom-coms, I have been meaning to watch this movie for a while, and I’m so glad that I got around to it this weekend. The perfect Valentines Day film.

The Vow tells the story of Leo and Paige, who fall in love and make a vow to each other, that no matter what obstacles come their way, they will find a way back to one another.

When they are involved in a car accident and Paige loses her memory, she has no recollection of her life with Leo and he sets on a mission to make her fall in love with him all over again.

This is a beautiful story of true love (based on real events), and it’s not just the journey of two people falling back in love, it’s Paige’s journey of rediscovering who she is and finding her way back to her soul mate.

Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams perfectly portray the love, laughter, pain, sorrow, hope and inspiration in all the moments that make up this beautiful story of true love.