Good morning all, I hope this (dark, dismal and damp) December morning finds you well!
This time last year I was getting ready to pack up the car with Paul and head North to Cambridge for a romantic and well overdue night away together. We spent a gorgeous day sight-seeing, walking and punting precariously on the River Cam before winding up back in the hotel where Paul ran a bath, cracked open a bottle of Champagne and asked me to marry him. And even though I’d been hoping something special was going to happen that day, it was still as surreal, magical and spine-tinglingly beautiful as you always hope a proposal to be. I can’t quite believe it was a year ago now. This has literally been the quickest year ever.
It’s a well-known fact that the majority of proposals take place around this time of year, so for any new visitors to The Utter Blog, or regular readers who fancy a trip down memory lane, I thought I’d put together a little Top 12 post; a highlights tour of the best/most popular/my favorite posts that sum up what this little ol’ blog is all about. Here we go…
1. The Great Big Wedding Fall-Out
In at number 1 (and my very first post on The Utter Blog) is a little piece I like to call the heartbreaker. Because I’m about to break some very full hearts with my diatribe about falling out with your betrothed in the weeks after you’ve got engaged. It’s gonna happen, and you’re gonna thank me for warning you. (You might have a little titter as well though- I do find myself quite amusing at times…)
This post ain’t long, but it sure is pretty! A veritable feast of beautiful images that sum up my vision for my wedding day. Read it to get me and my wedding in one fell swoop.
See? Oodles of pretty.
3. Insider Know-How: Dress Shopping
This is actually the post I am most proud of and the one I wish I could send out in to the blogosphere and be read by everyone planning a wedding. An honest, informative and light-hearted piece (if I say so myself) on searching for The One. And yes, we’re talking the dress. Go on- read it, enjoy it, share it! It really is rather good.
4. Friday Fringe Porn
At number 4 is a perfectly innocent post that topped the stat charts for a long time due to a whole host of people searching for a not-so-innocent kick on the internet. Nope, I still have no idea what ‘fringe porn’ is and nor do I care to, but in this post I get a little excited about brides sporting fringes on their wedding day, and share lots of gorgeous hair-related images.
Have you ever seen such a gloriously glossy fringe??
5. Made for Maids: The Case for Individuality & Style
Oh yeah. I went there. This is my case for having individual bridesmaids and moving away from the match-matchy look. Again, a post I’m rather proud of, even if you disagree with the sentiment behind it.
6. Bohemian Delights: Hair Wreaths and Flower Garlands
I think I was really getting in to my stride at this point, and in this post I get a bit too ‘comfortable’ and share one of my, ahem, fantasies with you… but it’s strictly innocent, I promise! Flower garlands truly are the epitome of boho brides, and there must be a lot of you out there hoping to wear one on your big day as this inspiration post is the second most popular of all-time.
I so want to be this bride.
7. Inspiration Galore at The Great Barn
With a year to go until The Big Day (that would be my wedding) my Mum and I took a little trip back to our venue to see how it was at the right time of year. It was an absolute scorcher (there’s no way I’ll be that lucky next May!) and in this post I share some images I took of the barn, and of previous weddings that have been held at our fantastic blank canvas venue.
Erm, yeah. So I go off on yet another rant here. This time about how little my other half is involved in our wedding, and about how other, more ‘involved’ grooms make me angry. I’m generally not an angry person, I promise. But I do seem to write well when taken over by the Incredible Hulk…
9. Money Talks
In at number 9 is a very open and personal post about careers, earnings, life choices and other such shizzle. I was very nervous publishing it, but so glad I did. It’s my Mum’s favorite as well.
10. The Wedding Dress of Dreams
Woohoo! Now this was a fun post to write. An account of my own, personal hunt for The Dress, with sneak peek images of the ones that got away. And from the point of view of someone who works in a bridal boutique, it should be interesting to read too.
One that got away…
11. Making S**t Happen: The Beginnings of Utterly Wow
Now this is possibly the most rewarding post of 2012; not only because it was a giant leap forward in terms of moving Utterly Wow forward, but because I also got a couple of wedding clients from it (the first of which is in March- eek!). Huge thanks to Annabel from Love My Dress for sharing it with her army of followers, and an even bigger thanks to those who read, enjoyed and were inspired themselves. Wondering what the hell Utterly Wow is? Well have a read and find out…
12. Theming Your Wedding: Don’t Be a Hater
And so. To top off the Top 12 of my top posts from a top year, is a light-hearted lecture to all brides-to-be out there who are denying their wedding has a theme. Bless you, bless all the deniers out there but it’s true: no matter how loose or tenuous or downright bizarre it may be, we all have a wedding theme. I like to describe mine as ‘colourful, eclectic fiesta meets bohemian romance with a whole lotta glitter and not a sombrero in sight’, but yours doesn’t have to be quite so complex.
So there we have it! If you’re only just discovering The Utter Blog, these are my must-reads to bring you up to date with the whole shebang. What is your favourite? And regular Uttersons, are there any posts I’ve missed off that you think should be on there??
I’m off to the Cotswolds tomorrow to see in the New Year in style. Whatever you’re doing, I hope you have a good one, and I’ll see you next year!! (Oh it never grows old.)
Sama xxx
