Choosing a wedding dress is an incredibly personal decision. You not only want to make sure that you have chosen a wedding dress that you love, but also one that you are going to look and feel fabulous in. 

You may not have had much of a say in choosing your engagement ring, although check out diamond engagement rings at Whiteflash if you are searching for inspiration. But choosing your wedding dress, well that is all down to you. 

To help to make sure that you don’t end up making a huge mistake, we have put together the most common wedding dress mistakes that other brides have made along the way. Letting you find a way to avoid them!

Having a dress in mind before you even try them on

Of course, it is great to have an idea of what type of wedding dress you want, but you need to ensure that you are open to other ideas. You may think that a certain style is exactly what you want, but when you try it on, you can find that it is just not the one. Be open to suggestions, listen to what the experts (and your friends/family say) and this will help you to find the perfect dress to wear on your special day. 

Inviting everyone along shopping

You heard of the saying “too many cooks spoil the broth?” Well, if you have then this applies to wedding dress shopping too. You want to include as many people as possible on your shopping trip, but you should avoid inviting everyone. Limit it to your mum, sister and chief bridesmaid as they will be able to give you some helpful opinions but you are not going to hear too many voices. Worried that you may leave people out? Remember that you can include your other bridesmaids when you have a dress picked out. 

Buying a smaller size

Many brides decide that their wedding day is the ideal inspiration to lose weight. Whilst this is true, it is not always the best approach to take. The last thing that you are going to want is to find that your wedding dress doesn’t fit you as you near the big day. Aim for your current size as it is easier to take in a wedding dress if it is too big, then it is to take it out if it is too small. 

Not giving yourself enough time

You need to take your time when it comes to buying a wedding dress. The last thing that you should do is rush your decision because you are short on time. What we are trying to say here is that it is never too early to start thinking about your wedding dress and to head shopping. Once you find your dress then you can start to relax and think about other aspects of planning your big day. 

Hopefully, you can do whatever you can to avoid these common wedding dress mistakes. Not only making sure that choosing your perfect dress is as easy as possible, but also that it is as easy as possible too. 

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.

If you’d asked me ten years ago what a selfie was I’d of probably giggled (forgive me I was a teenager) and said it sounded like something a boy did! Fast forward a decade and we all know what it is, heck I even posed for one with my Mum yesterday as we tested out the camera on her new Samsung Note!

I am in no way waging war on the mighty selfie, you only have to check out my Instagram – go on I dare you – to see I’m no stranger to the forward facing camera. What can I say I even use it as make shift mirror when I’m out and about.

Since the dawn of the Boo, selfies (well at least sober ones) have come to mean something completely new – I’m well practised in getting the best shot of both of us, knowing which is our better sides and also the tell tell sign when Boo is about to strop and karate kick the phone out of my hand; and I have to admit she’s pretty cooperative and will usually strike a pose with 3-4 takes which is rather handy when it’s raining or I’m holding up dinner for the best shot.

Something that I hadn’t banked on is Boo mastering the art of a selfie so darn early – she’s barely two and a half and this evening when I was having a quick tidying session of my photos I came across 25 perfectly synced snaps form before Christmas of Boo – nothing weird with that at all, I’ve been known to take over 100 snaps in one day- yet what was different was that they were all selfies, and good ones at that. By that I mean she had posed for each and every one in her appealing half pout half gurn, something that as a family we find gorgeous and hilarious at the same time!

But I can’t help thinking: am I setting her up for a life of always having to pose? Never being care free and oblivious to the camera? Some of the best snaps of me as a child like others is when I didn’t know I was having my picture taken, carefree happiness caught on good old 35mm.

Perhaps my naïvety like physical film should be relegated to yesteryear, because lets face it Boo’s party piece this season is pouting on demand, and whether there’s a selfie involved or not that sounds like a pretty good look to carry off if your name is Boo

The february issue of Tesco Magazine hit stores this week and guess who’s in it… yep little old me. I appear in a feature of both readers and celebrities as we talk about the moment that made us grow up. For me it’s without doubt when Boo was born prematurely – I won’t go too much into it, you can read the full feature online

I hadn’t had a chance to pick up a copy until this afternoon although after posting a snap of the feature on our Facebook Page, I’m overwhelmed by just how lovely everyone’s comments have been, it’s always lovely to read good things about yourself but our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram fans have done us proud, so thank you!

A massive thank you is due to the fabulous features and editorial team over at Tesco Magazine, I know most of them personally and they do a tremendous job – 10/10 to the photographer for getting the best shot, he my friends is a bloody miracle worker!

Who said modelling was easy, there were over 250 shots taken with just one making it into the magazine (I hardly expected them to fill all 101 pages of the Tesco Magazine with snaps of my me!) and to prove this here are just a handful of what ended up on the cutting room floor!

Can’t lie, I quite like having a whole page to myself in one the most widely read women’s interest magazines in the UK, I could get use to laughing on demand!

Back in December I was lucky enough to be invited to the Mummy Me Time event hosted by Braun at The Soho Hotel to celebrate the launch of the new Braun Skin Spa. Braun Beauty therapist Nathalie Eleni was also there to answer any questions we had and treat us to a manis and pedis – the perfect treat for busy hands and feet in the lead up to Christmas.

First things first afternoon tea at the Soho Hotel is AMAZING, but not so good for #operationyummymummy (oh well we can’t have everything!) It was also Kara from Innocent Charms Chats birthday so there was even more cake!

It didn’t take me long to settle down for a manicure, I went for a gorgeous deep midnight blue shade, which was great for the festive period working with both day and night looks. I also got the chance to see (and feel) how good the new Braun Skin Spa is as an exfoliator. If ever you see my bathroom you’ll know that I like to exfoliate, I’ve got bottles of the stuff everywhere, so having a body exfoliator that can be used in the shower is a big plus for me – having tried it out at home for a while I’m really liking the results.

Now onto the bit I was least looking forward to. Eipilating has always brought tears to my eyes, it’s just been way too painful so I was interested to find out how new Skin Spa stacked up especially as the high frequency massage rollers promise extra gentle yet thorough hair removal. So armed with dutch courage and twitter for moral support I tried it out on my legs. I’m not going to lie you can’t forget you’re epilating but it really wasn’t half as bad as I remember – I managed both legs and the results were so much softer than shaving and lasted longer too.

The Braun Skin Spa comes with everything you need, lots of different heads, a trimmer attachment, cleaning tools plus not forgetting the brilliant built-in smart light technology meaning less time wasted going back for missed hairs.

The Braun Skin Spa is definitely a home spa essential that is perfect for achieving salon smooth legs at home.

Braun Skin Spa is available online at Boots.com

Disclosure: We received a Braun Skin Spa for review. No payment was received and all opinions are 100% honest we promise.

Learning to drive is one of the best things you can do, if you haven’t already, it is something you should certainly think about. It is a great milestone to reach in life which also opens up a whole different world full of adventure. You may not think it but there is more than just being able to drive to and from work to avoid public transport, as much of a great reason there is so much more to it. 

Take A Roadtrip!

You can look to go on a road trip. A popular pastime and for good reason, freedom on the open road. You can go anywhere, see the world and take it day by day so that every day is a surprise and awaiting something new for you to see and discover, you can even tick off your bucket list locations. By going in your car it gives you the freedom that if you have had enough then you can just turn back and head home, it is all completely up to you. 

Upgrade Your Vehicle

Another advantage is once you have your car, truck, or whatever you choose to buy you can make it your own. Starting with used cars is a good idea but you do not have to stick with the stock configuration. So if you know you will be traveling and exploring you might want some off-road truck gear or safety equipment you can get it. It is important to look after and care for your car.

Drive-in Movies

One of the things you can also partake in once you have learned to drive is the great and timeless drive-in theatre. They are a great thing to do with the family, with your other half for date night, or a great place to take someone when you start dating as if it’s awkward you can just sit and enjoy the movie, no talking needed. There is a reason that it has been around for so long and still so popular, it is something different to try and going to the cinema is so enjoyable but you don’t have to worry about other people talking or ruining the movie as you will be sat in the comfort of your own car!

Learning The Routes

Something to make sure you are a great driver is not to just rely on GPS all the time. It is handy to have Sat-Nav for longer journeys or going to new places but you don’t want to completely rely on it, it is good to get to know routes you are likely to take more than once. Try to memorize routes as well so if you find yourself without it at all you won’t be lost and not know what to do next.  

So once you have learned to drive the world is your oyster, you can take on the roads and you can try all these wonderful things and more. Which one will you be looking forward to doing the most?

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.