York Trip, December 2013

We arrived in York city centre after a long drive up from Essex. It’s the longest journey we have ever driven ourselves, or at least my husband, since passing his test in May this year.

The light had already gone down by the time we put our bags indoors and walked into the city centre, so we missed much of what was to be seen.

We went to York as it was my birthday on 5^th December and decided a nice trip up to see my sister and her husband would be a treat. Rob, my husband had never been up to York before so this was a mini-venture for him.

York is lovely at Christmas. That said I seem to have only ever visited in the colder months! As a student-dominated town, York is great for bargains. There is an outlet a short drive from the outskirts of York that is great for Christmas shopping.

Now, I love independent businesses and boutiques. Whilst armed with a student discount card used in most high street stores, I do prefer the quirky styling of boutiques in period buildings, with creaky floorboards and hand-written price tags. It’s quite alluring and a world away from any shopping experience I’ve had locally.

I asked my sister if after six or so years of living in York, if she ever stumbled across anything previously un-noticed? The answer was yes, she did find more things each year to enjoy about her now home-town.

The Attic Gallery Coffee Bar

After walking into town from my sisters’ house, we decided to sit down for a moment and have a drink. As I was walking down the street, I was talking with Rob, about how I hoped we could find a café that wasn’t part of a conglomerate chain.

Precisely as I said this, Rob pointed upwards to a sign reading “Independent Coffee House”. Perfect. After a gentle creep up a couple of flights of stairs, there was this lovely, warming coffee room. After we sat down in the cosy leather arm chair, the server came over and took our order. The food on the menu was locally sourced, and lovely.

After walking about town on Friday night by ourselves for a couple of hours, having met the geese by the river and walked up the Shambles (also known as Diagon Alley from Harry Potter) I met with my sister and we had lunch in a somewhat crooked tudor building for a pub dinner. We sat in a candle-lit low-beam window watching passers’ by. It held a very Charles Dickens feel to it.

Going for a short walk afterwards to see The Players at the Old White Swan, my sister pointed out some various points of interest, such as a haunted pub called the Golden Fleece, featured on television program Most Haunted and some unusual carved wooden statues found on some of the buildings’ roofing and stoops. One such building had video footage streaming in the front window of the shop, to capture any ghostly activity. Needless to say, there was a rather antiquated Holy Bible chained to the entrance…

On an entirely different note, York would make a lovely place to get married, as there would be plenty of places to hold your reception and there are many churches to hold the ceremony. I think there was a church for every other street! All the boutiques make for a unique collection of wedding gifts and all the furnishings needed for the big day, some of which I will mention in this blog.

Speaking of weddings, what about the entertainment? I visited the Old White Swan to see a live band play. They are called The Players, and consist of four band-members; three male musicians and a female singer who has a very unique and emotive tone to her voice.
The Players are available for a variety of events but for those who enjoy live music, they are more than happy for you to discuss requirements for your day. They can also be found on Twitter most weeks, tweeting along with me during #WeddingHour. For a taster, why not pop along to the Old White Swan on the first Friday each month, to hear them play live?
We could only stay for the first half, but what we heard was very good and they displayed a variety of songs from different artists, such as Fleetwood Mac and Adele.

On Saturday (7^th December), we walked into York city centre after taking Dita for a walk. Dita is a ten-month-old black Cocker Spaniel puppy owned by my sister and brother in law. She is adorably bonkers.

As we were approaching the city gates, you could hear the bells chiming in the Minster. The previous night we heard the carol singing inside. We didn’t get to go into the minster on this occasion to see the crypt, nor did we see the Roman baths but hopefully next time, I’ll have other things to write about and more pictures to add to Pinterest. Keep an eye on it!

Petergate Entrance to the City

The first shop we visited was Blossom and Walker, a very feminine shop selling printed wrapping papers, handmade soaps, decorative household objects and other vintage or hand-made items. This shop began in the 1950’s and has survived numerous credit crunches. Their stock was reasonably priced and I couldn’t decide what to buy! One object I loved was the displays of little jars with old-fashioned paper drinking straws inside. Luckily, they have their own website so I had more time to decide, rather than walk away completely empty handed!

We, my sister and I, let the boys roam about in Evil Eye, a medieval bar (at the back) and a shop at the front. We went into the Sue Ryder charity shop as there was a vintage section upstairs. Most of the wares were just a pound, so if you’re into vintage and live locally, make the most of the stock whilst it’s there! I tried on some rather charming vintage pill hats, for fun.

We popped into some other boutiques along this street as well, taking in views of vintage jewellery and independently owned boutiques with some stunningly original and unusual wares for sale. Much of it is very reasonably priced and so different from your average mass produced high street items, which are generally not designed to last longer than the current fashion season.

This is when I thought back to my online shop. The prices are competitive as it is based purely on an hourly wage and the materials used; so profit is minimal but worth the end result for the customer, who then owns a beautiful, unique piece of jewellery that can be worn again. I hope that in 2014, a lot of my jewellery will be featured in boutiques and gift shops across the country.

Going back to our York trip, the boys got in the queue for Betty’s Tea Rooms whilst my sister and I carried on looking in some quirky boutiques. We liked all the Art Deco jewellery and diamond rings in the York Antiques Centre. There is also a vintage fashion gallery on one of their many floors which I hope to visit next time.

I went into Molly Browns boutique, which had lovely subtle tones on display, including lace jackets and faux fur coats. There was some lovely bridesmaid dresses at the back, with sparkly shoes and light-up pearly garlands and pretty photo frames. The clothing was quite pricy for a student budget, with one draped viscose dress priced at £129.00.

The boys called and told us they had moved up in the queue, so we went to meet them. When we finally got inside Betty’s, we were greeted by a kindly, suited gentleman who took us to our seats. My sister and I both ordered the afternoon tea, which consists of a three-tier cake stand, filled with sweet delights and crust-less sandwiches. On the second tier was a scone with fresh clotted cream and strawberry jam. On the top, was a pistachio macaroon, a dark chocolate fancy and a berry tartlet with fresh custard. I ate the lot! I managed almost three full cups from my loose-leaf tea pot, which was a perfect amount.

The smoked salmon with cream cheese and the chicken are the best ones. The other two are egg and cress mayonnaise or ham. Afternoon tea for one is rather pricy at £18.50, considering most people are waiting outside for a table for up to an hour at peak times. Although, I assume you are paying for the novelty and this is precisely why the queue outside is so long.

Because the rooms are bustling all day, it doesn’t quite feel like a tea room you’d see on Downton Abbey, but Betty’s is not a modern band-wagon vintage company; they were established in 1919 in Harrogate and have maintained their style throughout the years, opening a tea and cake shop elsewhere in York city. The tea room has its own shop on the premises, so there are lots of bumps and scrapes getting in and out of the single doorway.

Betty's Tea Rooms began in 1919

After Betty’s, we walked off the calories by venturing into a rather unusual modern-art style boutique, selling unusually styled everyday items, and more unusually, a book entitled “How to Poo at Work” which I found rather amusing, childishly.

There are vintage pop-art style posters on the first floor level, with retro video game trinkets and man-bags. Downstairs on ground level you’ll find pretty wildlife inspired espresso cups and sandwich plates, books and home-office fun.

We missed a lot of things to see in York either because it was so late when we got there and it was too dark to see anything, or because it was so busy and full up that we couldn’t get in. I think that’s Christmas in York for you! Very popular all year round with tourists, however people tend to spend a weekend in York for Christmas Shopping.

We are planning to go back to York in the summer, probably not until a Bank Holiday, where we will be able to enjoy longer sunlight hours and three full days of sights and sounds.

Penton Park Reception Venue

On Saturday 26^th October 2013 I visited PentonPark, formerly known as Penton Lodge in Andover, Hampshire.

When I arrived, Danielle was putting the finishing touches to her home made batch of chutney de pommes. She said the area is populated with apple trees, which may be a key ingredient to a classic apple pie for winter weddings!

I visited to have a look at the reception side of the business. Penton Park also participates in other business ventures although holding weddings is a key business idea that should become highly successful. There is a widespread want for weddings and receptions to take place in the countryside, in fantastic stately homes. Sadly, many of the stately homes have become overly-corporate, pricing many budget brides out of the market. This has, in turn, spiked the level of weddings abroad due to the sheer reduction in costs.

Guy & Danielle

Guy and Danielle are the owners and residents of Penton Park, a private country house venue which is hired out for wedding receptions and corporate away days, as well as special birthdays and wedding anniversaries. They live at the home with their twin daughters Georgiana and Elizabeth, a gentle giant called Monty (Irish Wolfhound) and a sweet little lady called Poppy (Working Cocker Spaniel).

In August of 2010, Guy and Danielle made the brave yet life-changing decision to buy the property and refurbish it. Work began almost immediately and the couple spent many a winter night huddled to keep warm, powering through the cold months to complete the work. They married in the local Holy Trinity church, and held their reception at Penton Lodge (now called Penton Park).

Guy and Danielle married in February 2011. The reception did not have a ‘theme’ other than being entirely family oriented, with the house being the focal point. There were roaring log fires and candles lit around the house, which lent itself to a very cosy, romantic atmosphere. The theme was ball gowns and black tie, (no knobbly knees!) which is a perfect theme for this kind of venue, as this is quite a respectable home, steeped in history.

Guests walked hand-in-hand together from the church to the venue, a short five minute walk away. Danielle had her wet-weather wellies on standby. Guests ate food sourced from the very land in which they stood. You could not find food sourced more locally than that!

Above all else, Guy and Danielle know the venue personally and have good relationships with local suppliers, allowing them to be flexible in their approach to co-ordinating your day, and helping to satisfy your needs, whether traditional or creative.

Penton Park History

The original build, Penton Lodge, was completed in 1720 and later occupied by Lord Mayor of London, William Cubitt in the 1800’s. It is now a Grade II listed building and a member of the Historic Houses Association.

It also assisted RAF Andover by operating as a recuperation hospital. From 1947 to 2001, Penton Lodge then served as a girls’ boarding school. In 1940, Penton Lodge became a household for relatives of Guy.

Penton Park aims to avoid becoming part of a network of corporate venues, which sadly sees many fantastic listed buildings used purely for weddings and profit. They work hard to ensure their packages are realistic yet affordable.

Wedding Receptions

Currently, Penton Park operates as a reception venue although plans are well underway to become sanctioned for wedding ceremonies by the end of 2014 or early 2015 – this is only a year away! The local church, The Holy Trinity, is a friendly church which still holds weddings. There is a bench outside where some local elderly ladies like to sit, to catch a glimpse of the newlywed bride as she leaves the church. This feels like a real community spirit.

Holy Trinity Church

Guy and Danielle work hard to be competitive with pricing, and are very flexible for couples that chose to celebrate at the venue. There are no peak premiums for summer months, meaning the venue remains competitive all year round and more so in the summer months.

The venue can host weddings from Monday to Sunday, although wedding receptions are a maximum of twenty a year. Of course, this is not a negative thing – it ensures no bride bumps into another on their way in/out of the building. It also respects the refurbishment of the house and any noise from the reception that could disturb the locals. The venue is very respectful in this way.

Hiring the venue for your reception entitles you to exclusive use of the ground-floor, the terrace and the grounds. This means there will not be any other business activities on the day of your wedding, and no strangers lurking in the backdrop of photographs.

Guest Numbers

Penton Park can cater wedding receptions for up to 100 covers indoors and 450 covers if you chose a marquee in the warmer months.

Indoor seating can be arranged as long banquet tables or round dining tables, where the guest numbers can be quite flexible. Round tables can seat around 60 covers, the average number of guests at a wedding.

Catering

English Summer Berries by Aundi Mason

Penton Park currently uses three suppliers, depending on the style of function they are providing you. The dinner designs can be unrefined design but big on flavour, creative theme-oriented food or top quality meals prepared by a chef who trained with Le Manoir.

Couples are entitled to arrange their own alcohol to stock the bar too, which significantly helps to cut costs if you are particular about your wines and spirits.

Accommodation

Whilst there is currently no guest accommodation at Penton Park, there are future plans to design and refurbish a room into a beautiful, romantic bridal suite. These plans should come into force in 2015.

In the meantime, Guy and Danielle have high recommendations for the Norton Park Hotel.

Seasonal Penton Park

I asked Danielle what made Penton Park particularly special to each season; During the Spring and Summer months, the area is carpeted with bluebells, snowdrops and daffodils. It’s very romantic and makes for a quintessentially English countryside wedding. There would be no issue in calculating your wedding theme colours! I thought of white Victorian patio tables with cream teas and pink blossoms.

In Autumn the leaves start to turn, apart from the Japanese Maple, seen from the doorway of the house. It shows a very vivid red colour that contrasts the rich green grass and compliments the rusty oranges of the fallen leaves. The house feels cosy and you get spectacular dusk views of the sun setting behind the trees.

In Winter, the outside temperature has dropped enough to make full use of the log fireplaces. The roaring fires create a very wintery atmosphere inside the house.

It instantly made me think of warm winter Pimms served on arrival, later followed by poached pears in dark chocolate sauce for dessert. If you’re lucky enough to get a dusting of snow in the evening, soak up the ambience of watching it fall gently on the window frames as you gracefully listen to the crackle of the wood in the fire place.

Wedding Show

Penton Park is hosting the 2013 wedding show on 24^th November. There are no ticket rules, just that brides turn up on the day! If you let Danielle know of your arrival and the time you plan to arrive, they’ll greet you with a bubbly drink upon arrival. The show runs from 11am and 4pm, allowing couples to explore the reception venue and grounds as well as meet all the suppliers favoured by the venue.

There will be a horse and carriage, cars, cakes, jewellers, flowers and musicians. There will also be one of my own gift vouchers to take away.

See Guy in his wedding clothing, posing with Danielle's sister, showing off the venue to its full potential, showcasing as it would appear on your very own wedding day. Suppliers exhibiting at the wedding show include:

Accessories - Marvellous Milliner 

Cakes – Delicious Cakes 

Catering – Square Root Catering, Gig Lees, Aundi Mason 

Dresses - Brides of Winchester 

Flowers - Designs by Olea

Jewellers - Cove Jewellery, Glass Oyster 

Music – Tom Bott’s High Society Orchestra, Live Events Group

Photographers - Steve Dunster, Cat Hepple 

Transport - Harroway Stud 

Videographer - Story of your Day 

Christmas Ball

Just as Penton Park hosts an annual wedding show, they also host an annual Christmas Ball. The theme is black tie – please contact Penton Park for details of obtaining tickets, and ticket prices. I will be there and I cannot wait! There are many local inns and hotels that can accommodate overnight guests.

Summer Proms

Another annual event Penton Park holds is the Summer Proms. The next promenade will be held on 19^th July 2014.

Local Area

Danielle highly recommends popping over to Highclere Castle, located ten miles from Penton Mewsey. It is visible over the fields on clear days, but is also open most days for visitors. If the name sounds familiar, it is because Highclere Castle is the setting for Downton Abbey!

Queries

If you have any questions about planning your reception at Penton Park or are interested in holding a wedding ceremony in the future, please get in touch with Penton Park via their website – they will be all too happy to help you plan and co-ordinate your perfect day, whether it is several months or several years, guidance can be given to help you.

Pinterest

Click here to view my image board, of photos taken the day of my visit at Penton Park and of the local Holy Trinity Church.

Trip to Poland, October 2013

I recently took a short trip to Poland to attend the wedding of two friends. I have written a comprehensive article of my time there and of course, the traditional Polish wedding!

Thursday 10th October

Departure from Southend 07:00am.

Travelling in a big group can be stressful, as I’m so used to it being myself and my husband, powering from one side of the airport to another, wasting as little time as possible. I loathe waiting around!

My eldest of two brothers kept us entertained, I think he means well but he does embarrass us on a regular basis. I might even do it on purpose. I often said to my husband, before they met one another, that my eldest brother was a mix of Ricky Gervais’ sarcasm and dry humour and the bounciness of Jim Carrey. That is a lot to deal with, when you are a person of little patience. People generally love him because of his naturally entertaining nature. I believe my husband thinks he is ‘a card’.

Anyway, after we boarded, I flipped through the duty free book (as you do) and was disappointed not to see any Lancôme lip gloss… this is my favourite thing! I love buying nice make up when I’m away as it is so much cheaper. I put the book back and flicked through the Easy Jet travel book instead. I came across some interesting articles to bide my time until the coffee cart came along… much needed considering we got up at 3:00am this morning having only had about two to three hours sleep.

Having such an early flight (something else I love is an early outbound flight and a late returning flight… it’s bliss!) we had a great opportunity to go into Krakow City Centre and take a look around. We managed to find a bar/grill style restaurant which sold gigantic pizza slices for £1.90 (approx. 9 PLN). You can rarely buy a sad-looking sandwich for that price in the UK! I love Poland oh-so-much already. I could get used to this.

As I was saying, I love buying my toiletries and cosmetics abroad as the selection is different, sometimes better, and the prices are very pleasing. I got a Nivea anti-shine moisturiser for £2.70 (approx. 13 PLN), which worked out about half price.

The conversion rate from Pounds to Zloty was varied from 4.7 to 4.9 – an amazing rate! I felt quite rich even though I only changed up £50, and it lasted me until the end of the trip. I came back with £20, which I was quite pleased about.

We, being my husband and I, walked around the City for a little while, admiring how well-maintained the town was, and the beautiful architecture of the buildings. I took plenty of pictures. It was a fascinating place if you like architecture. Some of the buildings still have antique lit-up door numbers outside, made of lead and glass. Beautiful and very rare. I love to see a city where the history is remembered and the architecture or appearance of this history is looked after. It felt like stepping into a preserved time capsule, in some streets.

In the city centre we saw some lovely, well-groomed horses with plaited manes or feather plumes. These horses and carriages were taking tourists all around the city and back again. We saw a bride and groom getting into one and going off for a 30-minute alone time. Almost alone, they were being ‘papped’ by the photographer all the way!

I thought this was a nice idea – making use of the resources around you. As the saying goes, if the man upstairs gives you lemons, make lemonade. I had to explain this to my husband though, as he asked why I wanted to make lemonade.

We stumbled across a blacksmith in the outdoor market, who made jewellery and household ornaments from re-worked metal, mainly spoons, forks and horse-shoes. I remember some months ago seeing a YouTube video of a man hammering a spoon into a bangle the night before St Valentines Day, then I saw these for myself. I must say, they were very bohemian and rustic. The fork bangles were my personal favourite, sold for around £12.50 (55 PLN). Bargain.

After a completely knackering walk around the city, and darkness falling upon us quite quickly, we decided it best to have dinner then pass out back at the hotel and catch up on the sleep we were yet to have. I’m ashamed to admit the KFC we found was music to my ears. My husband isn’t exactly an advocate of ‘posh stuff’ so he didn’t really fancy all these fancy dishes in languages we couldn’t understand. Turn the corner, see the KFC and amicably agree that we were too tired to care what we had to eat, and that chicken was a good idea due to the protein. However much of the protein is lest after being deep fried and smothered in sauce, I don’t know. It was getting late and we had to eat.

Normally, we’re very good and try the local food. Which we did, a few days later.

Friday 11th October

Breakfast turned out to be a boner. In the end we settled for small bowls of cereal and as much grapefruit juice as we could tolerate! I’ve never actually had a hotel-supplied breakfast in the EU before, so I assumed there would always be scrambled eggs and bacon or something…. There was a baked scrambled egg… but only served with potato wedges (for breakfast?) and three kinds of sausage. I took one tiny bite from one sausage and could taste it for the rest of the day. The overpowering garlic would certainly keep the vampires away!

Then…the coach ride of a lifetime!

Most of the guests arrived in Poland yesterday, although we all piled into a coach at Novotel City West, no air conditioning, waiting for others to arrive. The driver then took us to the airport to collect the remaining guests… twice!!

In the end we were stuck on the coach for over four hours. The first thing on everyone’s minds? To hold on and use the nice toilets at the hotel. That was an experience I would like to forget. My husband used the cubicle on the coach, and then sat down with a look of horror on his face. He asked me if I remembered the toilets at a pub he used to frequent… Yes, I answered… “Well this is about as bad as that”. The look of horror quickly replaced my inquisitive face and the fear was thus instilled to hold on another two hours until we got to the venue.

We got lost three times on the way to the venue, everyone getting desperate to get off, the more urgent our bathroom needs became. Still, we saw a lot of the Polish countryside and had a lot of time to doze.

Some experiences in life, when you look back, can help you find solace in the humour.

There was a beautiful rush of cool air hitting our faces as we piled off the coach at the venue. The bride and groom were there to greet us, although they looked terribly stressed at us being so late. I really felt for them as they must have been busy. They had arrived in Poland the weekend before, to put the finishing touches to their arrangements. I think they were quite relieved to see everybody, and the coach journey was quickly forgotten.

We all got allocated our rooms, and I got my lucky 8. It was a nice room. The venue, Hotel Lacona in Staporkowie (stap-o-kav-yah) was recently refurbished and had beautiful bedding, modern minimalist bathrooms and gorgeous wooden laminate flooring. They obviously take pride in keeping the hotel clean; you could still smell that fresh-paint smell that everyone secretly loves.

Anyway, we all met for dinner that night after getting our heads down for a few hours and unpacking our things. There was an assortment of food on the tables, ranging from devilled eggs, to cold meats, breads, salads and slices of tomato and mozzarella.

Everyone was so excited to be there, and they were all openly talking to each other which was a nice feeling. It was nice to meet two adorable baby girls aged eight months and ten months. Often, people group together at weddings and don’t mingle with everyone – but I think most people came over to cuddle or coo the babies.

Eventually, out came the vodka! This version had red chilies in it and I was none-to-keen about trying it! Needless to say, ‘when in Rome’ the bottle didn’t last long at all and even the chilies were eaten.

I was really exhausted by this point so we stayed long enough to eat something and talk to a few people before passing out in our room, devoid of life until 7:00am the following morning,

Saturday 12th October - THE WEDDING DAY

The wedding day, or in Polish ‘Weselna’ which is pronounced “ves-el-nah”.

The hair dresser arrived at 8am promptly, to start the ladies hair. The bride had arranged for the female guests to have their hair done for the wedding as a treat. She charged around £5 or £10 depending on hair style.

Breakfast started around 9am. Many guests are feeling slightly head-heavy from drinking the chili vodka last night. More so for the men that ate the chilies! There is a spread laid out at the reception venue including chunky frankfurter sausages and bacon-fried scrambled eggs. I think everyone ate this! I started to notice there was an incredible amount of meat offered, for breakfast, lunch and dinner! My husband and I only occasionally eat meat so we started getting quite anxious as to what may be coming later!

At 2:30pm the coach (yes, the same one as before) arrived to take us to St Zygmunt’s church in Szydlowiec (pronounced shed-love-yes) church, which was in a small town about an hour away. Suddenly the temperature outside had really dropped and we were all freezing! No sooner had we all got off the bus, were we piling back onto it again to keep warm! I managed to get into the church, though, and take some pictures. I put some money in the donations box on my way out. The church had been recently refurnished so still had some inconspicuous scaffolding at the back. Nothing you would notice as we’re all looking forward! I was amazed at how grand the inside of the church was. Most of the front was plated in gold leaf. The floor was made of stone tiles and even the ceiling was painted with murals.

The bride and groom arrived together in the same car, which had been adorned with matching flowers on the front bonnet. The number plate had been covered with a sign that said ‘Just Married’ in Polish. They entered the back of the church together, with all the guests outside taking pictures of them as they entered.

Then, all the guests filed into the church to take their seats. There was no preferred seating as you normally see in the UK, everyone was welcome to sit wherever there was a space. The couple walked in to the Wedding March, which I believe is a local custom. The walked down the aisle together, having just had a private blessing ceremony beforehand. This was the ceremony that made the marriage official, I think. The service was around 35 minutes long which is quite good, as I understand that church services are longer than ceremonies conducted in venues and registry offices, and Catholic ceremonies a little longer still. The service was performed in both English and Polish, and the couple spoke in English, with a reading from one of the witnesses. There are no bridesmaids at a Polish wedding, traditionally, as there are normally at least two witnesses who would effectively have an equivalent level of a best man and a chief bridesmaid.

Towards the end of the ceremony, some people started coming in from outside for the 5:00pm service which was not due to start for twenty minutes. I do think this is a shame, as even though a place of worship is open to all, the doors could be closed for a wedding. The bride and groom were too busy being brand-new newlyweds to notice!

Notice to brides getting married in church – some members of the public may be allowed to come in during your ceremony in some churches, so it’s best to ask in advance if this will bother you.

After the ceremony, which consisted of several blessings and readings, the couple walked out together as husband and wife, followed by the witnesses, the family and the guests.

Photographs were taken outside, where confetti, rice and coins were thrown. The tradition of the coins is that the bride and groom must scramble to pick up all the coins. Whoever picks up the most money is said to be the one in charge of the financial affairs. On this occasion, it was the lovely bride!

About Catholic ceremonies… most of us had found out that in a Catholic church, wedding guests are required to cover their heads and shoulders. We were all freezing anyway, so had jackets and pashminas on but a lot of us didn’t wear a hat. Some of us had fancy clips and fascinators – but not a word was said by the church, so I think for a wedding they are a little more open minded as many attendants might not be religious and the attire for weddings is generally different to what you would expect someone to wear on a weekly basis to church.

Maybe the rules are a little more relaxed than I first though. I had originally relied on another blog about Polish weddings to help me plan my outfit. I still ended up wearing black though, as I already owned black tights, shoes, jacket and a bag. Wearing red is a big no-no as for all weddings, as red is often used as a colour of anger. It’s too risqué and is said to upstage the bride. Wear black in moderation.

The reception started promptly at 6:00pm, which began by the guests waiting for the arrival of the bride and groom to the sound of a Polish folk band.

The couple were given a glass to break together, before the groom lifted up the bride to carry her into the venue to begin the reception. Just a few hours in, and I’ve already witnessed more traditions than we tend to have at home!

As we took our seats, we were each presented with a ribbon to wear on the left or right side. This custom shows wedding guests who is single (left) and who is married (right)... perhaps to help the singles find a future spouse!

We sat down to tables cascading with food and drink… we didn’t know where to look! There was a lot to choose from on the menu and almost too much to eat! We were served a peppered pea soup with croutons, followed by cordon bleu. I had never had this before and it was a dish I’d love to try making at home!

The venue had a large function room which is where the reception took place and a side room with a bar and Polish food table. There was also a home-made vodka on tap – literally on tap – called Bimber. It was vodka in its brewing method but it certainly resembled the colour and toxicity of a strong whiskey! It brought tears to my eyes so I decided to be safe and not drink it. Apparently it was very warming and some guests wished they had taken some to church, to keep warm outside. This made me laugh, just the image of everyone passing around a 15 litre wooden barrel of moonshine, helping keep one another warm and fuzzy inside.

The barman was quite happy to mix drinks for everybody, as they were prepaid. He made me a fantastic cucumber drink. I haven’t got a clue what went in it, but a cucumber-gin-based-cocktail is very refreshing to the palate and I would like to make this at home, too.

Some of the younger girls were none-so-clever about the vodka on the tables. They were meant to follow each vodka-cheer-toast with a few mouthfuls of orange juice, but were just drinking the vodka neat... this is another trap I successfully avoided and was able to beam about the following morning, feeling refreshed and happy to be alive at 6am.

Around 11pm I was very tired and had been up for a long time. We went back to our room to catch some peace and quiet, before going back to see the veil toss! At midnight, the bride stood in a vulture-like circling of single women, waiting to thrown her veil. This is the same theory as throwing your bouquet in America; that whoever catches the flowers is said to be next to get married.

However, the funniest thing was the groom’s tie-toss. If only I had videoed what entailed… one poor chap had curled up in the foetal position and was being mercilessly dragged by the arms and legs into the circle of single men. One of my brothers, also attending the wedding, had hidden from his girlfriend to avoid being brow-beaten into marriage. I found this quite amusing. His escape had been managed when said girlfriend decided to take place in the veil-toss. He didn’t want to know!

Sunday 13th October - POPRAWINY

The second day is referred to as The Repeat, or rather ‘Poprawiny’ which is pronounced pop-ra-we-nuh.

I was feeling pleased with myself for being one of very few without a hangover. Mainly because I had avoided the vodka and only had one cocktail. Apparently, my eldest brother was somewhat inebriated (as they all were, including my own mum and dad) and decided he would get some fresh air. This fresh air turned out to be a sleep on the bench outside, in the cold and damp. He was awoken in the morning by a few pokes to see if he was still alive. I think the vodka kept him quite warm.

Apparently, the party had concluded in the early hours of the morning. Some revellers had been up until 5:00am! Wow…

I went down for breakfast at reception, and made myself a coffee after two attempts at making tea. None of them were tea-style tea, but I didn’t have my translate app with me and eventually gave up and made coffee instead.

The groom, exhausted and red-eyed came down the hallway having still not had any sleep. We asked if he’d been to bed yet (still dressed in his wedding clothes) to which he replied “Only physically”. We laughed at the quip but felt for him.

The and the bride were being taken off into the countryside for some morning-after pictures with the photographer. This was yet another twist in the traditions of a Polish wedding. I thought it was quite a good idea; an eternal memory of the-morning-after-the-night-before.

They eventually came back to change into fresh clothes for the second day. Everyone showered and refreshed, took to their seats again to share pictures and stories from the day before. This was also a day where some guests chose to give gifts and sign the guestbook that was passed around.

While the bride and groom were away for pictures, my husband and I took a stroll around the town. It was a very small town so not much too see, although the mini supermarket turned out to be a welcome exploration of goodies. It was quite similar to Aldi, and stocked a lot of candles and alcohol. I would not suggest mixing the two – especially not after yesterday! We needed some food to keep us from expiring on the coach, and stumbled across some chocolate, or “czekolada”, pronounced ‘check-o-la-daa’.

I didn’t realise at the time the chocolate I bought was 90% cocoa! I never had this strength before so I bought an extra one to give away, for my discerning chocolate friends. See end of article for details on how to enter.

This was a much shorter day, however, timed from 2:00pm to just 7:00pm – although this was ample time for us. The wedding really exhausted us so I dread to think of the poor bride and groom. I think they enjoyed themselves so much and were so in love they didn’t notice how tired they were. This is the right mind-set to have…

It’s your wedding. For many you’ll only ever do it once and you have to do all you can to be happy, and to take a moment to step back and observe and absorb.

Monday 14th October

Departure from Poland 10:50am.

It’s sad that we couldn’t afford to stay in Poland for another day, but my husband had to go back to work and I had to come back to reality. That… and I really missed my cat, Betsie.

One thing I always miss… fish and chips and Twinings!

You can view more photos of my visit to Poland by visiting my Pinterest page. There’s lots of lovely photo’s I’d love you to see and share with friends.

Competition:

Enter my Polish Chocolate competition, and win a bar of souvenir chocolate from my trip to Poland, PLUS a fantastic £10 discount voucher to spend in my Etsy Store.

All you have to do is tweet one of the following, depending on your preference.

Entries must be received by midnight on 30^th November. We need to spread the word to get as many entries as possible, so share, follow and tweet away!

@FlorasBoutique CZEKOLADA MILK

@FlorasBoutique CZEKOLADA DARK

Please give thanks to Google Translate. Price conversions shown are representative of travel dates.

All photos taken are COPYRIGHT and taken by Clare Jones-Anthony.

The P-Ho Diaries: Take II

Dear Readers,

You will have by now had a chance to read my last post; my interview with renowned fashion and lifestyle blogger Paula Holmes.

Bespoke double-wrap bracelet

As you know Paula writes her blog 'The P-Ho Diaries'. I recently sent her a bespoke bracelet and earrings set, based on a colour theme of Turquoise. Paula saw a gold fastening on a design from my website, and asked if I could use this in her design.


Of course, I was only too happy to add this touch. Turquoise and Gold have for thousands of years been used together in jewellery, tapestries and art. I decided to incorporate some more gold touches to accent the gold and compliment the shades of turquoise used. This bracelet is a 15" double-wrap bracelet which was made to fit Paula's wrist for a better fit.

Bespoke pumps by Upper Street Shoes

Paula blogged about her gift and I am very pleased to say she absolutely loved the bracelet! As Paula does not have pierced ears, she will be giving the earrings to a friend to wear! This is a fabulous way of promoting my brand further and further.

Paula's New bracelet and earring set in turquoise and gold

Here is the lovely photograph provided, courtesy of The P-Ho Diaries.

You can read Paula's fabulous write up about Flora's Boutique by visiting her blog at:
The P-Ho Diaries.

I have created a range of anklets inspired by beach-glass. One of which is comprised of the same beads as Paula's lovely bracelet.

Why not check it out right now by clicking on the link to my shop above for the anklets, or below for the full shop and the extensive range of jewellery for all tastes and budgets. We have a lovely range of bridal jewellery, and jewellery perfect for wear for special occasions or as gifts.

Use our sale coupon code AUGUST2013 to get 50%* across the entire range. Simply visit my Etsy Store to view the collection.

*This code is for a limited time only and does not include any bespoke orders. Offer expires midnight on 31st August 2013.

ALL PICTURES COURTESY OF PAULA HOLMES OF THE P-HO DIARIES, COPYRIGHT 2013

The P-Ho Diaries

Paula Holmes, creator of exceptional lifestyle blog 'The P-Ho Diaries' is by far and wide my favourite blogger. I love the design of her website and she is a truly gifted writer; so articulate and personable.

I invited her to interview so I could share with you a little about the inspiration behind starting my own blog, 'Behind the Scenes'. I asked Paula what it meant to be a blogger, and how it all began.

So... How long have you been blogging - and how did it all start?

“I started The P-Ho Diaries just over a year ago now. At the time I was working with a lot of bloggers in my day job so decided I wanted to start myself. It started off as a sort of diary, hence the name, focusing on what I was getting up to in London. Now it's become a hub to share my passion for fashion and food plus everything in between. It has grown a lot in just a year so I'm very proud and happy with what I have achieved so far.”

What do you love the most about blogging?

"I love writing! So for me it is a place to write away until my heart is content and people actually read it. I think the key to blogging is writing like no one is reading that way you always write honestly and people enjoy it more (I hope!)

Of course they are a few perks, like being given free products to try and being invited to fashion & lifestyle events. I think more recently the media have released how important bloggers are for promotion, so that's good news for me and the industry."

Having met you at a press conference earlier this year, are there any upcoming projects, events or major London shows you will be attending?

"I'm about to see the comedy Ladykillers to review on my blog, which should be fun. I also have partnered with UGG boots for a great giveaway, where my readers can enter and choose a pair of UGG's of their choice, so I'm really excited about launching this competition."

What is the best thing about your job as a blogger?

"I guess doing what I love, I never feel like its work as I enjoy it so much. I never moan about having to write a post and work all hours, so I guess it must be true love! It also gives me time to work on my other projects; I also work as a freelance writer and social media consultant so I am able to split up my time easily."

What about other passions in life? What do you enjoy?

"I do love to write, I am currently writing my first novel which I have been going on about for two years but now finally have the time to do it! I love travelling and hope to go away again this year. I just got back from Miami which was amazing."

Paula, it has been a privilege to interview and meet you! I hope we will hear and see more of you in the months and years to come!

If you fancy following Paula and her amazing blog, you can Like her on Facebook, Follow her on Twitter or Pinterest. I urge you to give it a go and get involved!

P.S. Keep an eye out for the novel – you heard it here first!

Kerry's Jewellery

Earlier on in the year, I made a new friend through Twitter. A fellow home-made tweeter, Kerry.

Kerry runs her own handmade fashion jewellery business, aptly named ‘Kerry’s Jewellery’.

Kerry is an entrepreneurial 20-something. With three children and a husband, she decided to take the plunge and make her hobby an official business, by resigning from her bakery job and registering herself back in April. [2013]

Kerry  is based in Newcastle and makes her items in her own work-shop outfit at home. Kerry has managed to achieve a lot in life from a young age and absolutely loves spending time with her children, whilst satisfying the needs of the business at the same time. Let’s face it – with a husband in catering, that’s even more time spent doing what you really love while he whips up a storm in the kitchen. Jealous, ladies?

The business started as a hobby, as we all know the devil makes work for idle thumbs! And nobody likes to be bored. Soon enough, Kerry made orders for friends and family and the rest is history!

Recently, Kerry produced woven friendship bracelets for charity, a design for Hypermobility  and another for Cash for Kids. As you know, Kerry is a proclaimed Geordie lass, and the patrons of the charity are none other than Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly. Perhaps better known as comedic duo ‘Ant ‘n’ Dec’.

I tried to prise out some sneak-peaks of Kerry’s AW13 collection, but this is tightly under wraps. So, hold onto your hats until the end of August, when Kerry will release a statement to show off the new wares.

In your daily Google-related procrastination, why not see stockists of Kerry’s Jewellery on sites such as Asos, Nu Fashion Network, Amazon, Peggy’s Collection and Shabby Sheep?

Kerry’s inspiration is eclectic as is the range of designs on offer at either wholesale or retail quantities and prices.

Kerry’s favourite piece on her website is the Butterfly bracelet, a frequenting favourite in April’s London Fashion Week press conference evening. There is a Spring Butterflies version using seasonal hot pinks and earthy greens.

We quite like the Daisy bracelet in pastel hues. These are £11.00 each and finished with a little pink bow.

Check it out! Visit Kerry’s Jewellery for a look.