June 2016

PICTURE POSTCARDS: PALMA DE MALLORCA

June 25, 2016

Here are some of my favourite photos from my family trip to Mallorca last week. Mallorca was in full bloom and looking absolutely beautiful during our stay. It was nice to relax, swim in the sea, eat delicious food, laugh and dance.

I feel so lucky to have two sisters and a Mum who all get on so well. We used to absolutely kill each other when we were teens. But once we got past those terrible teenage years we became really close, and now we have such a laugh together.

We were only in Mallorca for five days, so we really tried to be as present in the moment as possible and to savour every moment. Because the older we get, the busier and more spread out geographically we are becoming. Which makes savoring these precious moments even more important.

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Travel & Places

DINNER AT DON GIOVANNI, MANCHESTER

June 22, 2016

Sophie is my favourite buddy to go for shopping, lunch and cocktails with. We call them our Gossip Girl dates and I miss them so much when I’m away! The general rule of thumb on a Gossip Girl date is that you get dressed up all fancy, order loads of naughty food then go shopping after a cocktail or two and encourage each other to buy extravagant things with words of encouragement like: “you earned it” and “it’s nice to treat yourself from time to time”. You need those kind of days out occasionally, right?

We were invited to try out Don Giovanni in Manchester which recently had a £400k makeover to celebrate its 31st birthday. We were seated in a sunny window booth which was nice and private for catching up, Gossip Girl style.

As it’s an Italian restaurant, we chose an Italian cocktail, the Aperol Spritz, which was gorgeous and so refreshing. To start I chose the caprese (buffalo mozzarella with cherry tomatoes and basil) and Sophie went for the bruschetta Al Funghi (sauteed mushrooms topped with dolce latte cheese). We both had fresh fish for our main which the friendly waiter prepared for us. Finally, for desert Sophie had ice-cream with an espresso shot poured over it (which she adored) and I had strawberries and cream.

I can’t wait for our next Gossip Girl date, but Sophie really needs to start watching Pretty Little Liars so I can sign my texts with -A rather than Gossip Girl xoxo

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Lifestyle and Interviews

SAVE THE DATES: FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT

June 12, 2016

Selecting my save the dates was the first moment that the whole idea of our wedding suddenly felt like a reality, rather than a lovely day dream. It’s a really exciting moment. It’s also the first impression that guests will have of the big day, so I wanted to get it right.

I spent ages scrolling through beautiful designs, and even made a Pinterest board of the most inspiring. Here are some of my favourites from the company that I chose to make mine, Wedding Paper Divas followed by my top tips on selecting yours. I won’t share my final choice just yet as I haven’t sent them to my guests and I don’t want to spoil their surprise. But I will soon, promise.

Botanicals on Blush by Justina Blakeney for Wedding Paper Divas

gorgeous_gleam-signature_foil_save_the_dates-magnolia_press-cobblestone-gray

Gorgeous Gleam Save The Dates by Magnolia Press at Wedding Paper Divas

Passionate Promise by Magnolia Press at Wedding Paper Divas

A few tips for selecting your save the dates:

1. If you have no idea what kind of wedding you want at this stage in the game, and the only information that you have is a date. Perhaps go for one of the photo designs and use a really special pic of you and your partner.

2. Look at the photos on the Wedding Paper Diva blog and social media as well as browsing through the website. They have so many designs you may not find them all on the website. On the Instagram & blog they post pictures submitted by real brides, often presenting the designs in a beautiful lifestyle setting which always helps me to get a better idea of the product.

3. If you see a design that you love which isn’t quite right then use the instant chat service for advice, the in-house design team may be able to tweak a few things to suit your needs.

4. Take a few days to decide on your design, send screen shots to bridesmaids and family for their thoughts before selecting.

I’ll let you know soon which ones I picked soon!

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Lifestyle and Interviews

LIFE LATELY: PICTURE POSTCARDS

June 4, 2016

When I scroll through the archives of my blog, the life lately posts are actually my favourite. It’s so nice to see a roundup of happy memories from a certain period of my life. As I mentioned in this post, life has thrown a few curve-balls recently. So all the more reason to post this round-up of my favourite moments that got trapped on my camera while I was out of action.

1.My birthday suit! The entire outfit was chosen by my Mum as a gift for my birthday. Thanks Mum! Oh, and hello to the Hulk Hogan graffiti in Friedrichshain, Berlin.

2.Sophie sipping a cocktail in Turtle Bay, Manchester right before she gave me a haircut (professionals can cocktail and cut no problem). What a cutie.

3.Taking a walk with my Step-Dad at twilight in Chester. One of those moments where you just need to stop and enjoy the free show provided by nature.

4.Jazzy decor and a jazzy jumper. Saigon street food at District Môt , Berlin.

5.One of the perks of wedding planning is that you get to visit lots of stunning potential venues. This is Palm House in Sefton Park, Liverpool. It isn’t our ‘chosen one’ but it was a very strong contender. You must visit if you’re in the area, the 1930’s Peter Pan statues are the icing on the cake.

6.Who ever said that an alcohol free cocktail means fun free? This one was a winner, honest.

7.One of my many dream homes at Sanssouci Park, Potsdam.

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Uncategorized

Unexplained Pauses

June 1, 2016

There have been a few unexplained pauses on LedByLucy. Here’s why: A “one off” heart problem that I suffered from began to return regularly. In early May it got quite scary, and I had to get operated on.

Luckily the hospital closest to me at the time specialised in hearts and the care I received was exemplary. Technology is so advanced and doctors are so skilled, it is unbelievable what can be done. Plus, the body has an amazing ability to heal, we are like real life X-men!

The operation was a success, but it’s taking me a good while while to find my feet again and heal. I just haven’t felt like blogging.
I haven’t been able to make up my mind whether to share this news here, because it’s so personal and I don’t want it to define my life in any way. But after much consideration I decided that I should, because life isn’t always sunny. I may always pick only my favourite photos to share on the blog, but at the end of the day this is real life, and shit like this happens.

One thing that has come out of the experience is that it’s opened my eyes to the fact that I need to fully commit to making Berlin my home. Rather than it being somewhere I stay for long periods of time, because my partner works here. So my goal is to make a really good go of integrating myself in Berlin and committing to it.

So that’s where I have been. My family and friends have been a huge support, particularly my Mum and boyfriend. Here’s to real life, the curveballs it throws and the resilience of the human body. X