For those of you who follow me on YouTube and/or Instagram, you will know that I am now in my third trimester of my first pregnancy. I have a playlist on my channel called Journey to Motherhood and I wanted to be able to document more than just the trimesters over here on the blog, even though the time is quickly passing. So today I'm going to start with Trimester One Recap and you can watch the full video below along with my announcement video!

     I think to start, I should probably take it back just a touch. My husband and I got married in Sept. 2022 and while we knew we would start a family some day, we didn't know when. After our wedding we decided to start looking for a house thinking that we would never be able to afford something, but that the market research would help us to save for it in the coming years. WELL...did we ever get lucky, because 3 months after we got married, we found the perfect house, put in an offer and got it. This is our first home and we were absolutely STOKED. We had decided that before we started a family we wanted to be married and have our own home. So last February (2023) we packed up our rented townhouse and made the move about an hour and half north of the city, which actually put us much closer to the cottage, which is an added bonus. 

     Moving on, we celebrated our First Wedding Anniversary this past September and had the discussion of whether or not we were ready to start a family. We both know that one is *never* truly ready, but we agreed that we had a house, I had landed my new job, so we were both on board. Now I will say we were both expecting this starting a family process to last a little longer, so leading up to my first cycle after trying, Scott had ZERO belief that I would already be pregnant. He figured we would have to try over the course of a few months and thought I was being a little bit silly with how keen I was with thinking I could already be pregnant. Welp. I was LOL. I got the last laugh there, let me tell you. I found out Sept. 27th and had just bought a tee to cricut a 'daddy' design on for when the time came. Well that night I had to quickly design and make the shirt so when Scott came home from a friend's place, I could surprise him. There was NO way that I could wait a moment longer (I had actually confirmed before he'd left for his friend's but I wanted the shirt to be part of the reveal so I somehow kept my mouth shut). He wasn't home until about midnight, so his reaction was a tired "are you actually pregnant?...wow" promptly followed by both of us knocking out haha. I tested again in the morning to be sure and with both tests the positive was like I'M HERE!

     The next person to find out was my bestie. I thought that I would be able to hold on a little bit longer but nope...FaceTimed her at about 6:30 in the morning which I knew would be pretty big giveaway as we would usually just text but I was like 'it will be quick just answer' lol. I was wearing Scott's shirt (which read: Dad Joke Loading) and of course she was shocked and pleased! Then my "niece" was being coached by her daddy to say "Good job Scott" which was hilarious from a 2yo. Of course we told my dad and Scott's parents all within a couple of days. I made a shirt for myself that said "expecting a little pumpkin" on a bright orange tee since we were coming into October. Of course, everyone was excited for us but I must admit, starting a new teaching job, helping to coach a rugby team AND finding out I was pregnant all in the span of 3 weeks, was a biiiiiiit much for me. Don't recommend LOL. 

     Now to begin the true first trimester stuff...I will say that I had an incredibly smooth start to my pregnancy because I had absolutely no morning sickness (thank God...) and really didn't have many symptoms. My boobs hurt...a LOT...and from about week 5-10 I did have incredible fatigue/brainfog. I remember trying to describe it to Scott as, the fatigue you feel when you're really ill x100 and then you're starting to come close. But the moment it lifted, I felt great again. But due to moving we don't have a family doctor anymore, so I was 10 weeks before I had my first prenatal appointment and had to take a day off work in order to drive to the city for it, which was less than ideal. But I got lucky and was able to walk into an ultrasound appointment right afterwards, which actually moved my due date up by just a couple of days. It was amazing to see a true image of baby, as I had only had a bedside ultrasound done at the hospital a couple weeks prior when I went to Emerg after having some really bad food poisoning. So the dating ultrasound moved up my due date to June 1st, which is exactly one month before my own birthday so yay to a warm weather birthday! I will say, the timing of this birth is pretty awesome in terms of me not having to suffer extremely pregnant with either extreme seasons. I got through the winter and baby will be out before the hot days of summer - so 10/10 recommend this timeline ahaha

     I didn't have any cravings or food aversions in the first trimester, which I was pretty happy with, there were a few smells while hubby was cooking that would make me scrunch my nose, but would disipate quickly. I have been aware of the foods that are not 'safe' during pregnancy and luckily most of the foods that should be avoided are ones that I don't eat. I have had Subway a couple of times but I haven't really gone out of my way to eat deli meats. There was a couple week stint in November where I was eating pb&j sandwiches, which I wouldn't exactly call a craving but felt drawn to them haha. One thing that came/went during this trimester was my love of tea. Before pregnancy I drank a LOT of tea - it was borderline ridiculous so I knew once I fell pregnant that I had to pump the breaks. So over time I reduced my intake - I actually went over a week or so without a single cup of tea which absolutely floored me. But there was a time where tea just wasn't doing it for me - I would get maybe half way through my cuppa and then just give up or forget about it. So I was down to maybe one tea a day, which is absolutely unheard of. I am also not so great at drinking my water...I have days that I'm great and drink a lot and then I go days and days without. For me tea was always my water intake (which I know is NOT good lol) so when I dropped off on my tea I just didn't drink much of anything. I'm not really a juice or pop girl either, so I just didn't have anything. To be honest, I'm still struggling with the water intake as I'm not big on adding stuff to it, but it's also just so boring...

     Now then...for some other changes or lack thereof - I had no real weight change. I would say that I did drop about 5lbs in the beginning but not because of being sick or lack of eating, it was honestly just a few pounds that didn't need to be on my body and went away. But other than that, I didn't have any weight change nor any 'pop' of my tummy. I did spend a lot of time during this period worried about the weight gain that is to be expecting during pregnancy. I have not always had the best view of my body so I knew that I would have to adjust to that. They say that on average 25-30lbs is a good amount of weight to gain and I truly believe your body will do what it has to do and there is no shame in gaining more than that. But even 25lbs at minimum would put me at 160 which was a terrifying thought. I really had to work around the idea that baby needs my body to grow to be healthy and that I need to be okay with that. I also figured that if I was able to kind of keep the weight to my midsection that I would be more reassured that I'm growing for baby and not "just getting fat" (again to MY own eyes). But with no weight gain whatsoever I wasn't so worried in those first few months.

     My safe date was near the end of November and that is when we shared with extended family and I shared online. I was SO EXCITED to finally share and be able to confide in some of my friends who have somewhat recently had babies. It was nice to feel like I had a new space and realm to discover with others. I know that there is SO MUCH to learn but I put it off because I had to focus on work, so I'm definitely playing catch up now. 

     I don't forsee my blog being completely taken over by baby content, but I will definitely be adding a Motherhood category to share my adventures with little one. I will also share my second trimester post soon to catch you up as well as some planning for my baby shower next month! Thank you so much for reading, and don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me on Instagram.

I cannot believe that I have not actually posted a blog post in over a year. I definitely feel like I worked on some posts that just never went live and this year I am going to be better. I am determined to stop self-sabotaging in terms of any form of content. Anywho...SO much happened in the last year that I can't wait to catch you up on and more exciting news for this year!​

     Honestly I'm not even sure where I should start haha. 2023 was an absolutely unreal year and I still can't quite believe all the things that have happened. I suppose I should just start at the beginning of the year and walk you on through!

     So last January marked my last month at my old job, which was definitely a hard decision to make but it was the closing of one door, so that a new one could open. Reason being, my husband and I bought our first house! When we got married in September 2022, we had absolutely no idea that a house would be so near in the future. We definitely thought that we were going to stay renting our townhouse for another couple of years. So when we realized that we could in fact, purchase a house, we jumped at the opportunity. It really felt like it was meant to be because we only spent 2 weekends house hunting before we put in the offer. It meant moving north of the city (and closer to the cottage!) which is why I had to leave my job. There was no way you could convince me to drive *minimum* 1.5hrs in one direction to get to work each day. 3-4 hrs in the car on top of teaching a full day...oh HELL no. I finished up the month and it gave me the chance to spend the majority of the month of February packing up our house.

     So February was an absolute whirlwind and I genuinely needed every minute of that month because we still weren't quite ready to move on moving day haha. I KNEW I had a lot of stuff, I have never denied that fact (or been able to avoid that) so I really did purge a lot of stuff, but there was still more... So much more that our move actually took us 2 full days and 2 UHaul trucks...whoops...THAT we didn't expect. We had all hands on deck with the majority of family there to help (several extended family members too) to both load and unload the truck as well as fill their cars up to drive to our place. Tensions were definitely running high and I was losing it, BUT we managed. Scott, my dad and I did the second day of moving just ourselves and Scott's bestie helped unload at the house as I drove with my car full loaded after cleaning the house. Man were we EXHAUSTED. I hate moving. It never gets easier, you just can't win haha.

     We adjusted into home ownership, handled a couple snow dumps and near the end of March/beginning of April I was beginning to worry about a job. Teaching jobs are not something that are always open to apply for, there are certain windows of time where applications are accepted and I was waiting patiently. I did contemplate going back into retail if it was taking too long because I obviously wanted to help contribute to our house lol. Lo and behold, applications for the school board opened up, I scored an interview and then proceeded to panic. Thankfully it went well but I had to wait a couple weeks for references and such to go through before the final verdict - that was the longest 2 weeks of my life. But in the end I got the congratulations email and cried. I had now achieved two things that I desperately wanted to accomplish, buying a house and landing a teaching job in the board. Completed the onboarding process and began supplying May 1 through the end of June. I was going between the same 3 schools during that period and at the end of the school year there were Long Term Occasional positions that I decided to try for with very little expectations, I had been with the board for 2 months, and didn't think that I would even be looked at. WELL I was wrong!

     End of June brought the opportunity to teach a full-time equivalent for all of Semester 1 (Sept.-Jan.) and I was nervous but thrilled. I also took a course over the summer to help me with future job opportunities so that kept me busy. Other than that, summer was summer. Celebrated turning 32, spent time at the cottage, spent lots of time at home just enjoying the space and we had a number of family and friends over for various 'housewarmings' which was lovely. I was so excited to be able to host and have the space to do so! If you've watched my Townhouse Tour you'll see that we only really had the living/dining room to host and it was pretty cramped with too many people and dark. That was probably the biggest difference for us (that we STILL comment on nearly a year later) that we have so much natural light in our house, it's crazy. As usual I feel like summer disappeared rather quickly and soon it was back to school.

     I won't go into too much about work, but I will say that I absolutely LOVE the people that I work with. They are all so awesome and helpful and really made me feel at home. One of my department heads also coached girls rugby so I spent the first 8ish weeks of work helping coach girls 7s, which I had no experience with. I played 15s when I was in grades 10/11 but haven't touched a ball or pitch since then; there was definitely a learning curve with the team consisting of half of what I was used to, so that was a fun experience. Our season didn't end quite how we'd have liked but the girls got over it. We got custom hoodies which was great, it will be a nice memory for me when I leave the school. 

     September was also Scott and I's first wedding anniversary, which was lovely. We had a great Sunday together and wrapped up the evening by watching our full length wedding video. I shared the shorter video on NYE last year that you can check out. We also decided that we were ready to start trying for a family. I thought that I was going to have to do some persuading but was pleasantly surprised when he was all for it. Well...later that month, on the 27th to be exact, I found out I was pregnant! Oh my gosh was that a whirlwind of a day. If you'd like to hear more about that you can watch this video and see how I felt that I might be pregnant. I am going to do some baby blog posts as I'm currently half way through! I hit 20 weeks on January 13th and can't get my head around that this is happening. So more stuff on that to come, but if you just can't wait then you can watch my most recent video which was Recapping my 1st Trimester. 

     Soo....2023 was full of pleasant surprises. Buying our first house, landing my dream job and starting our family! If you'd told me on my wedding day that ANY of those were going to happen in 2023, I would have laughed at you. So to have all of them come true was mindblowing. I'm building my understanding of manifesting, but I truly think this year showed me that I can get a lot done when I put my mind to it. So I'm hoping to do more justice to manifestation this year and am currently reading the book Manifest: 7 Steps to Living Your Best Life by Roxie Nafousi. 

     Alright, I'm going to love you and leave you for now. I am manifesting a more consistent upload schedule to the blog, but you can catch me on YouTube every Tuesday and on Instagram the rest of the time. I hope that you're new year has started off strong and that all your dreams come true for this year. I'd love to celebrate your accomplishments from last year, so leave me a comment below on something you were proud of (even if it was just surviving the year).

Buying jewellery can be a very expensive process so finding a shop that is more affordable with beautiful pieces is very exciting!

     I don't often buy jewellery and most of my nicer pieces have actually been gifted to me over the years. Leading up to my wedding last year, I was feeling keen to pick up some new pieces but didn't want to drop huge amounts of money. I'm always seeing ads on Instagram for jewellery and of course, seeing 'sale' really peeked my interest. Beautiful Earth Boutique was one such brand that kept popping up, so I finally gave them a look.

     There was a large sale so I dived in and as per my usual online shop MO, I open one million product tabs, did some comparisons and narrowing down of the products. At the time all the products that I was looking at were on sale for $17.95 or $19.95 so I allowed myself to go a little crazy. I was focused mainly on earrings but their site has rings, bracelets, and necklaces as well. They also offer so many pieces in both silver and gold so no matter your preference, you will find something!

     I actually scored an even better deal on all of the pieces that I purchased by using the Karma extension, which scours the internet for additional codes. So I got a 2 for 1 deal which meant that I ended up with TWELVE pieces! I purchased 11 earrings and 1 bracelet. One set of earrings were for my youngest sister in law for her birthday. I adored these hoops but they screamed her name, I honestly wanted to repurchase them for me. They were called "Rectangle Hoop Earrings" if you're interested in looking at them! It's been nearly a year and I still contemplate purchasing them for myself.

     Alright, so ordering the pieces was dead easy and they always seem to have some sort of sale on. Though I do recommend checking out apps like Karma or something similar, to help find you the best deals. Shipping didn't take too long, I ordered August 21st and received the boxes on the 31st. Now when it arrived all these pieces were bagged individually and placed in a couple small jewellery boxes. If you are ordering as a gift I believe you can specify so the item will have it's own box. Unfortunately, the pearl hoops had a small casualty and a pear was loose in the bag. The team was nice enough to offer me a refund or a replacement, I opted for the refund. I was able to fix it with some super glue as they told me not to worry about sending it back as they didn't want me to have to pay postage. I will say I was pretty impressed with the customer service - I simply reached out via Instagram. At the time (not sure how much this has changed) but the business was a female-founded small team so I want to give them credit where credit was due. 

​     As I said, I've owned these pieces for nearly a year now and there are definitely a few of them that I have worn a tonne! The Mila Geometric hoop is easily my most worn pair, followed by Layla Gold Twist. I got quite a bit of use of the Green Crystal hoops with some of my pre-wedding outfits and I often wear the Blue Evil Eye bracelet. The bracelet has a great bead closure but one of the first times I wore it I lost one of the tassel beads on the end of one side. It was a bummer but you'd never really notice.

     I would say the quality of the pieces is quite nice, you're obviously not getting luxury brand quality but I wouldn't say that this is a sub-par quality at all. The pieces overall are not very heavy which is something I prefer in my jewellery. None of them have tarnished at all which I also really appreciate as green ears is not really my look aha. I know that I mentioned two products that had problems but I think the good outweighs the bad and would still definitely recommend this brand.

     I have linked all the pieces that are still available online if they tickle your fancy. The Green Crystal hoops come not only in silver/gold but there are 4 jewel colours to choose from (green, white, blue and purple). I would definitely recommend if you want to up your jewellery game without breaking the bank. I will definitely be checking them out again soon when I look to purchase a few everyday style necklaces. 

     Let me know, have you ever purchased from Beautiful Earth Boutique? Are you interested in purchasing now? I would LOVE to know! If you end up purchasing any pieces, be sure to let me know on IG! DM me or tag me - I'd love to see what you picked up

I SAID YES TO THE DRESS!! Ohmygod that feels so good to say!
I was beginning to get a bit stressed that I hadn't yet said yes to a dress. While I won't be telling you which dress I said yes to (yet), I wanted to show you the final dresses I tried on before committing.

     Before I get to the really good dresses, I did want to mention the third shop I went to, Best for Brides. My SIL as well as a coworker got their dresses from this shop (two different locations) but it didn't have what I was looking for and I was not compromising. But I still wanted to show the 4 dresses I tried on. I was really trying to "beat" my potential yes-dress from Saratina and these dress silhouettes just weren't doing it for me. Just as with the previous shops there are bits and pieces I liked about each dress, but none of them were the full package. I also went to this shop spontaneously and solo, so the associate helping me was kind enough to get some back shots of the dresses, which I appreciated.

     Now for the dresses at Sophie's Gown Shoppe. First off, this was probably the largest shop I went to and I was very excited that they had dresses for a wide variety of budgets. If you remember, the potential yes-dress from Saratina was over my budget so I was hoping to find something I loved for less. The dresses here range from $600-$5k, so just about everyone can find something here! I will say make sure to watch this dress video because I tell the story about how fate was on my side.

     Given that the dress I couldn't shake was an off the shoulder moment by Stella York (#7012), I came into Sophie's looking for a dress with a similar style. So naturally, the first two dresses she put me in were similar. Both of these have the off the shoulder/Juliet sleeves, along with button details down the back and cascading detail. I'm not going to lie, when I am trying dresses on I very rarely catch the designer name and even less likely to see the style codes of them, but these two I caught the designers in some footage and did some sleuthing to find the styles. The top is Stella York 7332 and the bottom is Morilee 6968 known as "Dani." They both have the great a-line skirt with a varying amount of detailing along it. Both have a moderate train and I'm told they are easy to bustle. I found both to be flattering in the bodice and I really do like the sweetheart neckline combined with the sleeve.

     This dress had a lot of detail that does not really show up true in photos. The appliqués on this dress were crazy and way more sparkly than you'd ever see in this photo. I hadn't tried on a single dress with this square neckline and it was so different! I think this would look stunning with some sort of necklace or more statement earrings. Of course, I would line the bodice so it would blend seamlessly into the skirt. I love the way the straps tuck very closely to my arms and although this dress wasn't my size, I think my back would look great if it was! It has the button detailing and not too much going on along the skirt.

     This next dress is yet another with the more leafy style lace/appliqué (as opposed to full-on floral). This detailing is a bit more spread out around the skirt with a more natural placement, if that makes sense? They don't look like they were spaced out super symmetrically, there is still symmetry but because there are more pieces it just flows so nicely. You can see that at the front of the dress and at the back of the train there is a larger concentration of the design which help to ground it. I also really like the back of this bodice and find it very flattering. Like most dresses, it has a more nude lining, which I would switch for ivory. The bodice I found flattering, didn't make me look like a brick or cut me in half, sitting quite nicely on my waist.

    Finally, this dress makes me laugh because I sent a video panning the shop when I first arrived and sent it to the bestie. She almost immediately replied with a screenshot of the video & circled this dress with the caption, "WHO IS SHE" which cracked me up. So when the associate was pulling dresses, I asked if she could find this dress that was circled oh so brightly. She chuckled, told me it was brand new, knew exactly where it was and would get it for me. What you can't see in this photo is just how sparkly the dress was. The tulle was literally shimmering. It felt a little too flashy but I did it for the bestie!! Which is probably why I only have a front photo because I knew it wasn't really a contender. Don't forget to check out the video, you will see more of the shimmer details there and let me know...which dress do YOU think I said yes to?!

The wedding dress hunt continues at my second shop, Saratina Bridal. I must say right off the top, the experience at this shop was better than the first and by the end of this visit, I thought that I may have found the one!

     I was so excited to head to Saratina because a) I got to go with my best friend (and Matron of Honour) and b) it was also the shop that she found her wedding dress almost 5 years ago. I had pretty high hopes before arriving, but my initial reaction was actually one of concern, because it did not seem like they had that many dresses. And when picking through the dresses with Boston, I didn't think that there would be many dresses for me that matched the checklist from the last shop. Little did I know, that I would walk away thinking about one of these dresses as a potential "yes-dress" for the next month and a half!

     We actually started out quite strong on the first two dresses. They both had the details in the bodice and had the lacework continue down to the skirt. The skirts themselves were not too over the top. Dress #1 was much more tulle and princess-y, while Dress #2 had a single layer train which you can see better in the video here.

​     By the end of my appointment these were both part of my top three, but looking back while editing that video, I realized even more strongly that they were not the dresses for me. I still prefer #1 out of these two and think it is lovely. Dress #2 was staticky as hell and I think that would have driven me absolutely crazy.

     Dress #3 reminded me why I don't like any defined 'belt' detail in a dress, because it does me zero favours. I did really enjoy the illusion back on this dress and the skirt on this dress was exactly what I was looking for. It wasn't too large or long, but the tone of the dress was not really my palette. Dress #4 had a nice bodice and that cascading detail, but it was very, VERY floral, more specifically roses. I'm not super into floral designs that are just so in my face. The train on this skirt had some very large rose details, which looks stunning but not for me. I felt the profile of this dress was very flattering for me, but the roses were too much.

     Dress #5 was a quick - nope - as the detailing on the bodice gave me very boxy vibes, which was similar to dress #5 from Promises & Lace. The angular back was nice, but the lace style wasn't quite what I was looking for. It also had the belt detail that I wasn't keen on, but again the skirt style was what I wanted, so I was feeling a little down. The next few dresses were definitely on the decline from starting off so strong.

​     Dress #6 was a wildcard that did not pay off. It had a layered skirt (kinda asymmetrical), which I thought was very pretty, but again it had too much volume which I just felt overwhelmed me. It also seemed like a dress that needed a different type of venue - it doesn't read as an outdoor cottage wedding dress. I also did not like the bodice shape - the cups looks like two different styles were sewn together haphazardly. The back was pretty unique though as it looked like it had 3 straps a side.

     The next dress was tried on to solely lay to rest the idea that I wanted a full lace sleeve. I'm over it, it is not a thing, I will end up being hot and uncomfortable. The off the shoulder aspect was nice but it was a very quick in and out dress. It felt very Princess Diana to me - I don't know why, but that's what came to mind when I had it on.

     Dress #8 was definitely the beginning of the off shoulder/Juliet sleeve moment - I knew it was something that I liked from the first shop. This dress had a bit more detail on the skirt than I would care for and to be honest - I don't even think I noticed the back of this dress until I saw the photos LOL. I wasn't so keen on such a see through back with the boning as visible as it was.

     Let me start off by saying YES I am fully aware that my choice of undergarment was not suited to this dress style - but it looks way more extreme in photos than it did in real life. Again I love the style where the buttons lay all the way down the skirt, but I just do not suit tight dresses. I feel like a block in this particular dress, but did love the cut of the back and the very light and slim skirt.

     Then we jump to the dress I could not get out of my head. When I first walked out in this dress, Boston and I both said no because the skirt was HUGE. Then one of the lovely owners who was working my appointment said, spread your legs and hold this. She then proceeded to grab all of the more crinoline base layer and shoved it back so that I would see the skirt fall without it. It was an instant WHOA moment and we both quickly changed our minds. I loved the off the shoulder and the amount of lace detail on the skirt. I also really liked that the detail was leaves and not straight floral. I was not keen on the macchiato toned liner but someone had actually ordered the dress in ivory and she so kindly pulled it out so that I could see it and that made all the difference. So this sky rocketed to #1 spot.  

     The last two dresses also laid to rest the idea of any form of body hugging dress. I give up on them LOL. Plain and simple. I appreciate that others may think they look fine/good/great but I just pick my body apart in this style. I liked the bodice, back and skirt of Dress #11 more than #12, because the cut in the bodice of 12 gives a really stark contrast to the skirt as it wasn't lined. The back was too beautiful to line and I thought it would look bizarre to line only to under the arms. The booty looked better in #12 I think because of the detailing but they just weren't for me.

Final Thoughts
     First things first, being properly clipped into a dress makes a HUGE difference. That may seem obvious, but I wasn't clipped in the first shop so it was quite challenging to really see how the dress looked without someone holding me in. Also, you may think you know what you want and still have your eyes opened to new styles and ideas. As much as I had a list in mind, I was still very open to trying on different styles, and in doing so, I really found a style I did NOT like aha. 

     I retried Dress 1, 2 and 10 at the end of my appointment and the bestie came up with such a brilliant idea. We recorded a 360 video of each dress while we talked through exactly what we liked or didn't like about the it and if any of that could be adjusted or changed when ordered or altered. It was great because as much as you think you will remember it when you look at pictures, you won't. So that is a top tip if you are dress shopping. 
     
​      Dress #10 was hands down the favourite but I noticed that I didn't really get the super butterfly feeling, but being back in it I thought I felt a little something and then of course the dreaded question, how much? We did not discuss budget when we were pulling dresses (obviously a big no-no but when you're trying different styles I feel like it's ok unless you find "the one"). This dress was out of budget even before the few hundred expected for alterations. It was in that moment that I felt a little something more for this dress and decided if I was still thinking about it in a few weeks I would see what I could do to pay for it.

     Which of these dresses did you like or love? Don't forget to check out all wedding related content here are on the blog and on my YouTube channel. 

The time has come to start looking for a dress! I have never shopped for a fancy dress for any occasion so the first dress shop was very exciting and nerve wracking for me. I was able to bring my MIL & youngest SIL (and bridesmaid) to this appointment with me to help me figure out what I thought I wanted.

     As I said, I have never bought a fancy dress before...I actually bought my prom dress online...so this was a whole new experience. I have a wedding Pinterest board that is super detailed and of course, a subsection dedicated to dresses. The problem? Which one did I actually think I would wear. Some of the dresses are absolutely stunning...when you're 5'7" + and small framed, or a nice hourglass shape. Seeing as I am neither of those, I knew that there would be some styles that just wouldn't work for me.

     Being 5'3, with a short torso and more rectangular shape, I knew I had to be mindful of how the bodice was cut, or else I might look chopped in half and have it not be so flattering. I always thought that I would go for a sweetheart strapless neckline, but in the last couple of years I have loved seeing the low backs, or illusion backs and that sort of style. I also thought that maybe I would like some sort of lace sleeve, seeing as I'm trying to push the autumnal vibes for our wedding (despite it being early September...) so I tried a few dresses on just for that feature.

     I knew that I wanted some detail on the bodice and a not-so-large skirt - I was not here for a ballgown. I also had to consider that I'm getting married at the cottage and some dresses just don't fit the outdoor wedding vibe. But I wanted to keep an open mind and try on different styles just to see. I would say that after this visit, the dresses I liked most were more princess/ballgown which stunned me.

     Unfortunately, there was no "Yes" at this shop but I left knowing a few more things that I liked and a few things I did not.

Let the commentary begin...and don't forget to share your thoughts with me in the comments.

General Thoughts
     Ok I had a LOT going through my mind during this appointment and I know a lot of it was inner dialogue about how I looked in the dress and if I thought it would look ridiculous at an outdoor cottage wedding. My MIL was so incredibly sweet by telling me that if I loved it - it didn't matter how long the train was or how "out of place" I thought it might be. My love of the dress was the most important. 

     I just want to take a moment to talk about Dress #1 as it was the first ever wedding dress I tried on. In theory it ticked off all the boxes that I wanted checked for my wedding dress: bodice detail, slimmer skirt, low back detail, but it didn't WOW me. It also didn't fit comfortably so I could not breathe aha. But it definitely showed me what I'd look like in that style and we branched out a bit from there.

     Bring on Dress #2 - which has affectionately been nicknamed "sexy bride" by a coworker of mine. I would 100% have lined this bodice as I don't really like the look of just seeing bra cups - it's all I could see, along with the very abrupt waistline which really chopped me in half. This is the neckline that I had imagined wanting and it just seems lacking now and I feel even more broad across the shoulders with nothing there. This dress introduced the idea of embellishments cascading down the skirt which I quite liked.

     Now a few dresses we tried on just for certain features are Dress #3, 8 & 9. Dress 3 had an illusion back which was very nice, but the organza skirt just did not feel right to me. It even had pockets, but because of the material you could see them through the skirt and that was a big NOPE from me. Dresses 8/9 I tried on for the lace sleeve detail. I was really thinking that I'd like the look of a long lace sleeve but. it is so hard to find the right balance of lace and I found on 9 that I do not suit a high neck, even when it's more illusion. Also, not sure if I would be too warm (or even comfortable) with a sleeve.

     After trying on Dress #6 I very quickly dismissed any formfitting dresses - I think they look stunning, but on someone else. If I can see my belly button through the material, that is all I am going to see when I look at my wedding photos. I don't need that negative energy in my mind haha. I know that may sound bonkers to you but it's literally the first thing I see. I also told myself that as much as I would like to tone up/get fit/blahblahblah I am not expecting myself to thin out enough that I would feel more comfortable in that style. I felt very statuesque in that dress and just didn't feel like I would be comfy through my day. So that knocks Dress #6 off as well as #10, though 10 was tried on because it was formfitting with a tulle overlay but I just felt like a brick. We called it the Bridgerton dress. 

     The next dress I want to highlight is #11 - It was too large for me but I loved the idea of this sparkly top with a keyhole back. It also had a not-too-billowy skirt which I really liked. Unfortunately, it does have that cut-me-off-at-the-waist look so it was not a win for me. The two dresses that were more winner for me were #4 and #7. Dress #4 actually introduced me to a Juliet-sleeve or off the shoulder style and I thought it was a really flattering look. The skirt was definitely fuller tulle and had a munch longer train than I would want but it definitely opened my mind. The one design detail that caught my attention (not for the better) was on the bodice there are a couple of flower details that look like low nipples and it's all that I could see, the placement was just off. As for 7 - I don't have great photos of it because the cups weren't sewn in, so they just kept moving all over the place, but it was very flattering and I liked the slit detail. The bonus is that the slit wasn't immediately noticeable (despite my pose) so it was a little surprise. 

     Finally, the last dress I tried on solely for my SIL's benefit - she told me to try on their biggest ballgown just to see. It made her happy so I went for it. Now I have to mention that this dress had such a full skirt that it quite literally stood up by itself. This dress was a true Disney princess dress and it was the only dress that actually fit me at the shop which surprised the hell out of me. I liked it WAAAAY more than I thought I would but this dress required a black tie affair and a huge ballroom. Again this had the off the shoulder detail and a beautiful illusion back that to me at least, looked like a heart. For the full moment you definitely have to check out my video from the shop just to see how large and in charge this dress was...

The Must-Haves
After this appointment, we summed up the following as items I wanted or enjoyed (so far):
A-line fit
Light tulle or chiffon skirt
Nothing too billowy
Detailed bodice
Some sort of cascading detail from the bodice to the skirt
Shorter train

​Next week I will have my second shops' adventure up, so be sure to come back to read that.
In the meantime - you can also watch that video here.

Everyone knows that engagement rings can be absolutely extortionately priced and for some, the price doesn't mean anything compared to wanting to spend their life with their partner. I wanted to spend a modest amount on a ring and would have accepted a ring pop if that's what Scott used. So I'm going to share with you two places to look at rings if you are unsure of a style, don't want to break the bank, or are looking for an affordable 'dupe' to wear while on vacation.

     If you read my first wedding post, I mentioned that when deciding on a ring style, I started off very certain, and then changed my mind (slightly). Unfortunately, the world was shut down and I was going cross-eyed looking at listings online. I am a very visual person and just wanted to see what they looked like on me. This seemed impossible initially as I didn't want to start spending hundreds and hundreds on a ring I may not even like or be able to return!

     It started last December (2020) when I stumbled upon the website Modern Gents Trading Co. I was pondering affordable ring ideas for Scott actually, since he doesn't currently wear any jewellery, I wanted to figure out his ring size and test out designs. But I quickly discovered it had super affordable rings in so many styles for both men and women.

     I was unsure what my ring size would be so as I perused the site, I thought I would choose a wedding band style ring to help me figure it out and if I got the size wrong, it would surely fit on another finger! So I jumped in and ordered The Zoey which is a jeweled chevron style as I was looking originally to accent a pear shaped diamond. The day it was meant to arrive, as I drove home from work, I joked to myself how it would be cute if Scott would place it on my finger in a pretend engagement question and then shook my head and said don't be silly. When I mentioned it, as expected, he shook his head at me, told me I was silly AND THEN TOOK MY HAND AND DID IT. I cried. I am not embarrassed to say that either ahaha. So I began wearing that, no one really took much notice and those that did were told, no, we weren't actually engaged yet. I wore that ring pretty faithfully until I got my real ring!

     After I had decided that perhaps I didn't want a pear halo, I began looking at pear solitaires. There were a few more rings to look at online, but still slim pickings. So I headed back to Modern Gents to take another look at what they were offering. They did have a pear halo in a set (The Bliss) but the size comparison to a real diamond was a bit overkill for my taste so I began looking at The Daisy. 

     The Daisy ring is a pear solitaire with a plain band and a cathedral-style setting.​ I had never considered a plain band for engagement rings or wedding bands, but I thought it would be nice to try. I was not really interested in a cathedral setting as I wanted a more low profile, but I was limited with choice so I gave it a whirl. I was worried as I'm always using my hands while teaching and didn't want to smack my ring against things daily.

     At the same time I was looking at The Daisy, I decided that I should also see what a plain wedding band would look like. This would give me a complete look of a plain set and also allow for me to mix and match plain and jeweled bands. I ordered The Paige as the same time and together they arrived nicely in a two ring box. One thing I didn't really notice online when I picked up The Paige is that it could be described as more of a knife edge style, which was new to me.

     Another nice thing about Modern Gents is that you can purchase one of five premade wedding sets and also see different combinations of rings when looking on their site. They also now offer rings in 3 metal colours, so if you wanted to pick up some rings for stacking, they have so many to offer! I am considering purchasing some myself ​as I can attest to their quality. They have a guarantee that your finger won't turn green and the ring won't tarnish and in almost a year I have had neither of these happen with my first ring or the subsequent ones. 

     Now one style of ring that they didn't offer was a solitaire pear with a jeweled band, so I had to go searching. My search lead to Etsy which doesn't always mean it will be an affordable option. So I dug around and found the perfect ring and the shop was out of New Jersey compared to many overseas shops. Well...this shop shipped from overseas and my ring spent a few extra days in the UK on its way over to me, but was still pretty quick turnaround. So I now had 4 rings to mix and match with. I would wear the different combinations while at home, so as to not cause any mass panic LOL and I began to consider mixing a jeweled engagement band with a plain wedding band. This was something I never liked the look of before, but it was growing on me. 

     The shop NaturesCraftStudio had this ring, which ticked all of the boxes and was under $100. Looking back at my order, I paid just under $80 for this ring. Now that I've moved away from the pear shape ring,  and of course have my stunning engagement ring, I still have a fashionable ring to wear!

     Below are the pairings of each of these rings, full glitz, fully plain and the two combinations! Let me know in the comments if you are #teammatch or #teammix and throw your answer into the quick survey question! I'm still currently working on the design of my wedding band but I'm pretty sure I'm going to be going for full glitz or a half/half with the point of the chevron being glitzy with a plain band.

     In the end I would 100% recommend Modern Gents Trading Co for rings, even if just for fashion use. They always have great sales going on (don't think I've ever seen a ring for full price!) so I think I may pick up a ring for Scott during the Cyber sales (which have already begun)! So don't sleep on it and go get some rings!

I don't know about you, but when I think of autumn there are just some colours that really pop. I've also been trying to transition my wardrobe to focus on a small range of colours so that I can maximize the use of each of my pieces. I have been a fan of mustard, olive, and burgundy for a while now, with the addition of rust and camel tones. So these have become staple shades in my wardrobe, along with a few others.

     I am lucky enough to have a best friend who is married to someone who loves photography. My buddy Chris doesn't typically shoot people, he is much more into shooting landscapes and beer. You can give his work some love here and here! But I asked if he would help me shoot some looks last autumn (yes...I'm embarrassed to say these are from November 2020...) and his editing skills made these colours really POP!

     This look is built around a few old staples that I've had for years. These berry toned pants are from JOE Fresh and the peep toe booties I got from my mum years ago. I thought the tone of them fit so well with my (then) new sweater I picked up, also from JOE Fresh. It is so incredibly soft and is a great layering piece in the cooler weather. It is also a hoodie, with a hood that actually fits over my head! The cream cuffs are also a great touch.

     This look has such rich tones for autumn, with burgundy and olive. The burgundy suede blazer I grabbed from Winners just before the initial lockdown back in March 2020. It has a nice metal detail with a cinched waist detail. I layered it over an olive green tank top from Kit and Ace which is a very slim fit so it tucks in really nicely to a pair of jeans. I have some high waisted black jeans on with some slouchy heeled tie up black boots. I picked these boots up forever ago from Call It Spring and don't wear them nearly as much as I should. So I will definitely be making more of an effort to wear them. 

     This final look was centred around my (then) new brown faux leather leggings from JOE Fresh, which are perfect for the transitionary weather as they are lined and keep you nice and toasty. The beige/cream knit sweater was purchased from JF as well many years ago. It is a medium weight, so easy to put a tank top under if needed, but warm enough to wear alone. This Old Navy olive quilted bomber jacket is a perfect coat for September-November when the weather gets a bit chilly. For footwear, I have these faux snakeskin knee high boots I got from my mum a few years ago. Perhaps even the same time as I got the peep toe booties! I also picked up this scarf from Chapters/Indigo last year and tied it up in my hair.

     This mini lookbook was inspired by both old and new pieces. There were a few looks we did some more experimental shots with, but Chris didn't care as much for them when he was editing. He did tell me that he wanted to revisit editing them so perhaps I will see them eventually!

     What tones do you tend to gravitate towards in the autumn months? 

     Ohmygoodness! I'm so excited to finally share this news with you all. I have decided that along with some wedding prep vlogs and plans, I will also be recording it here on the blog. If there is something you would like me to cover specifically, please let me know in the comments, or feel free to DM me on Instagram. 

     I think the funniest thing is that this hasn't been a surprise to me at all. Scott and I have been planning (loosely) our wedding for about two years since the summer his sister got married. But it became very real back in the spring when Scott and I discussed a budget for the ring and he told me he had put money aside for it. I officially began my search.

     I suppose I should start by sharing the ring process with you and then share my final ring! I will start by saying that over the last almost 10 years I have had a Pinterest board for "Future Wedding Ideas." My idea for the ideal ring has changed quite a bit over that time. I initially was looking at a three stone ring and really enjoyed one from People's that also had "Past. Present. Future." inscribed on the inside of the ring. I think another reason I moved away from that style is that it was one I was looking at when I thought that I was going to be marrying my boyfriend in university. Although...he did tell me that he was going to choose a ring without any input from me, including colour...he wanted yellow gold and I did not. Needless to say, I'm glad that never happened...

     I think it was about 2 years ago, leading up to his sister's wedding that Scott gave me and the bestie the blessing to go and start trying rings on and search for the one. I had fallen in love with a pear shape diamond with halo as I felt that it helped to elongate my fingers. I do have quite small hands but find my fingers to be a bit shorter/wider. I feel like I have larger knuckles, but of course these are my own thoughts on my hands and many people disagree with me ahaha.

     Anyways, the ring that started it all was the Merida ring from People's. I was never one fussed over the size of a diamond and despite this being a "smaller" diamond, I thought it fit my hand very well. What I didn't like was that it was mixed metal. I was dead set on white gold. I found that it was super difficult to find pear shaped halo rings online and with the lockdowns over the last year, I was having a hard time picturing the rings on me because I couldn't go anywhere. I also feel that the shops I was looking at only had a couple of styles for pear shaped and they were not really vibing with me.

     Then after my poor brain was exploding, another thing I was considering was a moissanite ring, instead of a traditional diamond. If you are not aware, these gems are very comparable to a diamond and are a more affordable option. Now that doesn't mean they are a cheap knock off like cubic zirconia, but you get more stone for less price as compared to diamonds. They are almost as strong so I knew that as a teacher who is always using my hands, I didn't have to worry about it too much. We eventually moved away from that idea and I also decided to move away from the idea of a halo ring.

​     One of the best things that I could have done to help with my decision was to order rings from Modern Gents & Etsy. I will have a separate post about that process and outcome so I won't go into too much detail here. But it was nice to order an affordable piece of jewellery to "test run" the look that I was going for. 

     Anyways, skipping forward a bit, I actually found myself loving a solitaire diamond sans halo with some small diamonds along the shank. I went to the jeweller my best friend and her husband used for their engagement and wedding rings as he did such a great job for them. After looking at a few styles there I found what I am now totally obsessed with. I was (of course) a bit nervous about making the final decision about it, but Scott came back with me on my second trip there and told me that if I loved it, it would be mine. So we placed that order and initially when discussing some customization, we were told it could be 4-6 weeks, but in the end the engagement ring didn't need any changes (just the future wedding band), we were going to have it in a weeks time!

     Then it became the waiting game for me. Scott picked up the ring a week later, I got a quick glimpse of it within our house and then it was stashed away in his office so I couldn't find it. That officially meant that I needed to have my nails done at all times and look cute in whatever outfit I was wearing LOL. Dramatic? Perhaps...but I knew that Scott was going to plan something so I had to keep my wits about me!

     Flash forward maybe...two weeks or so...and I was ruminating about our wedding date and I actually called my principal (I'm a teacher for any new readers!) and despite it being the end of July, I asked if a particular date next September would be totally out of the question, given that I would be taking a Friday off. She chuckled and told me that they would manage and I said, "It's just some forward thinking...I'm not even engaged yet!" Well...those seemed to be magic words because about 6 hrs later I was!

     Scott and I had a wonderful Wednesday morning up at the cottage as we were intent on visiting the Gravenhurst Farmers Market, we got these delicious crepes (I believe it was "The Crepe Sisters"), picked up some blueberries for his mum and just walked around. We had discussed canoeing to the island the next day for a picnic but then discovered the weather was going to take a turn so we poured some drinks into Yeti tumblers, made and packed some sandwiches and loaded up the canoe. Little did I know that Scott would propose while we were basking in the sun! He pulled a mini Moet bottle out of a wrapped up towel & whipped out some wine glasses (plastic - don't panic) for us to enjoy. I genuinely don't recall the moment he asked - I know he was sitting very casually and I obviously said yes, but it is a blur! You can see more in this vlog here! 

     I definitely could NOT stop smiling - my face hurt! We were able to share the news with his mum and dad the same day as well as some of his aunts and grandfather. We popped more bubbly with his mum and his aunt apologized for no bubbly but opened a bottle of wine in celebration! His sisters found out over the course of that weekend, and I had made little cards (because I'm a an absolute SAP) that said, "Now I've found my mister...will you be my sister?" Yes...I did that... We had to adjust to saying fiancé and his middle sister was the first to use it in a public setting! We'd gone to a brewery and she ran into someone she knew and she'd introduced us and 'her brother and his fiancée' and I gasped and said that I hadn't heard it out loud yet ahaha. (Scott and I also like to make up words - so we'd been calling each other fian-set prior to that). 

     So despite this happening nearly 3 months ago now, I'm still on cloud nine and THRILLED to say that I am going to be marrying him in just over 320 days! I have several more updates to share with you but will save them for other posts. Thinking of doing all my wedding content on Wednesdays, when I have things to share! So definitely make sure you're following my Insta for updates (I have a whole highlight dedicated to anything wedding!) and check back here!​

At home pampering has soared in the last year due to all of the lockdowns. My province had entered a third lockdown earlier in the spring which made getting your nails done impossible. We are now almost fully open again, with salons opening their doors, but many have found ways to do their nails from home with salon quality. One of those at home mani solutions is dip nails, which I am so excited to give a try. 

     ROSSI Nails had a great special right around Christmas and I've been intrigued with trying dip powders as well as polygel extensions. I don't want to invest in a UV lamp juuuuuuust yet so the dip powders definitely caught my eye. I love the idea of a long lasting colour that is more like a shellac/gel polish. I will paint my nails, sneeze and chip a nail LOL. I may be exaggerating, but only a little bit... Despite waiting, however long I am supposed to wait, no matter if I do or don't use a top coat, even using quick dry drops, I will go to bed and wake up with an impression or smudge of some sort. Who wants to spend all that time painting your nails for them to not even make it out of the house?! Certainly not I. So the idea of up to 3 weeks of colour has me thrilled.

     For those who may be newer here and not follow my instagram, I did have gel nails for several months in 2019. I loved it, but my nails took even longer to recover once I removed them because they had been filed down a bit too much. But I loved the lasting colour, so I'm hoping to achieve a similar vibe from this dip powder. I also enjoyed how durable my nails were, they felt so much stronger with gels, which meant they weren't cracking or peeling.

     The colour I ended up purchasing was Teddy Bear because I thought it was such a pretty soft pink shade and would be a simple colour to whack on for a few weeks, regardless of season. I do own a ridiculous amount of polish and I'm a little fearful that if I fall in love with dips and potentially gels (if/when I purchase a lamp), my already overflowing collection will burst at the seams. But that's a future-Sydnee problem!

Process
     So let's get started with the prep work. You are supposed to clean up your nail beds, push back and trim your cuticles. Easy peasy. Now you will need the essentials kit (which can be purchased individually) which contains the base coat, activator and top coat. You will also need a brush (they suggest kabuki) to brush away the excess powder between dips.

Step 1:
Apply the base coat and dip nail in powder at a 45 degree. Repeat until you get your desired colour depth. I dipped each nail 2 times. I found that the brush didn't make any impressions on the nail but unfortunately the brush I chose did shed a bit, so I was plucking out hairs from the dip powder jar.

Step 2:
Apply the activator, let it dry one minute. Buff the nail with a file, and apply another coat of activator. This was relatively straight forward and posed no issues. 

Step 3:
After letting the activator dry for a minute, apply the top coat thinly and quickly to the nail and repeat again after two minutes of drying. They recommend two layers of top coats. 

TADA. Nails are DONE! 

​My Initial Feelings:
     The process overall seemed very simple and not overly daunting. In actuality, it takes some finesse to get it right. I found on a few of the first nails that I did, the application was thick on one edge and led to a bump feeling. Also I will note that the powder is so finely milled that you displace a lot of powder with each dipped finger. I was constantly trying to keep it in the pot and find some alternative ways of getting the powder on my nails using my other hand to push the powder up.

     It does take a bit longer than I thought it would. You definitely cannot rush the application process as you could with regular polish, so definitely keep that in mind. I know for many, the process of doing their nails is their "me-time" so if you keep that in mind, then this is fine. The application of polish was much smoother and easier on my second hand (dominant). The powder stuck well and didn't clump or cause issue.

     I have to admit the bumps on three of my nails drove me CRAZY so I decided to take it off and redo them. Let me tell you...that was NOT FUN. To be fair, I was losing my patience. You have to use acetone and they recommend soaking some cotton buds and using some aluminum foil to keep it in place. You have them sit for 10-15 minutes and the colour is supposed to just slip off. If it doesn't you can soak again for another 5 minutes. I think that I soaked for 10 and then 5 more and still struggled to get some of the colour off. The reapplication was smoother the second time, so I am glad that I reapplied.

     I will say that my nails felt noticeably sturdier with this colour on, just like when I had my gel nails. I am thrilled with that, because I don't worry as much about jamming my nails, which I do quite often haha. My currently nail length is not very long (to my standard) so I am excited to see how they feel when I have my longer length.

     Now to see just how well it lasts and how long! As I said, it is supposed to last up to three weeks so keep reading to see the update as time progressed. I am definitely considering buying some more colours if the removal doesn't make me rip my hair out.