Morris dancing, wedding and classic cars- a round up

I have been neglecting my blog but not because I don't want to! Life has changed a lot since we got the puppy and because my PC is upstairs I haven't been able to get on it while keeping an eye on him and I need to constantly keep an eye on him as he is a little scamp! He sure is getting big though.

So what has been going on? August was a busy time for events, the first one was the Broadstairs Folk week. Now I have lived in Kent all my life and I have never been to this week long event but I will be going again next year.
Folk week is a festival showcasing some amazing local bands and is a big gathering for the Morris dancers. I have friends in Morris dancing sides so we set up camp in a school field with them but because of little Keijo we couldn't spend the whole week in Broadstairs so it was a lot of driving back and forth. Hopefully next year we can spend all week there.
On the Thursday night there was a rock and roll night so I decided to get dressed in my red Hell Bunny dress and put my hair up in three victory rolls. Any excuse to get dressed up. However I did not realise how much of a stir my look would make and I had a queue of gentlemen wanting to dance with me. I had to turn them down as earlier that day I wore shoes which left me two very painful blisters on my heels which made it hard for me to walk let alone dance.
p.s I can't really dance well either. I would love to take jive lessons.

No photos of me dressed up on that night as Leon was too drunk to operate his camera. Here are some photos from the week to give you an idea of the event itself.

Next event was a wedding! My dear friends got married on the 25th August and for the happy occasion I wore my Miss Fortune atomic print wiggle dress which I brought for another wedding in April that did not go ahead.
I managed to dye by hair the brightest shade of red I have ever managed and my victory rolls were perfect!

Rolls of victory

Dress by Miss Fortune, it was a shame I didn't get a better view from the front

Reddest red my hair has ever been!

Lastly on the August bank holiday Monday it was the Folkstone classic and custom car show. Last year we entered are Smart cars in to it but this year we just went as spectators. The show was even bigger this year and because we took Keijo with us every one (I mean everyone) made a right fuss of him.

 A beautiful VW Bus. Matched my handbag!

Any one for ice cream?

 Beautiful Desoto

Me and the dawg.

And that about rounds it up. I promise to update more regularly from now on.

My Best Friend's Wedding

This blog post will be in two halves. The first half will be a overview of what I have recently been
Up to and the second half will be a review on something from that day.

So last Thursday, (26th April) was my best friends wedding which I was a bridesmaid at. During the planning stage The bride to be said that we could wear whatever style bridesmaid dress we wanted as long as it was purple and something we would be happy to wear again. Instantly I new I wanted a 1950s style dress.
During my search I decided upon a satin halter neck circle dress from vintage repro company Vivien of Holloway. It was a little bit more expensive then I had budgeted for but I did have 15% off so I took the plunge and ordered one.
In a recent post I showed a photo of how my hair was going to look and I found some fabulous purple patent shoes for £25 from M and S.
The night before the wedding we all gathered at one of the other bridesmaids house for massages and a sleep over so we could all get ready in the morning together.
The bride was so excited the following morning that I decided to get up at 6:30 to join in the excitement. I planned to do my hair in victory rolls so after I put my dress on I got to work curling my hair using curling tongs and pinning them in place to help keep the curl.  I suppose they cam out Ok but I think the practice ones I did were a lot better and placed neater on my head.
We managed to get ready in time and arrived promptly at the registry office and the rain was holding back but it was bitterly cold and windy. It really didn't feel like April.
After the ceremony we went back to the brides and grooms for nibbles and more photographs before going on to a local carvery for the wedding reception and a disco in the evening. It was a very simple (though didn't feel that way in preparation for it!)  yet wonderful day.

The Bride with Bridesmaids

The dress- My review.
I am so glad I decided to buy the Vivien of Holloway dress. The Purple satin was a divine colour and the fit of the dress was just perfect and I felt comfortable in it the whole day, from 8:30 till midnight.
Many people commented on how lovely the dress looked on me which always great to hear. One thing I wish I had done was to invest in a better petticoat but I ran out of the funds and had to make do with an old petticoat I had from a previous wedding.

Dancing is when this dress really came into it's own. I loved spinning in it.

Another point, after such a long day it did pick up a few stains on the way, mainly from a little girl who plastered her sticky food covered hand on my dress to help get her off the floor, I didn't mind but I did have a reminder  left on the skirt so I will have to get it dry cleaned before I can wear it again.
If Vivien of Holloway clothing has been calling to you and you have been putting it off then take it from me, the clothing is worth the price and is extremely well made and comfortable to wear. Just make sure you measure correctly because 1950s clothing size are completely different to modern sizing.

Taken just before going home. The lipstick had long since worn off but the victory rolls were still in place!

Photos by LJS Digital Photography and from wedding guest.
Dress: http://www.vivienofholloway.com/