The lowdown on Placenta Encapsulation

Leave a comment

Like most of us, I presumed eating your placenta was a delicacy reserved for celebrity yummy mummies or earth mothers. I knew little of the benefits, and imagined a pound of flesh whizzing around in my blender to make a smoothie minutes after delivery.

Then a friend posted a Facebook review of placenta encapsulation and her feedback peaked my interest.

I’d spied Placenta Plus on Instagram many a time, and was aware it was a company based close to my own work, but I didn’t realise how lucky we were having them on our door step.

Flesh with benefits

Once I started looking into the benefits of placenta encapsulation, I was surprised to see how few companies offered it and how many areas didn’t have a service to call upon at all.

Luck was well and truly on our side.

Within weeks of falling pregnant and deciding I wanted the ultimate hypnobirthing experience (at the time I envisaged a home birth in a pool admiring our sea view…..) I was sure I wanted to reap the benefits of eating my placenta too.

Raising these ideas however didn’t go down to well at all.

Think coffee splutters, eye rolling and stunned silences. In fact, Tom actually thought I was winding him up when I announced my plans. But after much research he came round… and we decided to keep my plan on the down-low until after baby arrived to save the rigmarole of explaining our decision.

(Although I’d loved to have seen our neighbours face when she took in my parcel labelled ‘contains human tissue’ 😂😂)

Finding a gem

Danielle at Placenta Plus was amazing from day one. Booking was simple, an online form and bank transfer later and we were booked!

We opted for the raw method which promotes an increase in energy as the main benefit. However, as I’d opted to have a strep B screening I could revert to the other option of traditional Chinese method at a later date should this be found.

How it all works

A few weeks before due date I received my cool bag, freezer blocks and heaps of information through the post, all of which we were to take with us on labour day.

I’d added some information regards my placenta plans onto my birth preferences, and I found some of care team were clued up on placenta encapsulation and others not so much- so it was a good job I did!

It’s important to request delayed cord clamping where possible when encapsulating your placenta, plus this gives lots of extra health benefits for baby too! We didn’t know if this would be possible during labour for me, and I was delighted when we were able to let the cord stop pulsating completely before cutting.

Once delivered, my placenta was examined by the midwife wearing fresh gloves and placed into a sterile bag, and finally, into the cool bag I’d provided. The freezer blocks are placed above and below the placenta.

We’d already texted Placenta Plus when I was in established labour and once I’d delivered, and a short while later a courier arrived to collect it!

Baby placenta pills

The following morning I received a text to tell me my pills were ready! I couldn’t believe how speedy they were! My package was due to be delivered the following day, and I woke up to the postman on my first morning back at home.

Each placenta produces a different number of pills and I received 146- I have no idea if that’s lots or few, but I was delighted either way! I took 3 pills a day for the first 4 weeks, before moving to 2 pills a day and then 1, so those 146 pills lasted around 7 weeks.

How did I feel?

In a word-AMAZING. I escaped the day three baby blues, miraculously survived on 3/4 hours sleep (I’m an 8/9 girl and no less will do!) and felt on top of the world most days. In fact, the few times I forgot to the take them, it was blatantly obvious. So I have no doubt they most certainly work!

Would I do it again? Damn right. It’s a joke in our house that I’d buy someone’s placenta just to have it encapsulated and reap the rewards… and hand in heart, if that was legal I would!

Yes it’s a little pricey, but for me it’s been worth every single penny.

Sian x

I had my placenta encapsulated with Placenta Plus who are based in Liverpool. The service cost £200 plus a £30 courier charge to my local Hospital on the Wirral.

Our Feeding Journey

Leave a comment

When you meet a mum who has recently welcomed her little angel into the world, what questions do you ask her? No really, I want you to take a moment and really think about it.

Ok Ok, so maybe not the questions you’d ask your closest friends (we all know they get the nitty gritty whether they like it or not), but those acquaintances you see from time to time, perhaps at your weekly exercise class or a mutual friends birthday drinks.

Not sure? Well in the past six weeks I’ve been greeted with the following gems….

Following the birth weight question… “Gosh, I take it you needed a lot of stitches then?” (Who on earth asks about another women’s foof?!!)

Accompanied by a good inspection of the, or so I thought, well concealed dark circles “Isn’t he sleeping through yet?” (No, he’s 5 days old, he’s not supposed to sleep through!)

And the can of worms I’m about to open, the ever popular ….”Are you feeding him yourself?” (Yes Sandra- breast or bottle I’m certainly feeding him myself!)

The latter seems to be the most interesting topic. Why, is beyond me. I didn’t realise so many people would have an interest or opinion on the function of my boobs. Or how much that question would affect me.

There’s a big reason I’m so erked by the question however, and that’s what I’m going to spill today. It’s a pretty personal post and one I wasn’t sure of to write, but, it was reading blogs such as Amy’s Hearty Home that helped comfort me, so it’s only right that I give something back.

Mother and baby

Image- MSW Photography

Where it all began

Immediate skin to skin after baby is delivered was discussed deeply at both hypnobirthing and antenatal classes and it was something I presumed would be a given. If you’ve read my birth story you’ll know a few things didn’t go to our dream plan, and the fact he passed meconium meant he was passed to me wrapped in a towel and taken for clean up soon afterwards. My pesky Placenta also meant he was taken from me at times and I missed a good hour of skin to skin thanks to examinations and stitches (I know, you didn’t even have to ask!) so by the time we initiated feeding he was 2 hours old. And tired, we were both absolutely shattered.

The vision of him simply moving across my chest and latching on within minutes of making his entrance was a long gone dream. It was more of his head being man handled and a quick root in my hospital bag for the emergency nipple shields.

Things didn’t improve that night, even with a visit from breast feeding support, and it was announced he had a minor tongue tie. NHS wait time for a tongue tie release? 6 weeks.

Day two and things seem to pick up! He latched, feed and fell sound asleep for a good few hours, leading to us being discharged and heading home to daddy at last!

Mother and baby breastfeeding

Things continued at the same pace at home. Yes it was bloody painful- I even described it worse than labour at one point- and he could take a good two hours to feed but thats just normal right?!

Come day four and we had a screaming, inconsolable boy on our hands who had spent most of the day on the boob but never satisfied. After panicked phone calls, tears (his and mine) and fear there was something seriously wrong, we cracked open the bottle of formula we still had lying in our hospital bag.

Within minutes we had a happy, calm boy and we realised it was the first time we actually heard him swallow. My heart broke and I think that night will almost haunt me forever.

Day five arrived and the question of ‘has your milk come in’ became more and more frequent. I was truly expecting to wake up like Pammy Anderson circa 1991. Spoiler alert- 6 weeks in and I’m still closer in cup size to the Hoff than Pammy. It was also time for Aces first weigh in- he was slimmer of the week with a loss of 9.7%.

And the frantic calls to private tongue tie clinics began. Thankfully we bagged an appointment the following evening and the news arrived that he was in fact severely tongue tied.Medela breast pump

Off we headed home with instructions to hire a hospital grade double pump and a schedule which meant the next few weeks you might as well call me Daisy. My fridge would look like a dairy I was sure of it!!

Wrong.

Pump it up

So my milk finally arrived on day 13, but it didn’t exactly make a grand entrance. It was clear pretty early on that we’d never be exclusively breast feeding but combi feeding at best. He is a big boy with a big appetite.

Breast milk

We all have to start somewhere!

The weirdest part of all this, was that I wasn’t even desperate to breast feed. My attitude was always ‘I’ll give it a go‘ but with most things in life, if I’m told I can’t do it, I’m determined to succeed. Combined feeding was always my long term aim, so I couldn’t complain that it’d happened so easy, but I was still so mixed up about it all.

Anyway, pumping aside, we still had a very frustrated boy when it came to latching. He’d scream, scratch and pinch me and thrash around. And after a long feed, scream that he’s still starving. I never thought I’d be comfortable enough to feed in public before he arrived but I needn’t have worried, there wasn’t a chance we could feed like that outside of home!! But once he settled down and latched I could see what all the fuss was about, why so many women truly love breast feeding.

And the weeks go on…

We carried on with my life as daisy the cow for a few weeks, power pumping, bottle feeding and attempting various feeding positions and our little man finally beat his birth weight on week 4. It’s a shame they don’t have a loyalty card for midwife appointments, I would of certainly earned a prize from how many we had.

Breast milk

A pretty proud moment!!

My health visitor persuaded me to see a lactation consultant, and my appointment arrived when we reached week 5.

I was terrified.

Why? Well, someone who I presumed would be in the breast in best camp (I am firmly in the FED is best camp) would give me a right telling off for putting seeing guests ahead of a gruelling hour long power pumping session or not fighting through feeding in public, instead of grabbing for a bottle to save my dignity.

I couldn’t of been more wrong. She understood our troubles and even suggested we just use the breast as a way to comfort rather than think of it as a feed, as so many of the benefits of breast feeding aren’t from the milk itself (obviously there are many MANY benefits from the milk too!) Thank god.

Here we go again

But our story doesn’t end there. We discussed his feeding style- clicking noises, messy eating style, lots of wind and bouts of colic which had left him screaming in pain for up to 12 hours a night. I presumed a lip tie. In fact I’d call myself a wannabe tie expert with the hours I’d spent reading up on the topic. I will talk lip and tongue ties with anyone who’ll listen.

What she discovered threw me. He was still tongue tied. Severely. He didn’t have a lip tie, all his symptoms were solely because his tongue tie had returned due to scar tissue.

There was no wonder he struggled to feed or had such bad colic, it all slotted into place.

Mother and baby bottle feeding

Image- MSW Photography

We are now a week into his second tongue tie release, and there is a chance it’ll return again. But we are armed with our newly gained knowledge should that occur and thankfully our little one is a healthy and now a thriving and growing boy.

Moving forward one step at a time

And one things for sure, If we decide to add to our brood, we’ll certainly be prepared for what’s to come.

I really hope this has helped anyone going through a similar situation, I promise you, it gets better, but do accept any offers of help you get. I feel like we’ve tried every bottle, nipple shield, formula and colic product going- but it seems we’ve got there in the end.

Sian x

Hypnobirthing : Is it all its cracked up to be?

1 Comment

In the media last week we heard how Meghan Markle plans to use hypnobirthing techniques when she welcomes the latest Royal into the world next Spring. For many, this will be the first time they’ve heard of such a thing, for others they’ll roll their eyes and for a growing number they’ll rejoice that Meghan has been let into their secret of achieving a positive birth.

I’m a real hypnobirthing convert and I believe it’s the sole reason I achieved a positive birthing experience, even though it wasn’t how I imagined. However, I know it’s not for everyone. I know some who have used the techniques and unfortunately not had the positive experience they dreamed of, but if your expecting and intrigued, it’s certainly worth a go.

Where to start?

I began my journey into hypnobirthing by searching online for a local course. Unfortunately at the time there was very few in the Merseyside area, but luckily for me some basic skills were covered at the pop up Birth centre I was aiming to deliver in with the homebirth midwife team.

But what really upped my birthing game was discovering The Positive Birth Company. The online digital pack is budget friendly at £35 and is filled with easy to watch videos and a PDF course booklet. I watched the videos three times over, once in each trimester, to really cement my positive mind frame.

Luckily Hollie De Cruz launched her book ‘Your Baby, Your Birth’ as my maternity leave drew ever closer and it quickly became my bible. I listened to Hollie’s MP3 positive affirmations and relaxation scripts daily and pretty much the whole way through labour. Possibly the best amazon purchase I’ve ever made!

Mind your language

One of the biggest changes you’ll make in transitioning into hypnobirthing is the words you associate with labour. Forgot painful contractions and think powerful surges, your waters won’t break they’ll release and you won’t be focusing on how much ‘pain’ you are in. It’ll take a while to get your head around it, but I truly think it made a world of difference.

Building your tool box

In the hypnobirthing world there is a lot of talk about your imaginary ‘tool box’, stocked with all the tools you’ll need to keep your mind in the game come D-Day.

There is many, MANY tools you can choose from- relaxation scripts, positive affirmations, breathing techniques, light touch massage to name a few. Not all ‘tools’ are required and you’ll find you’ll like some more than others.

I HATED the though of light touch massage for example – I knew full well I’d rather be left alone in that sense during labour. In fact I was pretty sure I’d spend the whole time with my eyes closed to shut out the world. I was also aware that I’d get the giggles if my husband was to read the relaxation scripts as so many hypnobirthing practitioners suggest, but I found listening to Hollie’s soft voice really encouraging and gave me the inner strength to push on. Excuse the pun.

What’s in a breath?

Up and down breathing are the heart of hypnobirthing and the online videos coaching you through the techniques from The Positive Birth Company will teach you all you need to know. I found having a mantra to follow my breathing really helped- in with oxytocin and out with adrenaline! There is A LOT more to say about oxytocin and adrenaline, but the videos and book I’ve suggested cover it all.

Use your BRAIN

There isn’t a day that using your BRAIN is more important. Standing for Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, Intuition and Nothing (what happens if you do…) the acronym aids you in the process of the many MANY questions you’ll be asked throughout labour and even pregnancy. For me, this was the most important tool in my box.

Spreading the word

Possibly the most important aspect for me was reading positive birth stories and ignoring the negative tales people sometimes take great pleasure in telling. I read at least one story a day for months on end and it had a huge impact on me. I was truly excited to experience labour, and I’m already looking forward to next time (if there’s a next time!)

So, with that said, the following post is my birth story, so if it’s not for you, maybe skip a few pages!

Sian x

My Positive Birth Story

Leave a comment

Let’s start with a bit of the back story! I’m a first time mummy who luckily had a spontaneous labour at 41 weeks.

From our initial midwife appointment at 6 weeks, I had hoped to give birth at the pilot scheme freestanding birth centre in our home town but, unfortunately we ended up with a blue lighted ambulance transfer to hospital.

But our boy, Ace Thomas Gardner, arrived on 18th October 2018 at 1.49pm, weighing a whopping 9lb 10oz.

And most importantly- he arrived in a safe and positive way.

Getting things moving

Firstly, as you’ll read in the accompanying Hypnobirthing post, The Positive Birth Company online course and Hollie De Cruz’s book ‘Your Baby, Your Birth’ have all been instrumental in my positive birth, even though it didn’t follow the dream ‘plan’.

As a FTM I was offered a sweep at 40 weeks and 40+4. But, I used my BRAIN and refused both, but accepted the midwife making a booking of an induction at 41+10. Induction was my only fear and I spent a long time reading plenty of positive induction stories to fully prepare myself and arranged a date weekend with hubby to have something to look forward to before hand!

06cf4695-b356-44c9-a7c5-f80bdd984c58.jpg

In the meantime I spent my days taking slow walks, long baths listening to relaxation scripts and rewatching the whole online course. I’d been drinking raspberry leaf tea and eating 6 dates a day since 36 weeks (because you just never know when a myth might work!) and booked for alternative induction methods- a clary sage foot massage and acupuncture at 41+5.

I personally believe the acupuncture got things moving! I could feel baby moving downwards during the entire session and within 16 hours things were starting to happen. Thinking we still had days to go yet, hubby and I headed out for dinner just in case we didn’t make it to going out at the weekend! We settled in to watch The Apprentice and by 10pm gentle surges kicked in. They started at 30 seconds long and every 2-5 minutes, but I could easily talk and breathe through them- in fact hubby didn’t even have a clue it has started whilst I secretly timed them!

Let’s get this party started!

Knowing it could take hours, I headed to bed with a plan of watching all our favourite films on my birthing ball the following day, eating my favourite snacks whilst things got going. Little did I know we wouldn’t get that far! Surges continued at 30 seconds to 1 minute long every 2-3 minutes. Knowing our midwives at the birth centre ask for you to call at ‘two in ten lasting one minute’ we called at 1am just to give them a heads up. There is also only space for one mum at a time at the birth centre and I wanted to prepare myself in case we couldn’t deliver there. As I could still talk through them she said I could be days away and to stop timing them- easier said than done!!

By 4.30am I’d had a bath, bounced on my ball, cranked up the tens machine and listened to my affirmations more times than I can imagine!! We pushed through until 6am and phoned again- letting hubby do the talking this time so they knew we meant business! She agreed to come out to see me, but said it still sounded like I was hours away. On arrival she still felt the same way, and said I didn’t necessarily need an examination but I could have one if I wished. For the first of many times today I used my BRAIN and asked for one- and I could job I did- I was 7cm!!!

We quickly made our way to the birth centre a 10 minute drive away and had to wait an hour whilst the pool was filled and heated. Candles out, favourite tunes on and my positive affirmation cards to hand, I continued to breathe through the surges.

Within half an hour in the pool, my waters released and we discovered baby had passed meconium and after another examination I was found to still be 7cm. I have no doubt that the transfer from home to the centre slowed my progress down, I already missed my ‘nest’ and craved a home Birth. Once again we used our ‘BRAIN’ and agreed to be transferred to the local hospital around 5 miles away. As much as I’d hoped for a water birth with one of the small team of Midwives I’d had since day one, this was the most sensible option.

So off we went, blue lighted via ambulance to hospital- not because of an ‘emergency’ but as I could feel my body baring down and they wanted to make sure we made it in time!!

Tick tock…

We certainly did have time- the journey again slowed me down even with Hollie De Cruz’s voice in my earphones the entire time! Luckily for me, one of the birth centre midwives, who also teaches hypnobirthing, was covering a shift at the hospital and was assigned to me!! This was the massive shift we needed and I am sure being with her is the sole reason my birth continued in a positive way.

The room was small, with just a bed and the morning sun scorching through the thin curtains- very different to what I’d hoped- but regular spritz of Mio Liquid Yoga and my own playlist made the world of difference.

The next examination found I was not only still 7cm but baby had turned his head and my cervix was now thicker on one side- and the senior nurse promptly told me I had 2 hours to birth or I’d be straight on the syntocinon drip. With my midwives help, I got UFO (after having to be monitored on the bed on arrival) opted for gas and air and we made it our mission to avoid that. Within half an hour we’d done it- and finally reached fully dilated!

About a good hour or so of body lead pushing, gas and air and down breathing later, our big boy arrived! We did need a paediatrician on hand and was told I may not be allowed delayed cord clamping, but he certainly used his lungs on arrival and luckily was found to be absolutely fine! Leaving us to have some cuddles whilst waiting until the cord stopped pulsating completely.

BRAIN came into play again when it came to my Placenta. I’d of preferred a natural third stage but accepted the injection. What didn’t seem like long later, the senior nurse decided it wasn’t budging and informed me I’d be having a spinal and be off to theatre shortly. I remembered reading about how the body will begin to contract when it’s ready for it to release and I tried to stop my panic rising from the thought of ending in theatre.

Shortly after I mentioned feeling nauseous and the need to push again, and with my midwives help, the Placenta came away. We’d done it!! Lucky as I’d decided to have mine encapsulated with Placenta Plus, which I would highly recommend!

So, not the calm water birth in a darkened room at the birth centre I’d hoped for, but thanks to using up and down breathing, focusing on ‘breathing in oxytocin and out adrenaline’ and using my BRAIN it was still the most positive of births and I’d do it again in a heart beat.

I really hope reading my story helps others just how reading so so SO many others truly helped me.

Sian x

I’m back… with a bump

Leave a comment

Well, a bump that’s now a baby!

pregnancy announcement baby G

 

It’s been far too long since I penned my thoughts over in this little space. A space that I see has been ticking over nicely- hello to all the avid Far-flung No7 fans who seem to enjoy my previous posts more and more each month!

What’s happened?

A lot has happened since I last logged in forgot my password. I’m now happily married, and our big day went like a dream. (Bare with me and I’ll bore you with the details soon enough) I’m still working my brushes with many a bride and there is lots of exciting projects in the pipeline with So Coco Rouge.

I’m no longer working with the big boys No7 and QVC however- commuting to the big smoke has long gone. And my beauty reviews? Well, let’s just say the beauty blogger world is saturated enough without another 30 plus year old sticking her nose in.

Where have I been?

I’ve still been writing, but after our epic honeymoon I felt more inclined to shift my focus onto travelling. I can only write about my passions or as an emotional outlet, so spilling the beans on our adventures has kept my creative juices flowing. You can find my travel news over on A Weekend Escape if you’re interested.

Women walking with pram in autumn

So why am I back?

Good question. Well as a new mum lost in a world of finding her feet and keeping a not so tiny human happy and healthy, my mind kept wandering to what it needed to get out. And trust me, writing it down on pen and paper with a baby boy practically surgically attached to your arm is near damn impossible. A phone with an easy to use app however, is apparently very doable.

So here I am. Spilling my brain cells and adding a New Mum chapter to this little home that’ll continue to grow with me in sure. I’ll still be rocking flicks and red lips come my 80th shindig I’ll be telling you. But a more appropriate name for this home at the moment however is definitely Baby Sick and Red Nips .

Sian x

Pre-wedding pampering at Solaia Spa

Leave a comment

Well it’s a been a while, and whilst life is passing us by at lighting speed we’ve landed just before Christmas and a mere 4 and a half months the big day….eeekkkk!

So like all ‘me time treats‘ my facial routine has kind of bitten the dust of late, leaving this pre-bridal complexion lacking all kinds of lustre. 

Luckily for me, I live a few miles away from one heavenly spa. Solaia Spa at Hillbark Hotel, located within the pretty grounds of Roydon Park on the Wirral, offers a wide range of hairdressing and beauty treatments in the most relaxing of surroundings.


My therapist Suzanne greeted me with the friendliest of smiles and tastiest lattes (you can always win a girls heart with a good coffee first thing in the morning) before our in-depth consultation. Approaching 30 with not the healthiest of diets and a strong coffee addition my skin is not exactly in the best of conditions, with fine lines, uneven tone and breakout blemishes a plenty, so I was excited to try the suggested treatment of Microdermabrasion. 


Off we went to a cosy treatment room, complete with heated bed, relaxing lighting and a handy mirrored ceiling so I could even watch the treatment and see my skins transformation in real time!

What is microdermabrasion?

Microdermasion uses a highly controlled flow of fine, medical grade crystals to remove the outermost layer of skin. This then reveals new, living skin cells which are soft, smoother and ready to absorb nutrients. Microdermabrasion stimulates cell renewal, improves circulation, reduces lines, wrinkles, acne and scaring and eliminates dull, rough looking skin.

Now that all sounds pretty damn good to me!


My treatment began with a relaxing cleansing massage, think sleep inducing, total bliss relaxation, before the microdermabrasion began. During this part of the treatment, which takes around 30 minutes, Suzanne passed the Derma Genisis hand piece over my skin with its suction forcing the medical grade crystals to lift off daily grime and layers of dead skin cells. Feels slightly tickley, but definitely not uncomfortable- it’s not a case of pain is beauty here!

Once completed my skin was treated to a tailor made mask with anti oxidants from SkinCeuticals, the perfect perfect end to the treatment.

Suzanne said ‘SkinCeuticals treatments and products provide scientifically proven skin improvement through use of its active pharmaceutical based ingredients and processes.’ Before going on the recommend my at home after care to ensure I received the most benefits from the treatment. 

Immediately afterwards my skin left fresh, smoother and almost more awake. It’s not recommended to apply make up after microdermabrasion, and luckily enough I wouldn’t even want to. When your skin looks this good, you want to show it off!

Solaia Spa at Hillbark Hotel, Wirral, currently have an amazing offer on Microdermabrasion.

For a limited period, you too can treat yourself to a pamper for only £49.00 instead of £70. 

To book please call 0151 625 4040

Wedding Budget Blues

Leave a comment

For all you brides-to-be, you really need to join us in the Love My Dress Facebook group. It’s a splendid little place dedicated to wedding chit chat, rants and support when needed. There’s no better place to find supplier details, decor inspiration and to air any big day niggles.

Plus you mind certain members joining the blogging community by voicing their opinions on the weekly feature, From The Heart, on the official Love My Dress page.

And last week, that post really came in handy. Written by former bride-to-be, and now happily married Mrs, Claire, the post focused on that Big Black Cloud– the budget. And how to justify your spend, no matter what others opinion may be.


Now your budget is as personal as your pant size, political opinion and monthly salary- yet no-one bats an eyelid when they ask how much your spending on your big day. Or even considers how rude, abrupt or upsetting their response can be if you actually ‘fess up to the big (or little) number.

We made our budget on day one of planning, and have so far stuck to it pretty well. We’ve had finicial ups and downs in the 11 months since we selected that figure, but for us, it’s still he right amount of money to be splashing out on what will be the most important day of our lives so far.


Now, we don’t own a house, have any children or any serious debt to consider. Neither do we scrimp and panic month on month to meet our savings goal, still making sure that that weekend away we desperately need or gig we are dying to go to, are still part of the plan. We work our socks off and if we want to create the day of our dreams, so be it.

So why do people feel to need to comment?

From working closely with brides, mainly on a 1-2-1 basis, I’ve heard it all before.

‘Are your mad?! I’d rather save up to buy a house’

‘God I’d need a second mortgage to afford that type of venue/dress/photographer (whatever your main splurge is)’

To the polar opposite 

‘I can’t believe your ONLY spending X amount, won’t you regret it?’

‘Oh it’s a sample dress? Like one people have tried on before?’

And the all so common 

‘Why waste all that money when you could spend it on your honeymoon instead’

WHY DOES IT MATTER?! If it’s right for you, your day and your dream, then why do we let other people’s opinion rain on our parade?!

Which is why we need to let it go, invertly roll our eyes and give a little secret giggle to ourselves when said friends, acquaintances and the general population feel the need to judge you on your budget. 

And remember- when all is said and done- it’s your day, your dream and your fairytale.