I'll take the venison...

Being in the hospitality industry, I quite often come across irritating people. So I thought I'd share a few of my favourites with you.

Last week, I was working in my parents restaurant on a Saturday evening. An elderly looking couple strolled in and I immediately showed them to a table and attempted to give them a menu. I am presuming they were from either Australia or New Zealand, going on their accents.

When I say 'attempted' to give them a menu, I really mean it. The old chap just put down his menu, unopened, on the table and then asked me if we served venison, which we do. He says, 'I'll take that' without even looking what it comes with. As a matter of fact, it comes with a port & thyme sauce, not that he cared/noticed.

I then attempted to ask the lady what she would like. And so commenced the interrogation... "Where are your mussels from?" "How big are the mussels?" "What do the mussels come with?" "Where is your lobster from?" "Is it fresh or frozen?" "What does it come with?"...... and so on and so forth. She was even shown some of the mussels to check how big they were! She eventually ordered the lobster which is accompanied by a lemon & tarragon butter.

I was then asked what wines do we serve, so I showed them the wine list, which they had from the beginning but looking at that would have been far too easy obviously. Apparently, all of our wine is overpriced. Which is news to us. If anything, we should be charging more! But in NZ or AUS it's obviously a lot cheaper and probably much better.

They didn't turn out to be too bad in the end, I suppose. But I would recommend to anybody eating at a restaurant, if you read the food and wine menu before ordering, it tends to make things go a lot quicker. It means your waitress, who quite frankly has more important things to be doing, doesn't have to stand at your table for ten minutes whilst you enquire about the origin and cooking method of every item on the menu and complain about how expensive wine is. Drink tap water, simple.

I regret volunteering to serve them really. Horrible people.

Today in my world

Hello Blogspot World, hope all is well.

Today, I have been mostly cleaning my motorcycle and cooking tomato and basil soup.

I have decided to take a less specialised approach to my blog. Although there will of course still be wedding related posts on most days, I think I shall also use this as a place to vent about life, the universe and everything in between. You never know, it might attract more followers (wink, wink, nudge, nudge!).

So yes, back to the matter in hand, tomato and basil soup. Rather than being charged extortionate prices in the supermarket for soup, me and Karl have taken it upon ourselves to start cooking soup at home instead. I may even post a photo of the finished product if it turns out okay. It's a complete experiment and we aren't following a recipe, but hey, my Dad is a chef so really it should turn out marvellously!

Like I mentioned, I have also spent a tiring afternoon cleaning my motorbike which was a disgrace. This reason behind the clean was The Plymouth Megaride, taking place this Sunday; 8000 bikes will congregate on the Hoe in Plymouth to celebrate being bikers and have a generally nice afternoon together. I'm bringing Karl along this year on the back of a friend's bike.

Finally, in today's news, I found this lovely story that I thought I'd share with you all, take a read.

See you later Bloggers xx

Theme - Lilac with a dash of Cobalt

I've decided to take inspiration from one of major trends in the wedding industry this season, Colbalt Blue. I've entwined it with the gentle shade of lilac to create a dreamy theme with a flair of interest. I must say, I do quite like it!

Any thoughts?

Click on the image for a larger view of my theme =)

Photos sourced from -

Wedding cake - http://www.bigweddingcakecompany.co.uk

Flowers - http://www.brides.com

Blue satin - http://www.libertysilk.biz

Lilac table cloth - http://www.soraiseyourglasses.com

Bridesmaid dress - http://global.theknot.com

Wedding dress - Gown by Ian Stuart http://www.weddingmagazine.co.uk

Today's Blog

Hello to my three followers, and anyone else who might be reading!

I've had a lazy day, as we all do sometimes. Spent the majority of it trawling Blogspot for blogs related to the hospitality and wedding industry and I must say, I found some pretty impressive ones.

http://weddingsbysocialites.blogspot.com/

This is fantastic blog maintained by Kelly McWilliams. Some of the weddings on here are beautiful and perfectly executed.

http://etsywedding.blogspot.com/

This blog seems to focus on more alternative wedding ideas and gifts. I love it.

http://thebitchywaiter.blogspot.com/

This man is a genius. And I can relate to him on so many levels. Worth a read to anyone in the industry. I will be showing it my university tutor!

http://thebridalpartyllc.blogspot.com/

I find some of the concepts on here truly inspiring!

On another note, I am off to the Taste of London festival next Thursday! Completely unrelated to wedding planning I know but I think it's going to be a fantastic trip. We are constantly encouraged to visit industry events and network so this should prove to be an ideal opportunity. I'll be adding a review of the event when I get back =)

I have also potentially been offered some work experience in the wedding game! A newly established wedding company has asked me to help out for the day during a wedding planned for September in Newquay, Cornwall. I think this will be interesting and really beneficial in developing my knowledge of this sector. Exciting things ahead!

Thanks all =)

Trends predicted for this season of weddings

Wedding Magazine, Website and TV Channel, 'Get Married' published the ten predictions for this season of weddings. I wonder if they were right? Any blushing brides care to comment?

Non Linear Isle – Circles or Triangles instead of the traditional straight, two sided isle

Comfort Foods – Upgrade ingredients and prepare with expertise – smoked salmon pizza

Gifting techie gadgetry – Gadgets for presents, such as electronic equipment instead of traditional items

Texture-inspired invitations – Mimic gown textures in invites to add a sense of personalisation

Feeling blue - Blue will be the most requested colour in 2010, especially the bright colbalt shades

Wear again bridesmaid dresses – Stylish gowns that could be worn again with up to the minute shapes and colour

Three-dimensional save the dates – Add humour and relevance with an innovative design to your wedding invitations

Old Hollywood glam for men – tuxedos, lapels and sharp looking

Blogger brides abound – Brides sharing their thoughts, inspiration and big days

Personalised plus– directly personalised details

Theme - Red Roses

Every few days I will try and add a new potential wedding theme for you all to see. The first theme to make it onto the blog is 'Red Roses'.

The red rose to me, symbolises romance, with connotations of love, and Valentine's Day. What could be better than emulating this throughout your special day? This is a collage of my theme below =)

Click on the image for a larger view of my theme.

Photos sourced from the following websites :

Bouquet - http://www.myweddingflowerideas.co.uk

Shoes - http://www.pinkofperfection.com

Bridesmaid red dress - http://www.freshlimeevents.com

Table layout - http://www.pearsonsflorist.com.au

Wedding Dress - 'Anontella' by Maggie Sottero http://www.maggiesottero.com

Red Iced Wedding Cake - http://www.icedgemcakes.co.uk

Dresses

Well I suppose the place where most brides start in planning the perfect wedding is with the dress. I found the following gowns, some are traditional, some are more alternative in design, but they are all beautiful.

British designer Ian Stuart has his own award winning bridal wear collection that I have displayed below. They range from extravagant fairytale pieces, to more retro 20' and 50's style dresses.

Photos sourced from : http://www.ianstuart-bride.com

I also discovered a designer named Jenny Packham. I have limited knowledge of the fashion industry at present but I can gather that she is fairly famous, designing for clients such as Nicole Kidman. And her wedding gowns are incredibly diverse and stunning.

Photos sourced from : http://www.jennypackham.com/

This just goes to show how much wedding dresses can vary to suit all =)