As we head into a long weekend, with the good weather (sometimes) upon us, it's a lovely time of year to get outdoors and enjoy our surroundings, which is easy to say when we're all generally chained to our desks/computers/lives! I've been trying to take the time to tear myself away from the keyboard and take in the fresh air, in particular when the sea breeze heads our way and I can almost taste the salt in the air! Bliss!

How are you making the most of Summer? Or are you like some of my close friends who are devotees of the Winter months, with a penchant for tailored coats and lovely boots? Either way - here is a dose of Friday Roundup to end your week, whatever you felt about the weather!

This Week On Polka Dot Weddings

Polka Dot Weddings is the blog where real brides write about their weddings and share their experiences. Inspiration abounds so click on each image to read more.

1.This Week On Polka Dot Wisdom Real Engagement 1.What Would They Know - Amelia Waddell of Make Your Day Wedding Styling2. Expert Advice - Here in Spirit - How To Honour A Loved One Missing at Your Wedding 3. Expert Advice - January Birthstone - Garnet 41.Etsy Roundup - Flower Sashes 2.Tuesday Type - LiebeErika 3. DIY - The Professionals! Jane Marie Gott from acreativelifestyle 4. DIY Tutorial - Geometric Printable Gift Table Sign This week on Polka Dot Honeymoons 1. Luxury Honeymoon Destination - Point Yamu by COMO
This week on Polka Dot Groom .Expert Inspiration - Something Blue Wedding Idea1. Expert Style Advice - A Short Guide to Pairing Bridal Dresses and Wedding Suits 2. Real Groom Memories - Dominic 3. Real Groom Style - Josh
s - Katherine and Shaun's Brighton Beach Engagement Shoot 2. Real Bride Advice - Inspired Words - Shari3. Real Wedding - David and Amy's Rustic Brisbane Wedding How to Enter

Polka Dot Wisdom is a treasure trove of advice, news and wedding planning tips! Written by wedding professionals you could almost plan your whole wedding by following this, the wisest of all blogs! Click on the images to read more.

Polka Dot Made is your source for all things handmade including weekly DIY projects to make for your wedding or engagement.

The wedding is over, the dust has settled and now it's time to get away from it all! Find resort reviews, inspiration and real honeymoons every week on Polka Dot Honeymoons.

Polka Dot Groom is dedicated to all things groom. Inspiration, advice and style for the Australian groom.

A fabulous competition for all you quirky couples out there! Lara Hotz Photography + Light Noise Films have teamed together to offer an amazing wedding coverage giveaway valued at over $8000! This includes photography coverage to the value of: $4500
(wedding day coverage with two photographers + high resolution digital edited files on a custom wooden USB) and videographer coverage to the vale of $3500 (wedding day coverage with two videographers + Highlights Reel + Ceremony Edit)

They are looking for creative, unique, quirky and fun couples who want to celebrate getting married with a personality filled, non traditional wedding celebration!

If this sounds like you, head to their website for more info on how to enter, and the terms and conditions!

The very gorgeous team at Cathleen Jia have just launched their beautiful 2014 bridal accessories collection, and to celebrate, are running a cute little competition for brides to be! To enter, simply check out their daily images on Instagram and Facebook and comment whether you're a veil/headpiece bride, and tag another friend/bride who is also a veil/headpiece gal (the choice changes daily - it could be hair up/hair down!). That's it! This competition goes for 7 days and a new image will be released from the collection per day. The winner will be announced on the 30th of Jan and you will win a headpiece or veil of your choice! (valued at $300)

Polka Dot Bride and Plan Your Perfect Day are delighted to be able to offer 3 lucky Instagram followers a double-pass to the inaugural Plan Your Perfect Day, to be held in Sydney on February 12, 2014, featuring international wedding and event designer Preston Bailey.The double-passes are to the 7pm session, which includes the Bridal Showcase (world-renowned talent from a wide range of industry including fashion, event, bridal, corporate and entertainment), champagne, canapés, and a book signing by Preston.

Simply upload a photo you have taken of a detail from a wedding or event you have loved, or a detail that best represents your own wedding with the hashtag #myperfectdetail . For example, it could be a bespoke handmade shoe clip, or a polkadot napkin!

As part of the entry, you will need to also follow and tag both Polkadot Bride (@polkadotbride) and Plan Your Perfect Day (@planyourperfectday), and tell us why you have chosen your detail.

For more details on how to enter, and the terms and conditions, head to our competition page!

We have a winner! Actually, we have two winners! To celebrate our 7th Birthday, we asked a whole lot of industry folk and lovely readers to join us in our virtual celebrations on Instagram with some confetti, sparkles and a whole lot of fun! It was very hard to pick just two winners, but we'd love to congratulate the lovely team at Simply Georgeous Occasions and Petra from Pomp & Splendour for sharing the party with us! Bottles of bubbly coming your way!

Thank you to all the fabulous people that celebrated with us- we loved our virtual birthday party!

Are you a NSW Bride on the hunt for a gorgeous venue? Then perhaps head over to Le Montage for their "Marry Me" Expo, held on the 28th and 29th of January. You could even win a $10,000 wedding! To book your tickets and for more info, head to their website!