Hi everyone!! Again, the last four weeks have flown by; I can't quite believe it's my turn to post again. I've just changed jobs within the same company so I have to admit that I haven't been as dedicated as I would like to be with my planning - fitting it in around the travel and long days has been tough. We're also off to Vegas for James' 30th birthday in two weeks, so I'm counting down the days and hours until then! Everything combined, my newly found 'respect' for excel has been neglected of late.

But the big news wedding-wise is that we have ordered our Save The Dates...hooray! We've gone for a simple style that still reflects our personalities. We're still waiting for them to arrive so hopefully by my next RMW post, I will be able to share a photo.

I'm also, rather excitingly, off wedding dress shopping in Sheffield this very weekend with my Chief Bridesmaid and Mum. Sheffield holds a very special place in my heart, as I lived here for three years at university, and met my husband-to-be in this wonderful city. My Chief Bridesmaid actually bought her dress at one of the shops we're going to! Needless to say, her dress is absolutely stunning, so I am convinced that going a bit further afield to search for mine will pay off - particularly as I couldn't find many designers I liked in my local Brum bridal shops.

With not much else to update on wedding-wise, and while we're (sort of) on the subject, I thought I'd take a leaf out of Danielle's book and take the opportunity to introduce you to my rather wonderful rabble of bridesmaids.

Choosing my bridesmaids was a tough one, and I would have had an extra three or four if I could, but as I already have five (six including my niece) I had to draw the line somewhere! Also trying to get similar dresses that suit everyone - both style and colour - is going to be a challenge as it is, never mind with an extra four ladies and gents! I'm pretty much decided on colour, but if anyone knows or has any good recommendations for bridesmaid dress ideas/outfits, I would be happy to hear them!

So, without further ado, and with much story filtering, I introduce you to my five grown up (ish) bridesmaids:

Heather: Chief Bridesmaid

Heather was the first person I met on my first day at Sheffield University, way back in 2004. I distinctly remember her big smile as she waved to me down our hall corridor, and later on that evening I realised she was quite the expert at getting to the front of a five-person deep bar queue...needless to say we've been best friends ever since. We were so close at uni that my Mum actually called her 'Daughter in Law', and even had suspicions that we were more than just friends! (If this doesn't make it to the speech at the wedding I will be very surprised!) As I've also referred to in my first post, Heather was also on holiday with us in Thailand when we got engaged, which just made everything all the more special. She is someone I genuinely don't think I could function without...and, aside from the drunken pact we made to be each others 'Chiefs' about 10 years ago, I always knew she would be my absolute first choice for this role.

Melissa & Lucy: My School Friends

These two gorgeous girls are my two oldest friends from school. Mel and I have been friends since we were 7 years old, when I first moved to the glorious town of Sutton Coldfield and started primary school. She originally thought I was someone else - a really popular girl who left at the end of year 2, the less said about that the better - but we soon became firm friends. Lucy I met later at secondary school; I remember her weird obsession with 3T (remember that canvas bag, Luce!), however I'm glad I didn't let her dubious taste in 90s pop bands get in the way of a wonderful friendship (I was more in to Spice Girls and 5ive, just FYI). The three of us have seen each other through some terrible boyfriends, dodgy fashion choices and haircuts and enjoyed a couple of very fun holidays...and we still see each other all the time. True friends who I'm delighted will be walking down the aisle with me on the day!

Laura & Felicity: Post-Uni Friends

Laura and Flic came in to my life at a later stage, and very quickly became a very important part of my life. I actually have Melissa to thank for introducing me to both of these girls - aka my kindred spirits and 'left and right arm'. Thanks to our almost daily contact, I think I know every part of these girls' lives (and I mean EVERY). If I had to choose three words to sum up our relationship...I would choose LET'S GET ROWDY. I absolutely adore these two and, although our friendship is somewhat shorter than the other bridesmaids, I couldn't imagine not having them with me on my wedding day.

So there we go, a very quick introduction. I'm pretty sure I could go on for days about how great they are and all our old stories, but in the interest of not boring you all, and keeping a few dignities intact, I'll leave it there.

For now.

Until next time.

Lauren xxx