Although, for many, the month of January felt bleak with its dark, never-ending days and icy snaps – for me, it was quite the opposite. This month has been a very positive month. Through writing this monthly review, I’ve realised that last month was, in fact, very productive as it was filled with the beginning of real wedding planning. Even though we’ve been engaged for over three years, the start of the new year really impressed the urgency of making my Pinterest dreams become reality by starting to make some key, final decisions – alongside other exciting developments.

Without further ado, here’s my…

January in review

Finding my wedding dress

January started like many others – feeling slightly rotund with the extra pounds I’d inevitably added to my waistline over the Christmas period. Nevertheless, on January 6th, I attended yet another bridal boutique in the quest to find my wedding dress. In hindsight, not the best timing, but the lure of a bridal sample sale proved irresistible and six days into the new year, I found myself stood in a beautiful gown saying yes to the dress and driving home with said dress carefully nestled in the boot of my car.

Coffee at Cobble

I say this all the time, but one of the things I enjoy most is drinking coffee in good company. I’m aware this makes me sound like a basic bitch, but heck – I probably am. In January, I visited Cobble (my usual haunt in Ormskirk) for skinny flat whites with my mum, with John, with Katie, with anyone who would care to join me -I’ve even gone alone with the companionship of a good book and a ginger spice muffin.

Revisiting Falmouth

At the end of October, John and I made the journey to Falmouth to visit jewellery designer, Mirri Damer (I wrote in depth about the process of choosing my wedding rings, here.) When we heard my bespoke wedding rings were ready, we decided to return to Cornwall for a January getaway after finding an almost too good to be true deal at St. Michael’s Hotel and Spa. Two days of annual leave booked, we drove for almost six hours to be greeted by a blustery, Cornish coast and an evening filled with the promise of fish and chips.

The Big Reveal

I awoke on our first morning in Cornwall full of nervous anticipation knowing that I was soon to see my transformed heirloom jewellery. From sketches, discussions and visions, I entered Mirri’s shop to her usual abundance of yellow roses and a bright smile from the woman herself. She told me how much she loved the rings she’d created, especially my wedding band created from my grandma’s wedding ring and mother’s engagement ring. All that was left was to lift the lid and reveal my wedding band.

Perfectly simple in its simplicity, my wedding band is everything I envisioned for a ring I plan to wear for many, many years… but there was one problem, it just didn’t fit. In trying to resize the ring right there, one of the diamonds fell out – meaning it wouldn’t be coming home with me that day.

With one ring to take home, and one to stay in Falmouth for that little bit longer, we decided to head to Stones Bakery.

Stones Bakery

Stones Bakery, an artisan bakery on Falmouth’s High Street, was recommended to us by Mirri Damer during our first visit, in October – specifically, their cinnamon buns. Oliver and Rosie, from Stones, told us about how their baked goods have a very short turn around – they’re usually sold within the hour. On our second visit to Falmouth, we were lucky enough to buy and sample said buns which helped cushion the sinking disappointment that I wouldn’t be able to take my main wedding ring home that day.

The Rosie Project

After visiting Stones Bakery, John and I strolled down High Street to Market Street and were walking past the window of the British Heart Foundation when a book emblazoned with a red lobster caught my eye. I’d omitted to find a book to bring with me, and for £1, I took a gamble on The Rosie Project. After a bitingly cold afternoon exploring Gyllyngvase Beach, I picked it up expecting to read a few pages with a coffee and piece of shortbread – 50 pages in, I was hooked on the character of Don Tillman and his logical, but sometimes socially inappropriate, way of thinking.

Inside No. 9

I’m sure any longstanding League of Gentleman fan has already tuned in to watch Inside No.9, a dark comedy from beloved duo, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. I am not a longstanding fan and its recent return to screen has converted me, and now I want to watch anything featuring the dream team. I’ve reignited my Netflix subscription and have worked my way through the majority of the series, usually with the lights out, scaring myself half to death with the macabre plot line.

Northern Quarter

Years ago, I’d spend most weekends in Manchester’s Northern Quarter shopping on Oldham street, taking outfit photographs or seeking out the latest piece of street art. Fast forward a few years, I now work in Manchester city centre and take the proximity of the Northern Quarter for granted. It takes a lot of persuasion for me to summon up the energy to visit on a weekend.

In the final weekend of January, John and I spent a Sunday afternoon wandering around Manchester’s Northern Quarter because we wanted to see Serenity,  a new piece of street art by Snik Arts. Once we’d captured the impressive piece, we headed to Foundation for a flat white and more wedding discussions (let’s face it, it’s never far from our minds). Next up, our usual haunts on Oldham street: Magma, Thunder Egg, Cow, Pop – just like our visits from years ago. Neither of us bought anything, other than coffee, but sometimes a Sunday blowing away the cobwebs is just what’s needed.

And, finally…

Just like that, my first month of 2018 is complete. A mere catalogue of memories. In my last post, I noted how I wanted to document the smaller, finer details and I’m pleased to say I’ve captured many more photographs in January, alongside writing a line of day. Small steps, but I’m looking forward to increasing this in February.

How’s your January been?