Last week Thursday 22 April marked the 51st anniversary of Earth Day, and I am therefore delighted to feature my friend Cathy Mears-Martin, who is a passionate environmentalist, as my latest interviewee in my Inspiring Individuals series. Cathy and I met through Instagram and was wonderful to get the chance to meet up in person before lockdown took over our lives. Cathy left a successful career in advertising in 2019 to focus on her passion as an environmental campaigner. She has created a really excellent blog Simply Sustainable Ideas and is an ambassador for Keep Britain Tidy Ambassador and an Environmenstrual Ambassador for the Women’s Environmental Network. And in her quest to share her passion more widely she has just published a brilliant series of children’s books, the Eco Protection Squad (the Kindle version launched on Amazon last Thursday on Earth Day).
WD: Firstly, congrats on the launch of the book series, but before we get to that in more detail, can you tell us how your passion for working towards a cleaner planet began? And what made you leave your job to focus on it full-time?
CMM: Thank you Sangeeta. First, I would like to say I can’t believe we have known each other for over a year and how great to see how social media can really help build communities of like-minded people and help form real life friendships.
After travelling in Asia in 2016, I became more aware of single use waste. My first litter pick was at a waterfall in Cambodia and on the way back I paid more attention to the people burning rubbish on the side of the road because they did not have a rubbish collection system set up. When I returned to the UK, I began to research littering, recycling, and waste collection. We are in a country where we have systems in place to sort materials or pick up our waste. And yet I had never paid attention to what happened to it. I realised solutions included better education, awareness and understanding of product lifecycle and more circular economy and reusables vs single use. It essentially led me to a low waste lifestyle. I started an Instagram account about this to share tips with friends and family and a wider community started following me too.My approach has always been to educate and share options we have so you can make an informed decision. As a historian, I love facts and seeing how the past can influence our future for learning. So I include some fun, interesting, historical, and hopefully impactful facts about the topics discussed.
At the same time I was working as a project manager in advertising. When I was younger, I had set my personal work target to be earning a certain figure and being at a particular level for me to feel successful. As I hit my targets, I kept increasing them, and progressed to the level of Programme Director. But my work satisfaction started to change drastically in 2018 onwards. I began taking a step back from overall consumerism and over consumption…My favourite part of work was being co-head of the Green Team and creating challenges to get the company involved. I was struggling with aligning my home and life beliefs and knew I had to make a change as it wasn’t sustainable for me. I was working insanely long hours doing a job I no longer believed in. It wasn’t fair on me or the company I was working for. After a weekend at a family friends birthday weekend, I talked my thoughts out with my family and realised I needed to quit. I wasn’t happy working in an industry promoting buying the latest model and wanted to give myself a chance working in a job for a company that I knew cared for the environment and the future of our planet and race. So I quit. It was a hard decision but I felt as if a weight was lifted off my shoulders!
WD: I was attracted to your blog and Instagram posts as you approach the topic in a very grounded way, acknowledging that most people want to change how they live, but at times it can be overwhelming to know how to start and the information is not always that readily available. Can you explain the ethos of your blog? And what are your tips for people trying to change their daily habits.
CMM: My first piece of advice is to be easy on yourself and don’t get despondent with green guilt’. There is no such thing as being perfectly zero waste – everything we do has an impact. We just have to decide what that impact is. It can be positive, neutral or negative.The biggest thing I suggest though is taking responsibility for your actions, choices and ultimately your waste. You can make a difference and if you are not happy with a company sending you lots of plastic wrapping…tell that company. Petition the government, use your vote, speak up, talk about it with friends and family. We need to make a fuss that it isn’t normal or acceptable and companies must make changes to their production and care about the end of life of their products.
When swapping to a lower waste lifestyle, start small. Every single swap you make has an impact and it takes over a month for new habits to form. Start with a room – the kitchen or the bathroom for example – and slowly make changes there. For example, swapping out your shower gel for soaps or reusable body wash. Reusable cotton wipes, even the toilet paper you use. Remember though, the most sustainable item is the one you didn’t have to buy. So always see what you can reuse from your house. For example, those old towels you have lying around…they are great if you cut them up for cleaning rags / to replace paper towels.
We work hard for our money, so I would always suggest looking at the ethics and ethos of a company you purchase from – your money is your power so use it well and try support those companies or small businesses making a difference where you can.If this helps, my first swaps were my menstrual cup, shopping and produce bags, soaps, a reusable bottle and cup, cotton wipes to put toner on each morning, toilet paper and toothpaste tablets.
My later swaps include making more homemade food and packing lunch vs buying, choosing products based on their packaging (ideally loose and free or refillable), making my own cleaning products, repairing items and shopping second hand and even using a portable bidet (which I LOVE and recommend to everyone!)Even now, I am still making swaps at home. Not everyone in my household is on the same journey and that is ok. Overall, as a family we are still producing a lot less waste as a result. Plus, I petition my local MP on a regular basis to make changes, which is definitely something I recommend doing!
WD: Very helpful tips, thank you. And can you tell us more about your work with Keep Britain Tidy and litter-picking. A growing global movement, which as we have discussed before, I still find hard to fathom needs to be done. Why do people litter in the first place? I think the topic of a whole other post!
CMM: Completely agree with you – I could talk for hours about littering, recycling and Keep Britain Tidy a charity which I love so much so that I jumped at the opportunity to do a part time recycling role for them, and I had so much work satisfaction from it. I would basically talk to people about making changes to their recycling habits and found that a few people genuinely didn’t know what they were doing was contaminating the recycling load. Plastic bags would be added, food and drink, and even used nappies!
Keep Britain Tidy also work on some fantastic and insightful reports about consumer behaviours and why people may do things. Take recycling for example – some of the worst recyclers are those committed to recycling because they believe they know the rules and don’t update their knowledge. And in the UK recycling rules vary quite a bit from borough to borough or council to council. In Test Valley you can’t recycle yoghurt pots or clear plastic trays but in Southwark in London, you can recycle both of those PLUS there is a food composting scheme. And if you add to that packaging labels and the vast amount of different materials – there are 7 different classes of plastics – well, it doesn’t make it easy to understand.
Keep Britain Tidy also does some fascinating studies and work on littering. About 48% of people have admitted to littering which seems incredibly high. If you understand that littering also includes cigarette butts and chewing gum…well, that figure may make a bit more sense, despite how bad both those items are for us and the environment.Their Great British Spring Clean is going to kick off – from 23rd May – 13th June – and they are asking people to pledge to clean miles. Check out and sign up to their #MillionMileMission. If you are out on a walk, why not incorporate a litter pick and help keep your local area clean?
I know from experience that some people are under the impression that someone else will clean up after me. But it isn’t anyone else’s job to tidy up after the mess you make. You brought it, you take it – it is your responsibility as a person living on this planet to be mindful of your impact. You wouldn’t leave the rubbish in your living room – why are you leaving it in a public space. Have fun, enjoy a cheeky tinny in the park, just be respectful to those around you and keep spaces tidy for others.
Another thing to consider about rubbish and littering – have you ever been to a park with filled up bins and just tried to squeeze your ice cream wrapper in the edge? Well, what if the wind picks up? In your mind, it may be in a bin but in reality, it will float off in the breeze. What about those moments when it is a bit breezy and you take something out of your pocket or bag and an old receipt breaks loose? It isn’t as simple as saying everyone knowingly litters. Sometimes it is an accident. The majority of the time though I would say it was deliberate. So we need to raise awareness, build community spirit and help educate why we should all work together on reducing our waste and not littering.
WD: In my previous interview with Ocean Advocate Emily Penn, I touched on the idea of ‘sustainability work fatigue’ and frustration at the challenges you face. How do you deal with this?
CMM: Emily Penn is incredible. I was lucky enough to experience a couple of her events in London and have so much admiration for her. Yes, it is completely possible to experience this as it can be overwhelming, thinking about everything that needs to be done for humans to exist in the future. For them to experience the same wonders we are. That may sound fanciful and idealistic but at the end of the day, the planet doesn’t need us to survive. We need the planet.
A lot of litter pickers will mention their frustrations when they clear up an area only to return and for it to be messy again. I have a lot of respect for community and solo litter pickers, and litter pick myself. Sometimes you can make it fun and find some interesting or old items, even money. But most of the time it is the same rubbish, different day.
Honestly, when the thoughts spiral out of control, or I start to get depressed or tired about repeating the same message, I just remember that I have the luxury of time to research this. Not everyone does. I also focus on the wins, no matter how small. Even if it is one person making a positive comment or hearing a friend has made a sustainable swap. I focus on those wins, and I channel the frustrations to find new ways to reach other people.
WD : And now to the book series. I was so excited when you shared the initial concept with me and am still in awe of your creative genius coming up with this brilliant concept. Can you explain where the idea came from and tell us more about the Eco Protection Squad and the Eco Squashers.
CMM: Thank you, that’s so kind of you to say. I am so thankful you enjoyed it once you saw some of the initial ideas for the story too. I was so nervous sharing outside my family. This is my eco baby for sure. I had quit my job in December 2019 and was in America visiting my husband for a month before returning to real life and looking for a job. I was chatting to my mother-in-law about struggling to find a bigger way to appeal to more people and educate them about swaps and changes. I had realised that many people wanted to live more sustainability but didn’t know what that meant or how to go about it. And I was in a sustainable bubble – listening to people who were sharing similar tips I was in different ways.My MiL works with autistic children and mentioned how they have emotions characterised to help them understand their feelings and how to then manage them. It was a total EURIKA moment, and I started characterising the issues surrounding waste.
Welcome Single-Use Sally, the first character I created, followed by Danny Do Gooder and Plastic-free Prival. It took a while to come up with the team names and some of the other characters. And the likelihood is I will keep adding to the character list. But now I have an idea that makes it easier to understand the issues and presents them in a classic good vs bad adventure story. Think Paws Patrol meets Mr Men having tea with Captain Planet and Octonauts.
These characters follow me EVERYWHERE! And it was vital to me in creating my characters that I also present a diverse and inclusive team. Teamwork is important to help solve the climate crisis and everyone has their own set of special skills. I wanted people to love these characters and see ones that they can relate to.Meet the Eco Protection Squad. A team of super kids helping save Terra, Mother Earth, from Bill McGreedy and his band of Eco Squashers. The first adventure takes place in a park and tackles littering as well as recycling in a fun way. The second book will tackle what we flush down the loo.
It was important to me when creating my stories that I give back as well. I donate 100 copies of any story to the Eco Schools programme, 50p from every sale goes to a charity working to educate about the waste topic and 50p goes to Carbon Footprint projects.I also self-published the book because I wanted to control the supply chain to know I was supporting sustainable companies and no single use plastic is used! I visited the printing company to visually check their credentials for example.
I have to give a huge shout out to my mum – she is the one who has to pack and post any orders that go out! My mum is incredible, and I don’t know if I would have made this a success without her support and belief in these stories. My husband too. The person who sees my downs and my highs, my partner and confidant when things are tough or I need to talk out ideas and new approaches. He is my guinea pig haha!
WD: As you know at the heart of my Inspiring Individual series is reminding people of the concept Following your Bliss (as coined by Joseph Campbell). You are certainly doing this, but I would love to know what this means for you personally and why you think its important that people put passion and purpose in their work?
CMM: Great question. If you had asked me 2 years ago if I was following my passion, I would have said yea, of course. I’m good at what I do and I enjoy the role. But that isn’t passion. Now when people ask me I know what it means to be passionate about what I am doing. The fire in my belly when I wake up in the morning, hoping to make a difference to just 1 person. The drive to get up and focus my time and energy on something I believe in, something that I know will make a difference. The thought that if I had to stop doing this, I would be devastated. It motivates me. It invigorates me. I have a message to share so I need to get a wiggle on and share it!
In our current climate though, believe that I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to follow my passion. Not everyone has that luxury, and that is something I am always aware of and remember. So I want to make sure I use the most of my luxury to make it matter.
WD: So what does the future hold for the Eco Protection Squad, and for you?
CMM: Hopefully it is a bright future! There are so many stories in the works and I want to make audio versions as well as animations in order to spread the message as far as possible and make it as accessible for kids to read / hear / watch. I want to get a copy of each book in every school in the UK, if not the world and create bespoke stories for countries.
I want to make a difference to our planet and leave it better than it was when I was born. I want to educate others about what we can do to save Terra, reduce waste and live better. To work together to build back better. To create businesses and homes and enjoy activities that think about the lifecycle of any products associated.
Most of all, I want a future for any children, grand children and future generations, to be able to experience the beauty this planet has. To value differences and to enjoy nature and wildlife. To appreciate how lucky we are. Terra Mater Est.
It was such a delight to interview Cathy – and its the longest piece posted in my Inspiring Individuals series, but I wanted to share all of her passion and ideas with you all so nothing has been edited or trimmed! I hope it helps you as you embark on your own sustainability journey and making wiser choices for the greater good of the planet and humanity.
Love Sangeeta x
Note: You can buy the paperback and eBook version of the Eco Protection Squad Go To The Park here or find it on kindle here or visit Cathy’s blog
At the beginning of this year, I set myself targets in relation to my blog writing, and other personal goals, and was feeling proud two months in that I was keeping to these, but as news of the global pandemic emerged and lockdown took over, not to mention the challenges of a new job, my writing and inspiration dried up.
When the core concept of my blog is to showcase experiences and places, I struggled to see the point in featuring some of the places which I had visited previously. I felt huge concern for my friends in the hospitality industry and others who were not able to work from home as I and many others have been fortunate to do so. There was a sense of bleakness, a feeling of not knowing what the new world order would look like when we emerged from our homes, and it left me feeling at odds with the purpose of my blog.
And although we are not out of the woods yet, I have been uplifted by the spirit of human resilience and solidarity during these period. It goes without saying that the real heroes though it all have been the frontline workers and the amazing NHS.
But I have also been constantly impressed at the ingenuity and creativity of businesses and ways people have adapted in order to keep our collective spirits up. From one of my favourite restaurant chains Cote Brasserie within a number of weeks creating Cote at Home, to the Executive Chef of another of my London hangouts, Hotel Cafe Royal, Laurent Tourondel, posting pictures on Instagram of his amazing creations made at home and sharing his recipes.
And not to mention the numerous theatre performance streaming and virtual gallery tours available. Check out Time In (aka Time Out) for all the latest interesting things to do from home.
As well as finding new ways of spending free time, this period has also been an enforced time for many of us to reflect. Ats 2020 arrived, inspired by my friend Success Coach Rachel Letham Choose a Word for the year challenge, I decided upon the word “Restore” : to restore, rebuild and repair mind, body and soul after a difficult few years. By hitting pause, in this unexpected way, I have had time needed to go within and reset, and remember who my true authentic self really is.
My mission statement for the blog, indeed for life, has always been about following your bliss and that is equally applicable when sheltering in place or going about exploring the world at large. Life is what we make of it and as we reflect on how this pandemic has taken us all by surprise, it feels like we really should take stock of what truly matters to us and endeavour to make each moment count.
Stay Safe.
Sangeeta x
Main picture courtesy of my Instagram friend : @ria_jaynes_happy_snaps
In the third of my series of Inspiring Individuals interviews, and as we head into the new year, I am thrilled to feature my good friend and success coach, Rachel Letham. I met Rachel nearly ten years ago at a press party, when I was running an accessory business, with my now ex-husband, and she had an online fashion and lifestyle magazine, LadyM Presents. In addition to the magazine, Rachel had a very successful board level corporate career in the food industry. Indeed she was listed in Management Today’s top women under 35 in business in the UK for 2015.
I was immediately struck at how dynamic she was and in awe of how she juggled the demands of a high-pressured job with her side passion of writing about fashion, and how she seemed to manage these diverse strands with such ease. It was, as I grew to learn from her, only possible, through sacrifice, strict discipline and being highly organised!
Kindred souls in our quest to pursue all of our passions, we quickly became friends. In 2018, Rachel launched her success coaching business and I was honoured that she asked me to be one of her first test clients. As someone who is on a personal journey to discover and unleash my own potential, I am delighted to feature Rachel on the blog to explore how best we can all do that as we embark upon a new year and indeed a new decade.
WD
: Firstly, congratulations on the launch of Rachel Letham, Success Coaching!
Can you tell us how you decided to move into this area?
RL : Roughly two years ago I reached a point in my career
where I realised something had to give – I wasn’t enjoying it anymore and I
wanted to do something else. I was on
holiday when I received an email with the subject said “So you want to be a coach”
and I said out loud – “YES!” I realised that was what I wanted to do and by the
end of the day I’d bought the domain name for my website and was coming up with
a plan!
I trained as a Certified Coach with Mindful Talent and now coach ambitious business professionals who seek growth in their business whilst creating their own version of work-life balance. As the training company name suggests, everything was with a ‘mindful’ approach and I became more aware of myself, how little time I was spending on mindfulness, living in the moment or any notion of self care. The only thing I really did for self care was a lot of running and drinking my favourite drinks, coffee and wine! Not really conducive to a healthy lifestyle. As I studied, listened to podcasts, started to practice meditation and jumped on the Miracle Morning bandwagon – I became hooked on self care.
WD: I am also interested to understand better, how in the midst of a very successful corporate career, you decided to launch an online fashion magazine, and then to train as a coach. Surely you could have felt perfectly satisfied with what you had achieved in your corporate life, as I understand it you loved your day job, so it wasn’t that which motivated you to pursue other interests?
RL: I think I have always has a bit of an entrepreneurial blood in my body. The online fashion and lifestyle magazine started as a blog in my spare time when my boyfriend at the time had moved to China for work and I had more spare time on my hands. I always loved writing and this was when blogging had just got going – I didn’t know what to write about and as I worked in quite a male dominated environment – I decided to wear a dress to work each day for a week, photograph it and write about it. A chance encounter at London Fashion Week as a blogger led me to get involved in the “off schedule” shows – so less of the main stream brands and more up and coming designers and I created a niche for writing and supporting these designers – which even took me to New Zealand Fashion Week three times.
It
was really my hobby – I didn’t see it as another job, it was a passion of mine
that I wanted to express and I loved the creativity of it. Building my own brand LadyM Presents and
showcasing other brands on social media got businesses asking me how I could
help them and my business journey sort of escalated from there. I have always
wanted to help others to grow and perhaps this is where my passion for personal
development comes from. Having other
passions outside of my corporate career meant that I wasn’t solely focused on
the day job 24/7 – since it was quite intense so the writing was my release.
WD: So, how does success coaching help people to see their true potential and step out of their comfort zone?
RL: My coaching is all about asking powerful questions. I believe that everyone has the potential to achieve whatever they set out to achieve – it is all within them. It is just sometimes not found yet, it’s hiding under their day job or their fears. I help people gain clarity and a sense of direction by asking them powerful questions, getting them to think bigger and wider and helping them step out of their comfort zone so that they can grow, learn and develop. As a coach I work with my clients to help them build a route map to success – tiny steps to achieve their goals and I help them navigate this journey which to do on your own can be overwhelming. I work with my clients on positive mindset, mindfulness and self care so that they can create their ideal lives and be living the life they want whilst they create the business or career that they deserve.
WD:
And what advice do you have for people who are not ready or cannot commit to
working with a success coach. Are there small steps or changes they can make to
start to find their true purpose?
RL: You have to be ready to do the work and invest time and energy into yourself. There is work that you can do yourself such as journalling; asking yourself specific questions to understand what you are really passionate about. Thinking about what your perfect week looks like and what it entails and then thinking about the inspired action steps you can take to get there. I think it takes longer when going it alone and we don’t challenge ourselves as much.
Building a routine of self care and mindfulness can also help. This means that you are spending more time thinking about your own well being – filling your own cup before helping others and this can renew your energy, your mindset and make you think clearer.
WD:
I know from working with you that mindfulness and self-care is a big part of
the approach you take to coaching. Is this why you launched the Self Care
Survival Kit Deck of Cards? Where did this idea come from and what is the
practical benefit for people using such a tool?
RL: I became hooked on self care as part of my coaching training and practice and reading a lot more around the concept of mindfulness. I realised that my own self care practice was opening myself up to more opportunities for success and I felt that it was an important part of my journey.
I decided to start writing a weekly newsletter to my followers last year, the Self Care Survival Kit. I share positive mindset concepts and two tips on how to bring self care into your life easily, at low cost and open to all. Now in the interest of my own self care, I send this out twice a month. I soon realised that once the email was sent – that was it – the tips were out in the ether but nowhere else. So by creating the Self Care Survival Kit Deck of Cards it meant that people have access to my self care tips all the time, at home, when travelling etc. I wanted to be able to make self care easy for people to do and to delve into. It is 52 cards covering easy to implement self care tips covering mind, body and soul – no bowing to Buddha or requiring too much investment – this is about looking at the tips, what resonates with you at a certain time and taking some time out of your day to practice self care.
Self
care isn’t something you do once and tick off the list; The key to success is
consistency and repetition of many beneficial tiny habits, which together
soothe you and make sure you are working to your optimum— emotionally,
physically and mentally.
I
am on a mission to normalise self care; to make it a positive habit, to take
the stigma of it being a “selfish
act” and to bring it into the mainstream. I’m a wellness warrior who wants to
make self care the standard. Despite reaching a global audience on a weekly
basis, I still have to remind myself to jump off the treadmill every now and
again and to practice what I preach.
WD:
As you know, the concept of Follow your Bliss as coined by Joseph Campbell
plays a huge part in my life, is this an idea that you subscribe to and if so,
what does it mean to you?
RL: For me, Follow your Bliss is very much inline with my own mantra that I live by. I want to live a balanced and inspired life on my own terms. This is something that I use to guide decision making about what I spend my time and money doing and where I take my business and personal life. The inspiration element is definitely where I find my bliss and I think with balance comes bliss – it is unique to ourselves. I have a lot of people who talk to me about how “work-life balance” is a myth, something that is unachievable, I like to work with my clients to see how they can create their own version of balance that is important to them. It isn’t the same for everyone and therefore it is important to work out what is right for you and I find it is always evolving too.
WD: Do you have a five-year plan? And if so, can you share with us what you would like to achieve next?
RL: Eek! Actually despite being a business coach, I am rather averse to a 5 year plan. If anyone ever said to me “where do you see yourself in 5 years time”? I would usually shrivel up a little and avoid the question. I like to set my intentions for the year ahead and have a plan of what I would like to achieve – it is all moving towards an overall vision and plan, but I also think that in order to feel success, that the plan has to be dynamic, open to change and something that we don’t strive to reach is perfection.
2020 sees me become a mum for the first time, so my mantra of living a balanced and inspired life may change a little for the first few months, however it is important to me and my values to keep growing, to keep being inspired and I am looking forward to seeing how the year evolves. I have plans to turn the Self Care Survival Kit into a book and I would also love to host a retreat before the end of the year – so watch this space!
It was a pleasure to interview Rachel and indeed work with her over the last few years. For more information visit her website and you can also learn about how you can start 2020 on a positive note by choosing your “word” for the year using her free workbook: https://www.rachelletham.com/blog/5-steps-to-make-2020-powerful-positive
Fabulous chic shopping outlet Bicester Village is being transformed into a bridal paradise this March! With exclusive designer dress collections, cake designers, florists and much more, plus celebrity wedding planner Mark Niemierko, on hand hosting a series of talks throughout the event, there’ll be everything brides to be need to plan their dream day. And we at Olivier Laudus are thrilled to be showcasing our veils and wedding accessories at the event.
The bridal extravaganza runs from 6th-29th March at Bicester Village, 50 Pingle Drive, Bicester, Oxon, OX26 6WD. Brides can pre-register to have access to the Bicester Village VIP lounge and other special privileges and private events.
For many of us our pets are firmly part of the family and so why wouldn’t you want to include them on your special day! It follows though that you need to think of how your dog would find the experience – will it be comfortable surrounded by so many people, would it find the day tiring, will your venue even allow pets and a host of other considerations including what will they wear!
We have been given a gorgeous Jojo & Jax silk lead (as seen on Made in Chelsea and You magazine) worth £99 to ensure that your pooch looks its very best on your special day!
We were delighted to be asked by fabulous Brides magazine to participate in a designer catwalk show this summer at the luxurious Mandarin Oriental hotel in London’s Knightsbridge.
Lucky Brides magazine readers were treated to divine Greygoose cocktails and yummy canapés in the beautiful gardens before a fabulous catwalk show featuring some of the hottest designers including Suzanne Neville, Sanyukta and Naomi Neoh. As well as showcasing some of our pieces on the catwalk we had a table to display our hair accessories and wedding jewellery and really enjoyed meeting and chatting with Brides readers.
As more and more couples take their honeymoon a few months after their wedding day – arise the popularity of the mini-moon! And where better than the capital itself, packed with designer shops, theatres, galleries and amazing restaurants to try. There are countless fabulous hotels to stay in but here are my top three – each offering something unique and special.
Pure luxury – the one and only Corinthia
The Corinthia has a special place in my heart – its one of my favourite places in London for family celebrations, and last year we were thrilled to shoot our 2014 collection there.
This breathtaking 5 star hotel, the flagship for the Corinthia brand, combines traditional grandeur with modern freshness, and is ideally located near the Embankment, a short walk from many of the city’s major attractions, with two fantastic restaurants, Italian inspired Massimo and the Northall, plus the most gorgeous and intimate cocktail bar, Bassoon, featuring live music.
The hotel’s sumptuously appointed rooms, averaging 45m², are among the largest in their category in London’s luxury hotel market and the hotel also boasts a spectacular collection of exclusive two-storey penthouse hotel suites. Rooms start at £355 plus VAT.
The Corinthia also houses award-winning ESPA Life which I was lucky enough to try recently – and can definitely verify it has the wow-factor! Set over four floors, with vitality pool, amphitheatre sauna, ice fountain, marble heated lounges and the most gorgeous private sleep pods – you are guaranteed the ultimate in relaxation.
In short, what a perfect hotel to kick start your married life in luxury and style. Visit Corinthia London’s website for more information.
Hip & Cool – Sanderson
I recently discovered Sanderson when I had a meeting in their fabulous bar, aptly named the Long Bar.
The unassuming exterior hides a fabulous surprise with an art lovers dream of a reception featuring the iconic Dali-esque plump red lips sofa and other surreal delights. There is also a gorgeous courtyard where I saw people partaking in their famous Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea.
Sanderson is part of the Morgans Hotel Group which is widely credited as the creator of the first “boutique” hotel and a continuing leader of the hotel industry’s boutique sector. Sanderson’s 150 guest rooms have recently had a fabulous refurb and the new rooms have a sense of the modern, while paying tribute to the baroque era with elaborate wood oak carvings and hand-blocked scenic wallpaper. Room start at £239 plus VAT.
The hotel’s on-site Malaysian restaurant, Suka, the Purple Bar and African inspired reception room are also destinations in their own right. Sanderson has the perfect mix of beautiful boutique hotel coupled with a cool and quirky vibe. See Sanderson for more information.
Uber stylish and modern – ME Hotel London
I first discovered this stunning hotel at an event I organised in its Rooftop Radio bar. With panoramic views over London the bar has fast become one of London’s hotspots – but I was pleasantly surprised on a later tour of the hotel how much more the ME Hotel has to offer. First – The Atrium, a reception area like no other I have ever seen – almost futuristic. Arriving guests pass through the ground floor Marconi lounge, and ascend to the dedicated hotel lobby and champagne bar on the first floor housed within a nine-storey high pyramidal space, clad entirely in white marble with impressive light shows bringing the space to life.
And the guest rooms follow the trend – cutting edge and simply stylish. The hotel has 157 rooms, including 30 rooms with private balconies, 16 suites and a duplex ME Suite with rates starting at £340 plus VAT.
ME London is also home to one of the most fantastic steak restaurants – the world famous STK brand – the modern steakhouse and chic lounge all rolled into one. Steak is obviously the main attraction here, but don’t miss out on signature items including Parmesan Truffle Fries – beyond delicious! More information can be found at ME London.
All three hotels are perfectly situated in London’s west end, but with luxury on tap and so much to do in each one, would you even want to leave!
Every bride wants to look her best on her big day and there are heaps of fast weight loss diets and boot camps out there promising amazing results. However, losing weight should also be about getting healthy and I have always believed that is most successful if it is an enjoyable process, sustainable and done within a realistic time frame.
So I was thrilled to meet and chat with London based health and fitness expert Tuomas Isaho – founder of Clay and Lime and get his thoughts on how brides could best approach their fitness goals.
Tuomas challenges conventional and trendy training methods – his philosophy is “To train smart. To get fit, not broken.” He typically trains brides for 3 to 6 months preceding their wedding, but has found that many continue with the programme after their wedding. He has also trained a few brides and grooms together in the lead up to their big day – finding that by motivating each other they are able to achieve great results.
Tuomas’ top five tips:
1. Start moving, now. Walk 10 000 steps every day – it is the only smart and proven way to boost your metabolism – even if your date isn’t set yet. Pedometers are cheap to buy and a great way of measuring how you are doing.
2. Clean up your diet – unhealthy foods have somehow become a daily feature in our diets, and that isn’t how it should be. The bulk of your diet should be made of healthy, nutritious food. You can allow yourself two unhealthy items – not whole meals – a week.
3. Don’t diet. Conventional diets focus on quick weight loss, but they fail in one essential area – keeping the weight off – they are not about promoting health which should be the core goal. And therefore they are generally not sustainable.
4. Add resistance training into your weekly routine. Aim for 4 times a week, 25-30 min at a time. Focus on your posture to get the healthy, lean and strong look – choose exercises that work your upper and lower back, obliques (sides), bum and legs – with some rear shoulder and arm moves. I don’t believe that women should ever do press-ups and no one should ever do abdominal crunches.
5. Live by the above 4 rules – make it your lifestyle. It is how we humans were designed to live. You’ll be fit and healthy – and remember that the healthier and fitter you are, the happier you will be in the run up to your wedding day.
I was really impressed with the passion Tuomas has for what he does – he genuinely cares about helping his clients. And it is refreshing in an age where we are bombarded with the next ‘in’ way to lose weight to meet someone who is taking it back to basics – looking at what our bodies were designed to do – and with health at the heart of it.
We were delighted when we heard that Olivier Laudus had been featured in fabulous new guide for brides The High Street Bride by Samantha Birch, who has written for GLAMOUR, Brides, You & Your Wedding and Cosmopolitan Bride. With its very cute chick lit style cover and Sam’s brilliant sharp writing not only is this a really good read its packed full of ideas and inspiration on how to plan your wedding with lots of style while keeping within your budget.
And we were thrilled when Sam agreed to write an exclusive feature for our readers on how to find the perfect accessories for your wedding day style.
The Theme’s the Thing
Not sure where to start with your wedding jewellery? Take your cue from your theme, says Samantha Birch, author of The High-Street Bride’s Guide. Some dresses say it all: the embellished belt screams chandelier earrings, the tea length is all about the pearls, or the strapless neckline needs the kind of oomph you can only get from a statement necklace. The draped back on my silhouette-skimmer told me all I needed to know: this gown was going to need earrings, and they’d have to be long.
Sometimes, though, your simple white dress is just what it sounds like—a blank canvas—so you’ve got to look somewhere else to get the go-ahead. If your LWD could do with a touch of bling to bring out its personality, your best bet is to think themes. Are you a bold-red-lip-loving Hollywood starlet, a laidback bohemian bride, the classic aisle-ruling princess or heart-set on modern matrimony? Whatever vibe you’re going for, work it with your jewellery and you’ll set the scene from the minute you make your entrance. Here’s how it’s done…
ART DECO
Don’t be shy: there’s only one way to rock Art Deco elegance, and that’s with a strut in your style.
Don’t be afraid of chunky geometric shapes like the octagonal Peggy earrings (£39.99) from Olivier Laudus and matching bracelet (£49.99) pictured below, and embrace lashings of sparkle framed by straight-edged structure like the Madeline bracelet (£49.99).
BOHO
You’ll find the boho bride draped nonchalantly over her groom in a field full of lavender, or partying the night away under the stars or inside a yurt. If it’s nature that nurtures you, add some flower-based twinkle to your wedding look, not unlike the understated Becky studs (£39.99), delicately detailed Caroline earrings (£39.99) pictured below, or wow-factor Tara bridal pearl earrings (£49.99). Add the Belle bracelet for a touch of colour (£35.99), the Marta for relaxed elegance (£34.99), or the Tatiana if you’re after a vintage twist (£34.99).
HOLLYWOOD
Eat your heart out, Audrey and Marilyn: the Hollywood look is all about stealing the spotlight; and that means some serious glamour. Opt for drama with extra-long earrings like the Hester Vintage (£34.99), glitter with a classic tennis bracelet like the Bonnie (£79.99) or who-me starlet style with bold vintage shapes like the CZ-encircled round pearls of the Camilla necklace and earrings set (£29.99).
MODERN
Forget about the frills and ditch the ditsy: the modern look is simple, streamlined perfection. Shapes are less romantic, more edgy, like the angular Alexandra bridal ring (£47.99), or straightforward, like the Amelia bracelet’s chic circles (£59.99). Pearls shirk the strings for something more experimental, like the fresh and bubbly Edie bracelet (£29.99) or a personal favourite: the jaw-droppingly out-there Kathryn cuff (£59.99) pictured below.
PRINCESS
Been dreaming of your big day since Ariel married Eric, full skirt, puffy sleeves and all? Then you’re going to need some so-pretty fairy-tale finish. Command attention Duchess of Cambridge-style with look-at-me sapphires; you’ll find them in the show-stopping Kate earrings (£39.99). Alternatively, opt for the French romance of a classic symbol with the likes of the Fleur de Lis necklace and earrings set (£49.99), or give a regal nod with a tiara comb such as the subtle Selina (£120) below.
RETRO
Retro doesn’t have to mean Rockabilly, but if you’re going for flirty Fifties femininity, you’re going to want pearls. Lots of ’em. Keep yours cute with simple studs like the Zara studs , add a touch of glamour with a single diamante like the Sandras (£34.99) pictured below —anyone else reminded of a certain Ms. D?—go with a classic single string like the Chantelle necklace (£29.99), or pile ’em on à la the fun-loving Chantelle Triple Strand (£39.99).
Thank you to the lovely Samantha (pictured below) for this very helpful & brilliantly written article.
Imagine toasting your new life as a married couple with this enchanting view from the Royal Penthouse suite at the Corinthia London – one of the most stunning and iconic locations for a London wedding. The Corinthia brand really does stand head and shoulders above its peers and is quickly becoming one of the premier locations for London weddings and other special events.
My first encounter was when I stayed at the Corinthia in Budapest in 2011 – and although it was a just short business trip, I was totally captivated by the ‘Spirit of Corinthia’ and the vision of the Pisani family of Malta who founded the brand. In the same year, Corinthia opened its first hotel in London on the site of the former Metropole Grand Hotel. I visited for a family birthday dinner and was so impressed by the attention to detail not to mention the rumoured £300m refurbishment – money so well spent – as the hotel is an absolute work of art.
And having spent some time there now, I can see why it would be the perfect setting for a London wedding; in the heart of the capital and a stone’s throw from the River Thames and boasting some magnificent spaces to hold your special day. From intimate family gatherings of 20 to grand-scale receptions for 150, the hotel is licensed for both marriages and civil partnerships and offers each couple a bespoke and personalised celebration to exactly match their needs.
Corinthia London also has an in-house wedding specialist Claire Bowpitt who has an impressive background in weddings and events, and is able to help couples coordinate their every need in the lead up to their special day. From food, transport, cakes and entertainment to flowers, I can imagine having Claire on hand would make the planning process pain free and a complete pleasure.
I met Claire at our photo-shoot and then met with her again for a preliminary meeting with a friend who is planning a wedding later this year. And both times I was really impressed with her professionalism and warmth and down to earth attitude. Corinthia London is the epitome of luxury but unlike some 5 star establishments, you are not made to feel uncomfortable by this or intimidated. Claire had heaps of creative vision and ideas of how my friend could create the Gatsby vision for his wedding, without being overbearing or pretentious. She was a delight to deal with as we brainstormed ideas of which space would be best and the options available. I really hope my friend will proceed to book the Corinthia London very soon, as I would love to see how their joint vision would be realised.
The majority of weddings at the Corinthia London are held in the Ballroom which perfectly reflects the elegance and grandeur of Corinthia London’s original Victorian architecture. During the day, the room is bathed with natural light from the full height windows which is quite unusual for London hotel ballrooms and a real bonus, while at night the sparkling chandeliers reflect in the mirrors that adorn the walls.
Massimo Restaurant & Oyster Bar, where a lot of our shoot was set, can also host wedding receptions on Sundays. The elegant room was designed by renowned interior designer David Collins who has created a sense of grandeur with the art deco styling, and his use of marble columns and graceful lunettes. It would make the most wonderful setting for a wedding reception particularly for lovers of Italian cuisine which is the restaurant’s speciality.
The White Diaries
