The Royal Wedding, Friday 29th April 2011

Earlier today Britain (along with the rest of the world who were watching) welcomed a new Princess; Catherine (known as Kate) Middleton who wed Prince William in a lavish ceremony held at Westminster Abbey. They now have the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

At 21 years of age (very nearly 22 but not just yet, I still have a few more days of “youth”) I had never witnessed a royal wedding before and was terribly excited at just the thought. The only real Royal experience I have had up till today was Diana’s funeral, which wasn't exactly the happiest of occasions either, and even then I was quite young and don’t remember a lot apart from visiting London and seeing all of the flowers. (Just in case you think I’m being dumb and forgetting the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, I was on holiday and out of the country so I missed that too!) During the run up to today’s wedding I became more and more excited and couldn’t wait for the actual day to arrive. Many people judged me, finding it weird that I was so keen to watch the wedding. In their words “it’s just a wedding.” Now even though I’d never seen a royal wedding before I held my ground and fought my corner insisting that it would be an occasion you’d be silly to miss, and I think that after today’s activities I can happily say it definitely was not “just a wedding” and those who chose not to watch it missed a spectacular, magical treat.

Wills and Kate (I’ve skipped the “first name stage” and headed straight to the nickname stage) first met at St. Andrew’s college back in 2001, a decade ago! They started as mere college friends but in 2005 they graduated hand in hand, an official couple. Fast forward a few years, a trial seperation which didn't last too long, and it were announced (on Twitter, amazeballs!) in November 2010 that the pair was in fact engaged and due to be married on Friday the 29^th April 2011.

As the day grew closer, the speculation of what was going to happen and more importantly what she was going to wear grew, souvenirs were being sold left, right and centre (from mugs to condoms) and there were numerous TV programmes on along with an embarrassingly pathetic film!

One of the main surprises of the day was THE dress. And after months of speculation we weren’t disappointed. The dress remained a secret until the very last minute. The first glimpse of the worlds-most-talked-about-dress was through the window of a car. Details of the much awaited dress were slowly emerging, lace, a plunging V neck, with a veil and a train. But how long was the train? At first I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t overly impressed, it was only when Kate stepped out of the car outside of Westminster Abbey that the picture was complete and I was sold. The dress came complete with long lace sleeves, a corset top and a light lace veil which was see-through enough to see expression and was held in place by a tiara which was lent to her from the Queen for the day. It also had a modest train at 9 foot long; Princess Diana’s was 25 foot! All in all the dress was understated British glamour at its finest. And she looked every inch the Princess. The dress was from the Fashion house of the late great Alexander McQueen, but designed by his successor Sarah Burton, Creative Designer for McQueen. The dress was not only a celebration of a great British designer but also for a great British Royal wedding.

Anyway, my day started quite early at around half 7, I woke up in excitement, a bit like Christmas morning. I turned my television straight on and was instantly mesmerised. I sat there for a good couple of hours just watching in awe of the amazing hats and fascinators and then recognising the odd person here and there. Then suddenly, boom, I screamed in delight. There she was. My personal Queen, Victoria Beckham. Dressed in one of her own designs obviously, the navy blue dress fitted her 6-month-pregnant-shape beautifully. She customised the loose fitting cloak-style draped back dress with a pair of killer Louboutins and a Philip Treacy hat adorned with a gemstone and curly twigs. And completed her look with smokey eyes along with a sleek ponytail. Queen VB, as always, I salute you! She obviously attended the wedding alongside Mr David Beckham *swoon* who was looking as suave as ever in a suit, his hair stylishly swept to the side and proudly wearing his OBE.

I made my way to the Salterns Hotel (which is a beautiful venue FYI!) to watch the ceremony with my friends. Camila, who will be a bride in 7 weeks time, and Kay, a fellow bridesmaid and little baby Chloe who at only 8 months old was getting into the spirit by waving a little Union Jack flag! So cute! We all sat there in complete awe of the whole occasion. First to be spotted was Prince Will and Harry who left Clarence House and made their way to the Abbey. Next up was HRH The Queen, who was rocking a beautiful dress, hat and coat matching combo in a delightful canary yellow. She bought out the sunshine and for nearly 90 years of age she looked incredible, absolutely immaculate. Utter babe.

Lastly it was the turn for Kate (who's dress I've already covered!) and her bridesmaids. Who each wore hand-made dresses that were the type every little girl dreams of. Ivory with ballerina-length pleated skirts, puff sleeves and a pale gold sash tied into a bow at the back. The dresses came complete with flower headbands. Extremely cute. As a special memento, each of the four girls had their name and the date of the wedding hand-embroidered on to the lining of their dresses. As for the page boys, they were dressed in mini replicas of William’s red uniform of Colonel of the Irish Guards. Despite the immense pressure and breathtaking pomp of the occasion, all 6 of the infants rose to it like little professionals and managed to melt the hearts of the viewing public in the process. Lastly, Pippa, Kate’s younger sister and her Maid of Honour mirrored the bride by also wearing a white gown, which was also designed by Sarah Burton for McQueen. It was demure, subtle but beautifully elegant without over-shadowing the bride.

After singing a few hymns, a reading by James Middleton (Kate’s brother) who was quite a looker, the couple exchanged vows and were announced man and wife. The congregation then came together to sing “God Save The Queen” throughout which the Queen didn’t sing a word, hilarious and slightly awkward yet absolutely brilliant at the same time! Talking of the Queen, sat behind her were Princess’s Beatrice and Eugenie. Beatrice was supporting quite a hat and Eugenie was in a god-awful blue and green dress that looked like it belonged in a swamp. I love them! I personally have several favourite moments of the ceremony, one being when The Bishop of London was giving his speech and he said to the couple “You have both made your decision today” at which point they looked at each other, glared, then shared a little giggle! Another of my favourite moments was when I noticed that the nun sat next to Prince William was actually wearing trainers, in Westminster Abbey. Priceless! Have a close look at the picture above!! And lastly when William struggled putting the ring upon Kate's finger, that made me chuckle some-what as well!

After the Lord’s Prayer and a final blessing they made their way outside to be greeted by cheers of joy and delight for the newlywed couple. There were apparently over one million well wishers on the streets of Central London, with over 2 billion people watching on television and online around the world! Very impressive! They then got into the open carriage because quite remarkably, despite the weather forecast, not one drop of rain fell to ruin the exquisite occasion, and they made their way to Buckingham Palace. They waved and smiled to the crowds on both sides for the entire journey. It was quite amusing to see Prince Harry in a carriage behind filled with children!

Then there was a nearly an hour’s wait until we were to see the couple again. This time they were to stand out on the famous balcony, joined by both of their families. Whilst looking out onto the mall which was filled with people, you couldn’t see an inch of pavement. It must have been breathtaking as, as soon as Kate walked out and saw it she said “Oh wow!” I personally thought it made for a nice change to see the Union Jack flag being waved with pride instead of St George's Cross which comes out with every World Cup. Then it was time for the moment everyone had being waiting for: the kiss. I’m not sure if it classed as a kiss to be honest, more of a peck, and a very quick peck at that! Will then cracked another joke and said to Harry “Your go Harry” who was conveniently stood next to Pippa! After more cheers and chanting from the crowds they only went and did the unthinkable and went in for another kiss didn’t they. This one, I’m glad to report, lasted a little longer! After that some Spitfires, Typhoons and Hurricanes (aeroplanes) flew over head and pretty much immediately after the Queen decided the balcony appearance had gone on for long enough and they were ushered inside, one last wave and a look over her shoulder from Kate and they were gone. But not for long... 

After the formality of the ceremony the couple had one final surprise for everyone: the newlyweds left Buckingham Palace in an appropriately decorated car. Balloons, an L plate on the front along with red, white and blue bows and the registration plate that read ‘JU5T WED.’ The convertible blue Aston Martin actually belongs to Prince Charles and was a present from The Queen for his 21^st Birthday! William drove the couple in the car to Clarence House where they were to join 650 guests in the first reception that was hosted by The Queen. There they would eat and have the first of Harry’s two speeches. In which he apparently thanked the Middleton’s for “conceiving Kate!” They also apparently had two cakes, one an eight-tiered Royal looking Wedding Cake decorated with 900 sugar-paste flowers for Kate, and then a "chocolate biscuit cake" for Will, which his mother used to make him.

I’m sat here now, several hours after it was streamed live on TV, watching the highlights to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I knew it would be something to watch but I didn’t realise how engrossed I would become or how truly exquisite it was going to be. Who knew I could be such a Royal enthusiast?! It had been a day of pageant and tradition and in my eyes literally was the perfect day, a real life fairy tale. If I were to change just one thing about the day, it would be the fact that I wasn’t up there in London to experience it in the flesh. Next time I most definitely need to be up there to soak up the, what I can only imagine to be, absolutely amazing atmosphere. Well, either that or I’d quite fancy marrying Prince Harry and becoming a Princess myself. It would be a right Royal knees up! Either way, I’m not fussy!

All I’ve left to say is:

Here’s to William and Catherine. And here’s to being British. x

Fate

I am currently sat in bed, with fluffy hair, in a I ♥ NY hoody and pj bottoms, trying really hard to piece together what happened last night after people have been telling me numerous stories. But I'm failing miserably, I don't remember a lot and I definitely do not remember throwing ice cubes at random, innocent people..

How did I get to this? Is this fate? Is this what I was destined for? Am I seriously meant to be in this situation? Because if you’d have asked me what I would be doing when I was nearing the age of 22, when I was around 5 years old I would have told you I would be a Princess, obviously. At the age of 15 I would have said I’d be presenting a popular entertainment programme alongside Davina McCall, again, obviously! (I’ve always been really realistic with my life ambitions..) But no, much to my surprise here I am writing this blog, because once again my brain is on overload and I find myself wide awake when I could really do with some sleep after the lack I've had of it recently. It got me to thinking about fate. What is it? And more importantly, what the hell have I done to piss it off so much that I’m neither a Princess nor a TV presenter? Harsh.

Fate; the theory that everything happens just as it’s supposed to, that everything is predetermined. A completely mind blowing concept that basically says we’re not actually responsible for the course of our lives, but instead it’s been planned out for us. “It’s written in the stars.” The Hollywood Walk of Fame stars for me.. or not as the case may be!

Don't get me wrong I truly believe that things happen for a reason, but I'm not sure that I agree with the saying that "everything happens for a reason." I think that phrase may have been conjured up by a friend of someone who had been having a really rough time of it and they were simply trying to make their friend feel better. It was a nice gesture, and a lovely thought, but seriously 'everything happens for a reason?' I'm not so sure on that one! 

Take for example the situation I find myself in at this very moment. All day I have been struggling to stay awake, my eyelids have been heavy, at some points during today it was a real effort to lift my eyelid back up whilst blinking. I've been that tired. Yet here I am now, at gone past midnight and I'm wide a-freaking-wake. Can someone please explain to me where the reasoning behind that is, because I'm stumped!

On a serious note, when you actually get to thinking about it properly, fate is genuinely quite scary (or I may just be massively over analysing it in my I'm-hung-over-let's-question-anything-and-everything mood.) No matter what I may do to try and achieve the goals I've set myself, it doesn't matter because if fate does exist then my life is already all set out for me, and it may not include the goals I've set at all. But surely that can't be? I mean fate wouldn't have planned for me to be sick this morning after the motion of brushing my teeth made my stomach churn would it? I mean what was the point in that? It was very unnecessary. And if fate had planned that for me, that was really pretty petty fate, and we'll be having less of that in the future, please.

That's the trouble with fate; because it's a theory based around the idea that we don't have a say in how our lives turn out, it can leave you with a feeling of helplessness. I've heard people say things along the lines of "I'm destined to be poor" or "I'm not destined for much" and I've thought the exact same things myself sometimes. But are we? I personally believe that we choose our own destinys. Yes, we don't have control over some situations that we find ourselves in, but we do have control over our attitude and how we decide to respond to the situation. It's totally up to you whether you let a bad situation wear you down or whether you take it in your stride and try to remain positive whilst doing so. For me fate seems like the easy and obvious excuse to not bother trying to go after something you want ,because it's down to fate isn't it, its out of your hands. Those who are willing to accept that and are happy to not put in some extra work to achieve, clearly didn't want or deserve whatever it was they were after in the first place.

Now, even though sadly I'm not sat on a grand throne wearing a sparkly tiara, neither am I reading through a script for my next tv show with Davina, I'm not going to blame fate (partly because I'm scared of what else fate has in store for me if I do. I've figured whilst writing this that it's probably best to stay on fate's good side, just in case it is real. Which leads me nicely on to Karma - but that's a whole other blog!) I believe that it is ultimately up to me to change it, and trust me I'm working on it. My first step is blagging my way into Will and Kate's wedding next week to introduce myself to Prince Harry. Don't write 'Princess Emma' off just yet...!

The (over-used) Emma's Acronyms Dictionary

After my last blog I felt I needed to write something a little lighter afterwards, a blog that will hopefully make for an easier read...

For those of you I know (actually and those of you who are just regular readers of my blogs that I don't physically speak to) I'm guessing you all will have probably picked up on my love for acronyms. An acronym is a kind of abbreviation. The word actually comes from Greek, meaning heads of names. Acronyms are usually made from the capitalised initials of the words it represents, for example FML is an acronym for Fuck My Life. I say FML at least once a day, without fail. I'm pretty certain it annoys a lot of people, but I genuinely do not GAS. (Read on to find out what that means if you don't already!) FML was probably the first acronym I fell in love with. Growing up I'd over-used "LOL" and "OMG" on msn, but FML was the one that changed everything. It was the acronym that made me start making up my own. And here I am now, writing a 'dictionary' of them! (Please note I'm using the term 'dictionary' in its loosest form!) Anyway, recently whilst teaching several, let’s say, “older” people, some of the more common acronyms, I thought it would make for quite an amusing blog to have them all written down. So here they are; in alphabetical order, a bit like a 'dictionary' if you would..

BS - Bullshit.

CBA - Can’t Be Arsed.

CHS - Cold Hearted Slut. (For example, myself and Kelly.)

CTFO - Chill The Fuck Out.

DFW - Down For Whatever.

DILLIGAF - Do I Look Like I Give A Fuck?

DTF - Down To Fuck.

DTS - Down To Snuggle. (This doesn't occur very often being a CHS.)

DPMO - Don’t Piss Me Off.

FFS - For Fuck Sake.

FML - Fuck My Life.

FOL - Fuck Our Lives.

FS - If I told you what this meant, I’d have to kill you. Soz! Hi Kelly :)

FYL - Fuck Your Life.

FYLYC - Fuck Your Life You C... (I'll leave you to decide which C word you want to use!)

FYI – For Your Information.

GAS - Give A Shit.

GTL - Gym Tan Laundry.

HLF - Hot Like Fire. (For example, Rihanna.)

HML – Heart/Hate My Life. (Depending on your mood.)

IFF - I’m Fucked Foundation.

ILY - I Love You. (This is rarely said as a CHS.)

KMT - Kiss My Teeth.

LOL - Laughing Out Loud.

MIA - Missing In Action.

NALGO - Not A Lot Going On.

NGL – Not Gonna Lie.

OMG - Oh My God.

RAS - Rihanna Ain’t Skinny. (This one comes in handy when having a fat-day!)

SOS - Same Old Shit/Save Our Souls. (Once again, depends on your mood.)

SSDD - Same Shit, Different Day.

STFU - Shut The Fuck Up.

TMI - Too Much Info.

WFL - Way Fricking Lush. (This is my personal favourite at the moment.)

WTF - What The Fuck?

If I’ve missed any out please do let me know of them so I can add them in and expand this WFL dictionary even further…!x

An over-active brain results in this 5am blog..

You know when your brain won't switch off and there's no chance of sleeping? Yeah, that. I'm going through that right now, at 4am on Thursday 14th April. Ironically I had promised myself an early night.. psht!

I often see on the news or hear of how young people have lost their lives. It’s not often, however, that the story is a little closer to home and I actually know the person.

Last night I had an enjoyable evening catching up with “old school friends” (that phrase really hits home how old we’ve all become. I’m 22 in less than 3 weeks; I therefore left school 7 years ago. The very thought makes my stomach turn.) I then watched my (not so) guilty pleasure, TOWIE. I’m guaranteed a laugh a minute watching Joey Essex, Arg, Amy and the crew! Thomas the Tank Engine yoghurts – need I say any more? Afterwards I randomly logged into facebook (this is becoming an activity I don’t do as often as I used to, unless I have a witty/interesting status to publish) and that’s when I saw them; comments of condolence. Someone I knew had passed away and had been cruely taken way too quickly from us. It took a while for what I was reading to actually sink it. Although I’m not sure if it actually has yet, as I still can’t believe it as I'm writing this now.

Sometimes it takes something so devastatingly shocking and out of the blue, like the passing of a friend for you to open your eyes. Now, I can only speak for myself, but sometimes life gets a little repetitive and I personally tend to lose interest and just turn off. I merely go with the flow and get into a routine without pushing myself to try different things, go out of my comfort zone and be spontaneous. Instead I do the same old stuff, with the same old people. Kukui Mondays, Klute Thursdays and wherever on a Saturday… you catch my drift. Don’t get me wrong there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, and I’ve had plenty of brilliant nights in both said venues, but there’s a lot to be said for being spontaneous and shaking things up a little. Recently I’ve become very complacent. Ever since leaving uni I feel like I’ve got myself into somewhat of a rut. I want out but I haven’t yet done enough to do so. I’d always admired the way Ben had that get-up-and-go attitude. 23 is too young an age to die, but he really did seize every opportunity and made the most out of it, whatever it was. I on the other hand, like a good moan about how I still don’t own a classic Chanel bag, or how I’m still not working for heat magazine. Yet I don’t save the money to buy the bag, nor do I pester enough to get the job. This needs to change, stat.

I hate to sound cliché, but it's true what they say, life truly is too short. Yes it may well be the longest thing any of us will ever go through, but the time we each have varies. Time is precious, but there’s no guarantee or say on how long we’ll get. Subsequently the worst thing we could do is waste it. Ironically I feel I do this way too often. From now on I’m going to try my best to drop any grudges I’ve once had (I’ve been known to hold a great grudge, trust me!) also I want to be more positive rather than negative, try and focus on what I have instead of wanting more, I need to grab opportunities with both hands and make the best out of whatever life throws at me. But most importantly I don’t ever want to miss the opportunity to appreciate someone again. Thankfully I haven’t had to go through too many deaths in my lifetime, but with the ones I have done I’ve always wished I had the chance to tell that person how much I loved them and how much they had meant to me. Another cliché. So basically if you’re reading this and we’re friends, thank you and I love you. And for all those old friends who I’ve lost contact with, we’ve just drifted apart or maybe we fell out, I thank you all as well, because I’m sure I have a hundred special memories with every single one of you and I hope you’re doing well.

I’ve also realised whilst writing this post that in the year and a half I’ve had my blog I’ve completely underestimated the power of writing one. I’ve never been one to keep a diary. I tried it when I was about 14; I think I lasted 2 weeks, max. Ever since I’ve been envious of those who are able to stick at it, I mean what a lovely thing to be able to look back on and read through all those memories again. Instead, my blog is becoming somewhat of a diary for me. I didn’t realise how useful I find it to write (type) things and feelings down. Soppy and geeky it may be, but it helps.

R.I.P BL, you will be truly missed. Sleep soundly xxx

Brihanna ♥

I've been saying (for several weeks) that it was about time I wrote another blog. I mean it's been sat here all alone, looking all pretty with its new layout but with no new posts to show off. Shameful. Anyway I had a few ideas but never got round to doing them. I knew it would take something really important, really worthwhile and really jaw-droppingly "Oh. My. God. That is frigging amazingly incredibly lush" to break my blog-drought..

Step forward the news last night of a Rihanna and Britney S&M remix. Boom, now that's a blog-worthy topic if ever there was one! Prepare yourselves darlings for what will be an over excited omg-is-this-actually-happening style blog..

Now, as you all well know I love Britney Spears. You should also, by now, be aware that my love for Rihanna is also very strong. However let's start with Britney, this love affair started at a young age. 1999, Year 5, aged 9 to be precise. Dancing and singing around the house with my next door neighbours to Hit Me Baby One More Time in our school uniforms pretending we were Brit was a regular occurence after school. I've bought all her albums and songs ever since, however I upped my fan-game in 2009. I went to see her Circus tour twice. It and she were incredible. The second time around I went VIP and was close enough to see her eyelashes. Life was sweet! Now onto Rihanna. To describe whom I actually only need to use one word: BANGING. ♥

Anyway let me set the scene for you: there I was, around 11pm last night, moping in bed because of my wrist (I fell over when intoxicated and sprained and popped it out of place) so I thought I'd have one last little look on Twitter before I went to sleep, when I saw Rihanna's latest update saying "Its BRITNEY BITCH!!!" Obviously I clicked on it straight away (any mention of Brit and I'm straight on the case) and I read the post before which said "I got a #SEXY collabo comin your way supa dupa soon!!!! OH YEAH!!! By popular demand...." My heart stopped. I quickly headed over to Britney's page to see if she'd said anything and sure enough there was an update "@rihanna You're such a tease! I like it, like it.... -Britney" RIHANNA AND BRITNEY. Oh Sweet Mother of Jesus someone pinch me I must be dreaming. I genuinely thought I'd taken too many ibuprofens and was hallucinating. Thankfully I wasn't. My newsfeed went crazy, there were excited updates galore, a lot of retweeting and obviously Rihanna and Britney become a worldwide trending topic, within minutes! I updated my facebook status (which is only done on special occasions) and sent out a few texts! Normally after such exciting news I would have stayed up waiting to find out some more details, however the painkillers I'd taken for my wrist knocked me out so my excitement would have to wait till tomorrow.

Tomorrow (today) arrived and I was in a reasonable amount of pain, so headed off to A + E. Boooooring. Anyway when I returned home I found that there had been a leak of the S&M remix and so I turned my phone and tv both off and turned the laptop speakers right up. Now, I hate to be obvious, but I freaking LOVED it. And in case you haven't heard it yet, have a listen for yourself below..



It opens with Brit "na na na-ing" and then has the original opening verse by Rihanna and then the chorus. Next up is Britney's verse, my favourite line of which is "If I'm bad, tie my down, shut me up, gag and bound" and after she too sings the chorus. It is just incredible. My two favourite female artists coming together, on one of my favourite songs, I couldn't have asked for much more.. apart from maybe a video. Fingers crossed ay! I have now listened to it well over 30 times and can happily say hand on heart that it is easily my favourite song of 2011.

Stuff the chains and whips, a Rihanna and Britney remix excites me way more!