TK Maxx and anna and the ring have a competition for you!

Good morning lovelies.

I have a lovely little competition for you on this fine morn.

The lovely people of TK Maxx have just opened a great little wedding boutique. Even more excitingly they have offered me (and thus you!) the chance to win a £100 gift voucher. Huzzah!

I'm not going to lie. TK Maxx has been my shopping destination on more than one occasion. Indeed the Bean bought the ties for our delicious gentlemen ushers from the Charing Cross Road branch - he recommends it muchly! Yes my husband is always one for actual fashion at 60% off!

Just a quick browse of the wedding dress boutique has made me a little excited for the eventual winner of this prize. Little bit jealous I can't keep the gift card to myself!

From size 4 - 18 there will be something for nearly everyone.

Hello pretty dresses. 

I rather love this one shouldered number for £59.99

Or how about this Claire Pettibone-esque slinky number for £39.99. I'm almost tempted to buy myself one of these myself. The delicious colour and imagine how sexy you would feel with a delicious befeathered cape, dripping in diamonds. Perfection.

 Or perhaps you are set with your dress and are looking for something for your best ladies. So how about looking in the bridesmaid's section.

From the rather formal and traditional deep blue dress which looks perfect for a fabulous evening for just £39.99.

Or how about this exquisite Alberta Ferretti (actual Alberta Ferretti). Just how awesomely chic would your best lady look in number. Perfect for a summer city wedding or perhaps dressed up with crazy opaque tights. I'm thinking fuchsia - obviously. Hello lover!

Don't forget to check out the wedding shoe section and the extra special Mother of the Bride section. There is actual Lanvin gracing those pages. Seriously who knew some of the prettiest dresses came to TK Maxx!

So what do you need to do?

Well barely anything!

Just leave me a comment here and say you would like to win. (Yes that simple!)

If however you would like to increase your odds you can perhaps tweet the competition - "yes I would like to win the @TKMaxx_UK competition on @annaandthering. Whoop!"

Or perhaps like my facebook page here and leave a comment.

Or if you are feeling particularly verbose you can write me an email! The email as ever is annaandtheringlondon {at} gmail.com

Each extra way of entering will earn you another entry to the draw. Double Whoop!

The requisite T&Cs!
1. The winner must be happy for their name and address to be given to TKMaxx for the distribution of the prize.
2. You must be happy for me to publicly announce you as the winner.
3. If you have not emailed me 2 weeks after the announcement of the competition I will redraw and the prize will be offered to someone else (and so on until the prize is claimed).
4. The prize is not transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash.
5. The judges decision (ie. my decision) is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
6. The competition will run from right now until Sunday 5th February at midnight (GMT).
7. Please note apart from the winner your names will not be passed onto a third party.
8. Prize can only be redeemed in the UK.

GOOD LUCK my pretties. Remember the gift card can be used in-store or online on any item so everyone can benefit from this little competition!

30 rocks? Come have some fun with me.

And so I have moved! Wunderbar.

Huzzah - those that know me very well will know how much a relief this is. For those that don't (yet!) I can't begin to explain how I feel. Even being surrounded by boxes and chaos I am already the happiest I've been for a while. Anna is going all the way to the top! (Perhaps!)

And so here is my little present for you. I am turning 30 very soon and I will soon be (finally) revealing my new blog. Double huzzah.

So would you like to join me for an unstuffy and unpretentious evening of giggles with a side of deep conversation, perhaps a little dancing and perhaps a few more drinks, followed swiftly by some debauchery? I would love to see you and reveal what I've been wittering on about for the past few months!

Thank you Golden Apple Designs for your awesomeness!

Eeeeek!

Are you in?

Everyone is invited, all you need to do is bring me a fabulous present and you're in.

Ha - not really - although I certainly would not be so rude as to turn down a prettily wrapped trinket!

 So whether you be a bride, groom, old married (like me), newlywed, blogger, supplier, random onlooker or general blurker. I want to build a community and without you, it's just me! 

Here are the delicious details!

Date ~ 11th February

Venue ~ The (new) London Cocktail Club on Shaftsbury Avenue

Their cocktails are lethally delicious. I think those who came to the Ring Bash will agree!

Time ~ 6pm 'til late 

Dress ~ Dress for hugs

RSVP to annaandtheringlondon{at}gmail.com please.

So what are you waiting for? Don't be shy - I'm crazy nice and want to say hello.

Come, come, come and let's be awesome together!

Thank you wonderful Leah of Golden Apple Designs for my sweet invite. I love her work! So when I said something ribbony and got this back (with chevrons!) I was one happy lady! Oh yes 30 - I'm coming to get you!

anna and Martha Stewart Weddings!

Just a quick note because despite having no internet I cannot stop thinking about the fun I had last week before all this week turned into mayhem! Please darling Bean, let your mobile hotspot work!

Last Friday I had the privilege of being invited by Niermerko weddings to the Dorchester to meet the wonderful Darcy Miller of the Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine! Excited does not cover it!

I wish I had actual internet so I could flood these pages with the amazing photographs from the afternoon of heaven. Alas I am moving house tomorrow and the router is nowhere to be found! So please follow this link to Martha Stewart Weddings to see for yourself!

Meeting Darcy Miller which was just sublime - she really knows weddings. There are no words to describe her. (Although if I could find them they would all be good!)

My personal highlight? Too many. Finally meeting people I have longed to meet for so long. The incredible talent in the Pavillion in the penthouse was palpable. Literally. These people ooze style and creativity. It was so inspiring to be talking to such stalwarts of the wedding industry. The most special dress designers - David Fielden (a fascinating chap to speak with after I stopped being quite so start struck!) and Ritva Westenius with the indefatigable Chenca - to name but two. I could go on but that would just make you insanely jealous and you may never want to speak to me again!

From epic photographers to calligraphers. I was in creative heaven discussing beautiful weddings but perhaps more importantly finding out that these amazing suppliers want to be part of the discourse of weddings. They are more than just creatives - they are in love with their brides and actually care. It was eye opening. The big names do care. Refreshing to hear that, no?

I cannot wait to show you some of the things we discussed - soon my pretties, soon. Let me get a new home and internet and I will be there!

Oh and to see the lovely blogging set - they make me smile muchly - who have a few more words to say too!

OMG I'm Getting Married

Rock and Roll Bride

Rock my Wedding

I can only hope there are a few more events like this in my future. Thank you so much for inviting me Mark. You certainly know how to throw a delicious afternoon tea with that little extra sparkle!

Happy New Year

For those who know me very very well (hmm perhaps just Bean then) this will seem like a very Anna post. However to the rest of you it may seem a little odd, a touch strange or perhaps actually spot on?

This year. Well I don't have a lovely countdown of the months like others. This year has been not great, not good, not even really fine. I was hoping to give you a rundown of my epic holidays but then realised it might be a tad dull. Shall I have a go anyway?

Big Scary Meeting - happened and was good. Hope abounds.

Bean is silly and sits in room with no phone signal - I have to wait outside for 90 mins.

"We" (ie Bean) drive to Durham - we get drunk with 2 brother watching Star Wars on video.

More drinking with poker - Bean wins all the money after 10 hands. He does weird poker voodoo.

We watch Die Hard and turn every happening into something Christmassy - thus we drink.

The nephews arrive with their illnesses - we avoid illness.

People go to midnight mass - I am a little tipsy and write long emails to people I care about - reading them back a few days later reminds me that I should not drink and type. Oh I agree with the sentiment but oh gosh some of the emails were cripplingly embarrassing!  

It's Christmas - I cry a little because everyone is happy and I am mourning the loss of my happiness. Bean buys me lovely presents and I cry more because he is too nice.

Boxing Day brings illness to the Bean household.

Because of all the illness the lovely Bean has to drive his big brother, Grumpole, to the RAF base almost 5 hours away so he can go to Afghanistan tomorrow. 

Grumpole is now in Afghanistan - do we listen more to news from there or not?

We go to the outside - it is windy. This should serve as a reminder not to wear a cape when it is windy because said cape will fly over one's head and impede vision when trying to get into a car and thus you will bang your head and think you have given yourself a extradural haematoma. 

I get back to the Bean home and start shivering - this is a bad sign.

I get into bed and do not leave for 2 days.

On day 9, we travel home and get back into another bed.

On day 10, today, I should have been going to an exciting place with Bean and lovely people but I can barely hold my head up without support so I will miss the fun times. (Will you have fun times for me?)

Yet there is hope. Life hurts right now but there is a little light at the end of the tunnel. I have my new mantra.

Whilst watching the video doesn't make me giggle insanely like it used to - thinking about the video really does. Indeed even whilst in my confused stupor on my travels yesterday the rain and cars made me think of said bus and giggle muchly.

What I think I'm trying to say (albeit in a confused and verbose way) is that I need to be more forceful next year. I need to strive for more. I will be happier and more fulfilled. There will be a new website which you will love and tell everyone you know about and there will be joy.

In other words, I, anna and the ring, resolve to,

"Be The Bus"

So until next year - and there may a little wait until there are new posts (but there are many awesome posts in the past) - take care of yourselves and each other. I miss you rather too much but I will be back soon with many words and hope.

Next year will be better.

All my love, because you make me want to love,

Anna x

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Now we may be quite secular here on anna and the ring and I may be almost an atheist (assuming one can be almost an atheist) but I do like to wish delightful people like yourselves a Merry Christmas. I hope you get to spend a few days with the people you truly love. I certainly am!

I am looking forward to sporting this face when I open something as magical from Bean. (Although looking at the present shaped parcels it doesn't look like I'm getting another globe).

also as we have now traveled to the North Lands - I have scarves and mittens and many thick socks. There may be some amount of drinking, Star Wars and poker with my lovely brothers. I love my family.

and perhaps a little snow?

What are you doing over the next couple of weeks?

I cannot wait for my little moving house trauma to be over so I can unveil the joy that is coming so very very soon!! Eeekables!

So one and all,

Happy Primary Gift-Giving Period - enjoy your Bank Holidays!

It's me on Rock My Wedding (sort of)

When the lovely Andri asked me to help her on a photoshoot I didn't really know what to expect.  I've been part of them before but not really as crew.

So here are the lovely images. Refreshing to be part of a modern take of a wedding. I wouldn't say it was a new take but I know the style is something people are crying out for because there is such a dearth of modern inspiration out there right now. You can't all be shabby chic fans - I've been to your homes (not in the scary way) and have seen you don't all have typewriters or mismatching china (not a criticism if you want to have mismatched china and typewriters but do think about this post too!)

Sergius Bruce Photography

Well you know how much I love carnations. Oh the joy that I got to take a couple of those carnation monsters home. Thank you fabulous Wild-About Flowers. They lasted for weeks!

30 rocks? Are you free to have some fun?

Oh the perils of a birthday near Valentines Day and now important wedding weekends.

Years of no fun on my birthday because Bean was far away and everyone else was all loved up and snuggled with their significant other. Yikes - I am good at the woe is me!

So I am turning 30* in the very near future. Hello February and I have to admit (although I guess it is probably quite obvious) that I am not really one to celebrate my birthday.

However - woe is more is no more!

So I've decided to relish in the community I have here on anna and the ring and allow myself some fun on my birthday - do you think you might come and join me?

Emma Lucy Photography

Me in a slightly sparkly dress at the Ring Bash.

(Oh look who be there in the background!!)

So are you free on 11th February for a little fun in London too celebrate my 30th (eek) birthday?

There will hopefully be a little (umm huge!) announcement from me on the night!

How I miss writing and being here. Things are changing and I cannot wait to show you!

I know for some of you London is far away but come on it's for me, and you know, well you do say far too often, I'm lovely!

*Yikes - time has marched on and my little list seems longer than ever.