Birthday Bonanza.......

I'm sure everyone says it, how time flies the older you get, but WHAT a difference four years makes....

We recently celebrated my dads 70th BD and celebrated this momentous occasion by throwing a well deserved party / meal at a lovely boutique hotel in Brighton, remarkably it turned out to be the same hotel me and my husband Oliver got married in four years previously (not too the day, but not too short of it!)

Hotel Du Vin is in Brighton and is situated just down from the Sea Front. It's a beautifully well presented elegant hotel with a a twist of delicate palettes against more bold and traditional styling. It also has a small garden / terrace area which is secluded from the road (& from the veracious winds that are lead down from the sea!) and is decorated with a scattering of small tables and blossoming flowers and plants. It really is an enchanting area, especially when the sun is shinning. https://www.hotelduvin.com/

I have to say that the food was exquisite and totally worth the drive down to Brighton, but in all honesty definitely the best part of it was that we managed to get the whole family (+ more) all together in one room to celebrate this great event and more importantly this fantastic person.

The trouble is that these days everybody is so busy with their owns lives and families that it is getting more and more difficult to arrange and get people together for these important family events, so it was a great #familywin to achieve this. To be honest it's all about planning and having that one 'excel loving' person whom ensures that things are organized well in advance.

For this occasion I decided to rock out some good old fashioned leopard print, it is also something me and my mum often match in on family events so I defiantly didn't want to disappoint on this gathering. The dress I have on is, yes you guessed it, another ASOS bargain and one I often use as 'a go to' item as it's so comfortable and easy to wear. I can team it up with heels / boots / flats or trainers and make it as fancy as I want. For instance I can make it more dressy by teaming it up with big gold or black earrings, skin colored tights and fancy heels. Or for another dimension I can make it slightly more casual with black tights, chunky biker boots and messy hair (I think that's the look I've gone for, although it was very windy so we can kind of blame the weather too!). Basically it's a versatile little No that I like wearing and feel comfortable in, I can also eat loads and not worry about a bursting belly and it meets my love of leopard print perfectly.

My husband on the other hand did wear the same suit jacket he wore on our wedding day, which goes to show some people just don't change, or I don't think men do....In fact I think he looks as dapper now as he did then, & who says a man can't wear pink. I think it's one of the best colours a man can wear. He looks fantastic... 😉

We also took the opportunity to 're-take' some wedding photos that Kathy had fabulously done for us on the big day and it was funny to see the changes that had happened since then. Apart from the lack of a white dress and a 3 piece suit the biggest change was that Charlie had grown so much. When you live with someone and spend time with them on a daily basis you don't always notice the gradual changes of a growing child, but looking at the two photos side by side it is noticeable to say that he has defiantly grown much taller... either that or I am already shrinking!! Which is a sad state of affairs and something I don't want to have to admit just yet, so instead I am just going to say it's because of the lack of two 4 inch heels that I am looking a lot shorter. 😉

Whilst looking longer at the two pictures side by side (aka now & then!) the other thing I also began thinking was, 'WOW I need to change my hair colour'. In fact I'm getting quite envious of the bright red curls and am kind of feeling my blonde waves are maybe a little too.......well normal for me!!! LOL... Maybe I need to have a slight change for the coming winter months, I might eve surprise my husband next time I pop into the salon for my next appointment!! Who knows what I'll re-appear with... 😝

So to sum it all up the food was delicious and the company was without doubt AWESOME as always. So have you had any 'snap' moments, where you've gone back and recreated a photo or special moment?!?!? Feel free to share them too.....

L