Fancy Winning a Beach or Snow Holiday with Cosmos Holidays? Stupid Question!

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Given I’ll have all the dramas and stresses of a newborn this summer, we’re holding off on our holiday this year and will getaway during the Christmas period instead. It means delaying my dream holiday until 2015 as I’m thinking Lake Como will be a bit chilly in December! But it doesn’t stop me dreaming of those beautiful villages, the sun glistening off the lake and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Richard Branson. George Clooney and Madonna (they own luxury villas there, don’t you know!).

Despite the fact that I’ve only ever driven through it, and Craig has never been, Lake Como is one of the places I have earmarked for our wedding. Even from inside the cramped confines of a Vauxhall Vectra way back in 2008 I knew it was a special place. Surrounded by breathtaking mountains and peppered with tiny pretty villages that hug the shoreline it’s the perfect backdrop for our nuptials.

Lake como 7 Fancy Winning a Beach or Snow Holiday with Cosmos Holidays? Stupid Question!

Image Source: http://www.futureleadersfortheworld.com/lak-como/

It’s also famed for its welcoming residents, dozens of charming piazzas and its late-night dining culture. It’s true to say that the simple pasta dishes we cook at home never taste as good as those prepared in Italy. Toss in child-friendly pizzas and some of the finest seafood and meat selection in the world and the Italians have unequivocal bragging rights over their food. Of course it’s also the birthplace of Prosecco and Limoncello but that has absolutely nothing to do with my love for the place, nothing at all… okay maybe just a smidgen.

Even more attractive is the short flight time to Milano Malpensa and the 30 minute drive to the lake. When you have little people coming with you, short travel times are never to be taken for granted. Once there, there are tons of short day-tips by ferry or the cute Trombetta Express to explore the lake, and you can even hop across to Switzerland in around 45 minutes if you’re feeling adventurous. girl rose petals Fancy Winning a Beach or Snow Holiday with Cosmos Holidays? Stupid Question!

Image source: http://www.thelakecomoweddingplanner.com/

When it comes to weddings there are score of companies who specialise in wedding planning in and around the region, and my scrapbook is overflowing with pictures from magazines, websites and other people’s blogs. There’s an overwhelming choice of venues including lakeside villas, impressive grand hotels, and beach restaurants, and all boast stunning vistas that can’t help but upstage the bride. That’s perfectly fine with me as I’m no Angelina Jolie and no amount of hair and make-up will get me even remotely close when I become a mum of two in April.

Oooo enough from me - I’m probably making you all miserable as you’re sat at your desks drowning in work emails, that or you’re still feeling the pinch from Christmas and watching your own holiday aspirations sail away amidst a fog of food bills and water rate increases. You probably started reading this blog post in the first place to see how you could win a holiday, not read holiday pornography from me! Well it’s the Cosmos Holidays Facebook page you’ll be wanting! Just hit like, take their easy quiz to find out if you have a ‘Snow or Go’ personality and you could win a ski holiday in Austria or a beach holiday in Sharm el Sheikh! Easy as that! Or, if I’ve whetted your appetite for Lake Como, Cosmos Holidays have some fabulous deals for there too. Good luck guys.


Summer Holiday’s and Wedding Venue Hunting!

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c3397a936d8b9e06ac9a82fb19fe3805 Summer Holidays and Wedding Venue Hunting!

I haven’t even got a ring on my finger yet I’m constantly dreaming up places to get married. It’s not that Craig hasn’t proposed (he did this within the first few months of us getting together) - I just haven’t found my dream ring yet. I want something unique, and a bit of history so am holding out for something I’ll truly cherish. I’m not being lazy about it though! It is really important to me though as I hate not having the same surname as Dexter. I already call myself Gemma Mills even though I’m technically still a Chamberlain.

Ring or not, I’m on the wedding venue hunt!

As a girl I dreamt of getting married in a church then celebrating in a beautiful stately home - but given I’m not religious (and Craig has a mortal fear of anything vaguely God-related - long story) Craig and I have often spoken about getting married abroad. I’ve fallen in love with the idea and I’m now border-line obsessive about it.

I’m open to the idea of a beach wedding, or a garden wedding but we want somewhere warm, sunny and beautiful that can double up as a holiday for our friends and family. Problem? We have NO idea where this might be. As we’re not in any great rush (I have to keep reminding myself this) we’ve decided that all our summer holiday’s will be scouting missions to find idyllic places that we can forge an emotional attachment to.

1030 Summer Holidays and Wedding Venue Hunting!

I don’t tend to get as involved as I should do with holiday planning. Craig’s a bit of a research fanatic (he spent months reading reviews of tv’s before we bought ours) and seems to enjoy this side of things. He spends hours trawling websites to find the perfect place and I have to admit he’s pretty amazing at it - so far our holidays have been really epic. He’s currently looking at Lake Como, Puerto Pollensa or one of the Greek Island’s for this years adventure. I have to admit, I can’t wait. We could really use a break after such a disastrous start to the year.

My part in holiday planning is shopping for clothes for the family and all the travel essentials. With my wardrobe looking decidedly tired (and sadly much of it is now too small - but less said about that the better!) I’ve been looking for affordable and pretty dresses for the beach. I could welcome in the sun with a Zalando summer dress! I picked out my favourites below, let me know what you think. There’s a style for every body shape and so many bright and vibrant colours. Let’s face it, I have to look stunning everyday so Craig will get as excited about marrying me as I am him!

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I must admit it’s hard dressing for my shape at the moment. Since having Dexter I have new lumps and bumps that don’t seem to be in a rush to iron themselves out. According to She Know’s Beauty & Style advice on dressing for your shape, I’m a cross between a pear and an apple - now there’s a sobering thought!

Has anyone else had a wedding abroad? If so, let me know whereabouts - we’ll add it to our never-ending list of places to check out!

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