Well HI there! It’s been a LONG time (possibly years?!) since I wrote a ‘life lately’ post.
It’s funny to think that when I started The Elgin Avenue, every day was a ‘life lately’ post of sorts.
That ‘immediate update’ style was one I used to enjoy so much (I could write for dayssss) but then that type of post was replaced by Instagram, and then Instagram Stories.
Still, here I am coming full circle!
I thought it would be fun to write a casual ‘grab a glass of wine’ type post, and natter away a bit. Lots has been going on recently, and I wanted to loop you in!
Here’s what’s been going on in my life lately . . .
A Wedding Update!
I realised that I never did an ‘announcement post’ here on the blog about the fact that Oli and I got engaged last May. So in case the news is new here, Oli and I are getting married, whoop!
I’m trying to rope Oli into doing a couple’s shoot together so that I can show his handsome face around here a bit more! Ha! So hopefully I’ll get to share our full engagement story sometime soon.
Anyhu, I posted an announcement photo to Instagram at the time and we were completely overwhelmed by the swell of love. Thank you if you were one of the lovely people who commented!
Here’s a bit about our wedding planning process so far . . .
We are getting married in Menorca! The island is so special to us both, we’ve been visiting every year since we got together and it was on a tiny deserted cove on the island that Oli proposed.
Menorca is magical, and we can’t wait to share the island with our guests!
We are tying the knot in September this year, which will hopefully be a beautifully balmy month in Menorca.
We’ve sorted about 60% of the details for the day, and met with lots of suppliers when we visited the island last week. We still have things to confirm, but it feels like it’s coming together.
I’ve chosen my dress! Actually I chose it a while ago, and it was a super simple process. I saw it online, tried it on in person, and immediately loved it. My Mum agreed and so we just said a big “yes” then and there.
I’ve chosen my bridesmaid dresses! Again, as soon as I saw the dresses I knew that they were perfect for my bridesmaids. We had an appointment a couple of weekends ago, and it was SO lovely to see them in the dresses! I got more emotional then, than when I saw my own dress!
And I *think* that’s all of our wedding news so far! Let me know if there’s anything else you’re curious about ????
I’m Wearing
Dress: Phase Eight c/o (LOVE this colour and fit!) | Heels: L.K. Bennett (Past season, pretty gold version here)
What’s new with the flat?
Oli and I moved into our flat a little over a year ago, and after a flurry of activity when we first moved in things quietened down for a bit.
Things are ramping up again now as I’m starting work on my home office/our guest bedroom.
For the past twelve months I’ve simply closed the door on our second bedroom, put a mirror in front of it, and studiously ignored EVERYTHING behind it. This tactic sort-of worked, in so far as I could pretend like there wasn’t something I needed to deal with behind the door. Ha! The mirror-in-front-of-door ‘trick’ became a running joke in our family!
I don’t think I was fooling anyone . . . ????????♀️
The time has come to tackle the room, and I am SO excited. I have a new sofa bed arriving this week, and I’m in search of inspiration on Instagram and Pinterest on the daily.
I’m still piecing it altogether.
On that note I’m a bit lost on the storage front, so if you have any tips for good space-saving storage I am ALL ears.
Work Work Work
Since the latter half of last year I’ve been really into my work (it’s been SO much fun!), and I’ve loved running this little corner of the internet.
I don’t take seasons of inspiration, or a good work flow, for granted. I’ve also experienced the exact opposite in seasons gone by! Any time you feel ‘stuck’ is rubbish.
Attending Illume Retreat last April really helped me to correct my path during a big season of doubt, and since then I’ve been working on content which truly feels aligned for me. At first it was hard, but once I dug into the things that I really care about, and stopped worrying so much about what other people may say, I found myself enjoying everything so much more!
You can read more about my experience at Illume Retreat here.
ALSO, I truly feel like I’m working with my dream clients RN. I keep having to take a moment to just be like “um, this is GREAT”.
On the podcast front . . .
Ella and I are currently in the swing of Season 7 of the podcast. We worked so hard on this season, and we have so many episodes I’m excited for you to listen to! You can catch up here if you’d like to listen, or search for ‘Let’s Discuss Podcast’ wherever you listen to your shows.
Coming up for next year . . .
It is VERY early days yet, but I’m planning a site redesign for next year, and with it a slight shift in direction. I am soooooo excited for this new chapter, and it feels like it’ll hit the perfect time since I’ll be turning 30/newly married.
I’m sure I’ll be nattering on about that a lot more over the coming months, but just to keep you in the loop, that’s where my head it at right now.
Oh and Big Small Business!
Laura and I have an event coming up in Winchester soon as part of Winchester Fashion Week. It’s a talk on leveraging social media as a small business, if you’d like to come you can do so for free! Just sign up to let us know you’re coming as there are limited seats.
Overall
As I shared before, my word of the year is ‘fulfilment’.
I’m practising this intention every day, and so far I’ve LOVED it.
I feel like it’s helped me to be more present, and focused on life ‘as a whole’, rather than getting caught up in details.
This is a good season, and I’m just happy to be here!
What’s Your Take?
Well, that was fun!
How is your year shaping up so far? Do you enjoy a chattier blog post style?!
Love, Monica x
Photography by Charlotte Bryer-Ash
P.S. for regular life updates you can sign up to my weekly newsletter – Croissant Reading ❤️
