Cost Free Things To Do in New York ♡

I traveled to New York back in February and although I was so excited to visit the city for the first time, I was really nervous about how much the trip was going to cost me. It's no secret, and I can confirm now that I've been, that certain parts of New York are soooo expensive. My Auntie and I at one point got a pint and a slice of pizza each...we were $26. 

Although pricey, there are lots of ways to spend time in New York and some of them are completely free! It's all about planning in advance and knowing NOT to fall for the people who try and draw you on the street tricking you into buying tickets for experiences that are actually free.

One money saving tip, although not free, is to take the subway to as many destinations as you can rather than taxis or busses. You'll get to most places twice as fast for  half the price.

Want to see the Statue of Liberty?
Don't pay the ridiculous fees they charge to stand in lines for hours just to get a close up view..unless you really want too.  The trick to getting what I think is a better view of this iconic landmark is to take the Staton Island Ferry. The Ferry is completely free and whilst you enjoy the 20 minute trip across you  see incredible views of the skyline and pass right by Lady Liberty. Another bonus, you  see it again from a different angle on the way back.  Theres even a wee cafe on board to keep you warm with a coffee if your there during winter months.

Visiting the 9/11 Memorial
Something I think everyone should see is the memorial to all those who lost their lives in 9/11 and related terror attacks in this city. The area itself where the two towers stood left me with chills, seeing the endless amounts of names etched onto the memorials broke my heart, but I am so glad I have been there and was able to take in and remeber a huge part of history. There are two parts to the memorial area, the memorial itself and then a museum which takes you through the events and gives you stories about those involved and the day itself. The museum is the only part you have to pay for. You can go to memorial site, like myself, and just wander round reading the names and taking a moment to remember. Please visit if you are in NYC, its an eye opening experience.

DUMBO - Brooklyn

Something I have wanted to tick off my bucket list for so long is to see this amazing view in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Pictures don't even do it justice, the view is breathtaking in real life. Its such a busy little street surrounded by not much else, its crazy how a view can attract people from all over the world. Just standing at he top of the street watching everyone posing, laughing and enjoying themselves is entertainment in itself.  Also, if you walk towards the view at the bottom of the street you reach the viewing point where I took the picture below - stunning.

Friends Apartment Building 

Another thing, if your up for a walk in NYC is finding the Friends apartment building which for any fan is so cool to see in person. Its tucked away, it took us a couple of wrong turns to find it but its worth it. Underneath is a little cafe, although not Central Perk, but is still nice to pop into.

 Central Park

One of the most awesome places Ive visited in my life, Central Park. The bonus is its completely free to have a wander around, we spent six hours walking about seeing lots of different statues and areas of the park, its absolutely bloody massive! What I loved about walking through Central Park is that its miles and miles of green grass, trees and animals with the towering buildings still visible around the outside, it's really quite something to take in.
Be so careful if your wanting a carriage ride or a rickshaw ride. Rickshaws are around $40-50 for an hour but then an additional (ridiculous amount of money) on top of that for every 15-20 minutes. Every rickshaw driver will charge whatever they fancy, its not a set price.

If you do fancy spending a few pennies their are a couple of coffee stops on the way round AND the best thing of all ... a Merry-Go-Round! I turned into a five year old all over again and went on twice! Its a fab surprise to stumble upon in the middle of a park in the middle of NYC.

The Strawberry Fields (named after The Beatles track 'Strawberry Fields Forever') is a memorial place for John Lennon, best known as one fourth of The Beatles. Its not much, but a very peaceful spot to sit in and more than likely listen to someone singing Beatles songs on a loop! If you wanted you can also lay roses and tributes to him on this beautiful memorial. Another cool feature is the Alice In Wonderland statue which is a stunning piece of art to see. This warmed up my Disney heart to no end, it also made me want to read the original books. 

Times Square

Even if you dont go into any of the shops that surround Times Square, just wandering around and taking it all in can pass hours of your day. What an amazing place Times Square is, its one of those places that you see on the big screen so when your there its like stepping into a movie. If your a Disney fan like me, make sure you go for a wander inside the Disney Store on Times Square. Its so magical, totally decorated with Disney magic. Its fabulous!

Taking in all the billboards and signs is quite breathtaking and one thing thats worth doing if your a musical fan is going for a walk and finding all the theatres. Each one is decorated and dressed up for the show its hosting and is awesome to see, especially the likes of Beetlejuice, Waitress and Wicked.

Be warned however that the characters and people busking on Times Square don't take pictures for free, don't let them rope you into spending money you don't want to. The same with people that try and get you to hold a CD, they will then make you pay for it as you have it in your hands. Just be confident, if you don't want them to approach you, walk on with purpose and ignore.

So if you are heading out to New York anytime soon and are feeling a bit like I was regarding money, just know that there are loads of amazing things to do and see that are totally free. I didn't even touch the side of all the things I could have done as I was only there for four days,  I cant wait for an excuse to go back. Hope your all having a lovely day, let me know if your heading to the big apple anytime soon as I would love to hear what you are going to get up too.

Amy x

How was October? ♡

Although we lost a gorgeous doggy member of our family, October had some really amazing moments. Firstly, a little goodbye to the gorgeous Keira. 

Keira only came into my dads life in March and completely brought him out of a dark place and gave him the companionship he so needed. He rescued her after she had been abused as a pup and lived in shelters for around two years before finding a home with my dad. She was a teddy bear at heart and gave so much love out despite the rubbish start she had. 

Thank you Keira for being such a light in our lives even though it was for such a short time. We hope we gave you the best seven months and your now running free up there. 

Love you ♡

Although heartbreak, we had one of the best nights of our lives in October, we decided to host a wee engagement party. I spent about a week clearing out and giving my dads house a makeover and the place looked amazing. I had far too much fun finding decorations and party bits online, eBay is so addictive if you have an event coming up! Ive noticed (as did everyone else at the party) that Ive got a thing for rose gold!

We invited lots of our family and friends to pop in throughout the day to have a catch up and a laugh. We made lots of food, supplied lots of drinks and had the greatest day. It was so magical and  so nice having everyone we love  altogether, it made me so excited for our wedding. 

My gals and their partners stayed until 2am plating beer pong, man I love them! I was having so much fun I didn't take a single picture, thank goodness for Aunties with cameras!

We also celebrated the fact theirs going to be a new member of our tea nights very soon. Come November Laurens going to be a mammy and its crazy! Her family put on such a cute and fun baby shower which included lots of food, games and laughs, absolutely perfect. We are sooooo excited to meet you little one. Also, how bloody glam and gorgeous are my gals?? 

The weather became colder and the days have become shorter but its so beautiful outside at the moment. Im looking forward to being able to wrap up in my coats and jumpers and have an excuse to wear a hat and scarf every time I leave the house. This is my favourite time of year by far. I also graduated in October but you already know that. 

We also did some Kitten sitting for two weeks and looked after the most gorgeous boys, Harris and Tweed. 

Heres to the next month which is going to be full of wedding planning and getting life organised before the mad panic of December! Although, I am so excited about the Christmas songs starting to creep in! Hope you had a lovely October, 

Amy x

Planning a Hen Weekend (Manchester) ♡

Over the past couple of months, myself and five of my gals planned a hen do for one of our girls. Its was so much fun and exciting but at times, really stressful. The stress came from the fact we have never planned one before and didn't know where to start, but now that we know what were doing, its actually such a great experience.

Today I though I would share some tips and tricks on planning a Hen or Stag weekend that is for a close/small group of friends. I will at some point to a post on a bigger group too. Six of us went to Manchester together for a long weekend and had such an amazing time!

Dont Book Straight Away

We tried not to book anything without meeting up and talking it through, so the first thing we did was have a wee group tea night together (without the Hen) and write down all the ideas we came up with. Look into every option, even if you don't like the sound of them at first. We didn't book straight away on impulse, as tempting as that was, which looking back was great because we chopped and changed our ideas so many times. We ended up going with a destination we had originally scrapped the idea of as we found more and more appealing things as time went on. If you'r in a big group keep in mind that you cant keep everybody happy. You are bringing together a group of people from all different walks of life, not everyone will be happy. The most important person is the Hen/Stag. Make sure they are happy and thats all that matters.

Travel & Accomodation

Once finally settling on a destination we then looked into the best way of travelling down that would keep us altogether and be the cheapest option for everyone. Turns out for us this would be flying.  We used SkyScanner which is a great sight for searching all airlines and all flights to and from the destination you chose, on the date you want. Its quick, easy and takes the job of juggling flight times and dates out of your hands. We booked our flight before anything else, purely so they wouldn't go up in price.

Next was accomodation which we took a while to decide on. We tried many diferent sites and ended up booking a hotel apartment through booking.com. It cost us so much less splitting an apartment than getting seperate hotel rooms and it means we could all be together for getting glammed up etc, you know us girls!

Activities

What to do when your let lose in the big city? Some of the things we booked included a Crazy Golf afternoon at Junkyard Golf. The bonus of this place was they serve cocktails so we ended up doing a couple of rounds. Make sure you pick something the Bride or Groom to be will enjoy.  Think about group activities that you might not usually take part in, get something that everyone can get involved in and that will be a laugh, don't be worried about feeling embarrassed or silly, your there to have fun!

 Other things we looked into were Cocktail Making Classes, Chocolate Making Classes, Escape Rooms, Laser Tag, Posh Bowling and so many more.
A great site we used to get ideas was HenWeekends.co.uk which was so easy to use. Simply type in things like destination, how many is in the party, budgets and it gives you endless amounts of ideas and options available where you are headed.

Another simple thing to look for on a weekend away is pubs or clubs that offer the hire of a room or a booth. We did this for the Saturday night which by doing in advance gave us a discount on drinks and a bottle of prosseco on arrival, perfect! It takes the pressure off of going out and not knowing where your going in a city your not familiar with.

Finishing Touchs

The little extras are always the bits that touch my heart the most. Our lovely Hen is a Harry Potter fan so everything we have added has a flash of Harry Potter. In Primark I found a Harry Potter backpack which we have filled with essentials for our Bride for the weekend which she can take home and use even after the hen.

Giving everyone something they can take home as a reminder from the weekend is always a lovely touch, it can be as expensive or as cheap as you want it to be. Matching bracelets are a fun, easy and cheap way of all sporting something representing the Hen Weekend.

ALso, take some decorations with you. Whether its to decorate the rooms your staying in, the place you have your meals booked or for the events you attend. Its great to make it all feel really personal.

Some extras we purchased includes:

Matching T-Shirts (Primark)

Bride to Be and Bride Tribe Robes (Boohoo)

L Plate (Amazon)

Sleeping Masks (Primark)

Personalised Hip Flasks (Amazon)

Matching Bracelets

Badges (Home Bargains)

Hogwarts Acceptance Letter (eBay)

Hen Party Drinking Games

Tips for the Bride Cards (Home Bargains)

Have Everything Organised

Finally, have everything organised in advance so you dont need to worry about anything whilst you are there. Have refernce numbers or tickets and things all kept together and easy to access. Being organised equals no stress and after a few too many proseccos, you dont want to be in a pickle!

Most of all, have the best time. Hen and Stag weekends are a chance to go as easy or as wild as you want, for eveyone to meet one another before the wedding, to let your hair down and enjoy.

Hope you enjoyed this quick post, I plan to write some more based on other hens I have been on AND hopefully I will be writing about my own some time soon!

Have the loveliest day.,

Amy x

I GRADUATED! ♡

'Mum, thank you for inspiring me and convincing me to apply for Uni 💜Although you never got to see me move into my second year you gave me the fire in my belly I needed to stick it out and receive my BA Honours today 👩🏻‍🎓 Love you xx '

Four years of seriously hard work has finally paid off! I officially graduated on Friday with a BAHonours in Child and Youth Studies from the fantastic University of the Highlands and Islands. 

Sorry for boasting a wee bit but I am, for the first time ever, so proud of myself for getting this far. Keeping myself focused and committing to a project so intensely for so long is something I've never before been able to achieve until now.

Thinking back to my first year, stressing over the smallest of assignments seems like so long ago compared to handing in my final dissertation of 10,000+ words in May.

 Aside from the stressful times, sleepless nights and endless amounts of notes and books I've had scattered across the house for the past four years, I can't quite believe its all over.
For anyone who is considering going to College or University, DO IT! Ive developed skills I know will come in so useful over the next couple of years both personally and academically. Ive met new friends, Ive visited new places and its opened doors for me I never knew I could walk through.

Also remember that you have so many options, University isn't for everyone! I attended two different colleges (for two very different subjects) and took a year out before deciding on going to university. Be sure to do what you want, don't try to make others happy, do it for you. It's your future and you are thee most important person in the decisions you make.

Best of luck to all those starting Uni, College, School, new jobs or whatever it may be!

Also, check out https://hannahmariemagic.com to get your own fabulous pair of Mickey ears for whatever occasion, my graduation ones match my Uni colours!

Amy x

I Got Engaged!! (Favourite Wedding Blogs) ♡

Im getting married! Never been happier, never been more excited. I can't believe its actually going to happen, all the dress shops I've looked through the windows of I can finally go in. Venues Ive dreamed of I can go and look at and drool over. Stationary and nick nacks that Ive saved on my instagram archives and Pinterest favourites I can finally start finding. Can you tell I'm buzzing?! 

One of the first things that popped into my head when I started thinking about wedding planning was how much I missed and wanted to share this whole experience on my little blog. So here I am, back from what feels like decades of staying offline and I can't wait to get back to it.

Personally, blogs are a source of inspiration for me and when I first thought about planning my wedding day I went straight to some of my favourite wedding bloggers and spent hours looking through posts old and new. Today I thought I would share some of them with you incase your also looking for some inspiration. 

I got engaged on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon and the first thing I did when I got home was  subscribe monthly to RockNRoll Bride. This blog and magazine has been one of my favourites for so long and to finally be able to read it whilst planning my own wedding is a dream. 

What I also love about this blog is the seasonal wedding ideas, right now if you want an autumnal or even Halloween themed wedding, check out the gorgeous ones being featured, they are absolute goals! If you go onto the shop on the website you can also order some previous issues of the magazine which I have also done. The magazines come with pages and pages of beautiful wedding coverage and also ideas for companies and people you can hire for flowers, dresses, cars and extras. They really cover everything you could possibly need!

Whimsical Wonderland Weddings is one of my FAVOURITE blogs. If you are after inspiration for a magical, fairytale, storybook wedding then this is the blog of your dreams. I would love an outdoor, fairytale festival like wedding and the ideas I have gotten from here have been endless. Im going to have to have five wedding days so I can use them all! (I wish!). 

The Wedding Directory page on this blog is great for anyone planning a wedding right now. There are  loads of different Marquee companies to look at, food and drinks companies, bride and groom fashion retailers. They have listed everything you could ever need and helped me to focus on what the important bits I needed to consider were. 

 Also, you need to check out their Instagram page, I could scroll for hours on end! 

If, like myself, you are a soon to be Scottish Bride or Groom then We Fell In Love is the perfect blog for some inspiration surrounding gorgeous weddings up here with us. Although I dream of escaping away to the stunning Italy or France, I don't think anything can be nicer than getting married here in Scotland.  This blog threw me as I literally wanted every wedding day to be my wedding day! The photos and weddings included in this blog are just stunning and they have an online magazine for even more wedding goodness. 

From weddings with little budgets to those with more, this blog covers every kind of Scottish wedding you could imagine. I have a few places in mind that I want to go and visit regarding our wedding after reading this blog for hours!

Ive been lost on the internet for hours looking through wedding blogs and some of the others I have been loving are:

WeddingSparrow.com

LoveMyDress.net

BohoWeddings.com

BridesUpNorth.com

So. there you go, some of my favourite wedding blogs that you should check out. Ley me know some of your favourites or where you have been getting your inspiration from.

Amy x