It may be a blogger/millennial faux pass to admit, but I didn’t know much about Emma Gannon until recently.

Sure I’d seem people talking about her first book, Ctrl, Alt, Delete: Growing Up Online  but it had never really piqued my interest.  Then I discovered her podcast, and whilst I’m not a dedicated fan I do enjoy dipping in and out of her episodes… cherry picking the ones that sound interesting or feature women I find admiring.

And it was through her podcast I learnt about this book: The Multi-Hyphen Method: Work Less

Create More and Design A Career That Works For You.  Now that my Master’s degree is well and

truly behind me, I’ve been toying with the idea of a side hustle and this book seemed like a great

place to start.

But… this book was neither an introduction to the topic, or even the warm up act. Normally I don’t

like to post negative reviews when it comes to books because even if you don’t like the content you

can appreciate the work that went into creating it. However, this book is disappointing all round.

In Emma’s defence, she has always said The Multi-Hyphen Method is not guide, or a tool kit. Even if the sub-title hints

at it ever so slightly. Instead it can be best described as a brief history of work and thin tales of

Emma’s previous roles, job perks and the odd ‘terrible’ boss.

Giving a brief history of work, work places and possibly some predictions for the future could

have been fine. And there are some places where it is fine. Emma raises some interesting points

and insights into the different industries she’s worked in. It’s interesting to hear about how she

handles her career when most of her family don’t have the experience or knowledge to offer

guidance.

That said… Maybe it’s just a hangover from all of my academic reading, but this book just seems

lacking somehow. Most of Emma’s references come from online magazines such as Refinery29 or

interviews with friends. And whilst love reading Refinery29, I just wished she would have included

some actual studies or research… or anything really.

I really wanted to love this book, to feel motivated by it and inspired. But instead I just felt tricked…

rather than a book, it would best be described as a printed blog, by a blogger that was only

publishing new posts for the sake of publishing new posts.

If you’re interested in work places practise and the history of work, I’d recommend the Eat, Sleep,

Work, Repeat podcast by Twitter’s Bruce Daisley any day.

Maybe I’m just not the target audience. If you’re fresh from school or have yet to enter the world of work then maybe this book could be a starting point. If you’ve started work, or like me been working for a while, I’d suggest giving this book a miss.

If you’re in the market for a new self-help book, this one may be of interest.

Wedding dress shopping can bring a whole host of emotions, who to invite, what to wear and how many places to book into?

Whenever I spoke to people about our wedding, most of the women were amazed I hadn’t started wedding dress shopping yet. Even when the wedding was a whole 18months away. For many brides, it’s the first thing they want to do… but I just wasn’t ready yet.

I can finally say I’ve found my dress though, and here is everything I learnt along the way.

1. Don’t be pressured into going before you’re ready.

As soon as you announce your wedding plans, people will want you to start shopping, but I think the most important thing you can do is wait until you’re ready. Obviously don’t leave it too late (most dresses take between 6-9 months to arrive – and that’s before any alterations can be made) but let yourself be in the right mindset first.

When I was covered in eczema and getting used to my recent weight gain, I knew that whatever I tried on, I wouldn’t feel right in. Treat it like the dreaded jean shopping, only go when you feel good in yourself.

2. Be prepared to get naked.

Ok, maybe not fully naked but you will have lots of strangers seeing you in your underwear. Some websites recommend wearing the type of underwear you are planning to wear on the wedding day but personally I felt a bit shy to be rocking stockings with strangers. Instead I went for knickers that covered everything and I neutral bra – with hindsight I’d recommend a strapless bra if possible.

A lot of wedding dresses have delicate straps, or no straps and a bra can ruin the overall look. Almost every bridal stylist I met suggested I go topless, but being a bit shy I didn’t feel comfortable doing that – so I just tucked the straps down instead.

Talking of stylists, every single one I met acted as though it was completely normal to be squatting with their face at the same level as my crotch, which in turn made it much less awkward. If you don’t feel comfortable with your stylist, find another one, even if it means finding another shop. You are going to get very up close and personal with them.

3. Make more appointments than you think you need.

My sister advised booking in at all of the local bridal shops, so I made appointments that were mostly on the same day/weekend. I didn’t think I would attend them all, because films and TV had me thinking that I would find the right dress in an instant.

Instead I’ve been to four shops, and tried on about forty-ish dresses.

I think my final stylist nearly fainted when she found this out.

At the first and second shops I thought I had cracked it, I had one from each that were ‘top contenders’. In the third shop I had two that I was in love with – or so I thought.

In the week afterwards I was pouring over photos of them to remind myself how they looked, and what I liked about them. Which should have been a sign really.

When I found the one, I felt tingly just putting it on. I saw myself in the mirror, it made it feel so much more real that I was getting married. It was no longer this far-flung plan, but I was about get married, be a wife and all that entailed.

4. Keep An Open Mind, But Not Than Open.

Wedding dresses come in all shapes, styles, colours and fabric. As such it is important to keep an open mind… but, just to totally contradict myself I’d recommend not being totally open minded.

You know what styles or shapes make you feel the best, so keep them in mind. I knew fishtails and bodycon did not suit me, but tried a few on ‘just to see.’ And I was right…. Though I still tried them on in three out of the four shops “just in case.”

Learn from my mistakes… Try on one or two of the ones that are not your usual style to see if you are pleasantly surprised or want to rule them out. If you want to rule them out, don’t feel like you need to try on every reincarnation of them just because they have slightly different lace/beading/colours etc.

5. Who to invite

It should go without saying that you should invite people you feel close to, and want to share this moment with. However I’d recommend only inviting people that will make you feel special and know how to deliver feedback to you in the best way.

In the run up to dress shopping I watched way to many American ‘Say Yes To The Dresses’ where the bride was torn to bits because she didn’t fit “the ideal.” Not only is this wrong on so many levels it’s just not needed. If you have someone you love but clash with or tend to override your opinions, maybe let them miss the first few shopping dates and invite them along once you have a firmer idea of what you want.

Bonus Point: Plan something afterwards.

After an hour or so of prancing around and being told how gorgeous you are coming home can be a bit deflating. Make plans, or decamp to a local bar/coffee shop to discuss all things bridal!

The other day, I had a realisation that knocked me for six.

I first started university almost ten years ago.

Ok, if we’re being picky it’s nine years, but the point is the same. I am getting old. Praise the lord for anti-aging creams.

When I first considered going to university, I was the first person in my immediate family to go. To be honest, I’m fairly sure I actually didn’t know anyone who had been to university. I mean sure, there may have been a friend of a friend or a relative you only see at family occasions, but nobody I knew well had pursued a degree.

As such, I made what I thought was a well-reasoned decision and chose to study English & Creative Writing. I liked creative writing. I liked English and it had been my strongest subject throughout school and college.

It was only after starting the course I learnt some of the negative connotations that surrounds an English degree. Some argue that it’s not worth as much as other subjects (especially compared to any maths/science based.) Almost everyone assumes you’re going to become a teacher. And finally, the general consensus stands that yes, you may have read a few books but really you have no transferable skills.

Trust me, all of that is rubbish.

An English Degree Teaches You To Be Open Minded

Obviously, it depends on the university you attend, but studying English opens you up to different perspectives. You study material from different periods of history, different cultures and different levels of privilege.

Literature doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Often writers are inspired by events, whether current or historical, or make reference to their own society and heritage. Whilst studying English Literature I learnt about renaissance art. I learnt more about the slave trade than I ever did in school. I learnt about atrocities the media has forgotten and how many of our modern problems have actually existing for a long, long time.

Not only does this make English graduates great at pub quizzes, it also means we’re used to looking at things from different angles. When it comes to general knowledge, we are well rounded and have vast references that we can draw on to help our work – whether that’s explaining something to a colleague or writing for a target audience. We’ve been taught to understand the value in different opinions and world views.

English Degrees Force You To Be Critical

English grads are also taught to be critical. Sure, this poem might talk about flowers, but what does it actually mean?

When you study for an English degree you learn not to take things at face value. You start to dig deeper and search for alternative interpretations before making your argument. In business this translates to not mindlessly following directions. English grads ask questions. They dig deeper. Instead of following the crowd, they offer a critical eye which can help drive improvements.

During Your English Degree You Learn To How To Write.

Also, I may be generalising here, but English graduates tend to be good at writing. Most of the people I know that have an English degree are just as happy writing as they are reading – and being able to write well is invaluable in any career.

Whether it’s arranging a meeting with the Big Boss or trying to placate an angry client, being able to communicate clearly and in the correct manner is a skill in itself.

I could summon a thousand other reasons why an English degree is worth pursing, but sadly I have a dissertation to write for my current degree. So instead, I’ll leave you with these parting words: if you enjoy studying English, ignore the pressure to enrol in a ‘proper’ degree.

With any degree course there will be hard times, infuriating times and times where you are 99.9998% sure that it is not worth the heartache. It’s these times that you’ll need to remember the joy that the subject can bring. The things it has taught you and passion it has ignited. In essence, if you enjoy English, don’t be afraid to choose it.

Planning a wedding is exciting, all-consuming…. And if it’s your first time (like me) then it can be a bit overwhelming at the start. Because, to put it bluntly – where the hell do you start?

I began with a frantic Google search, but many of the articles and blog posts suggest drawing up a budget as your starting point. This may work for some people, but I for one had no idea how much things such as the perfect wedding venue, decorations and dresses etc cost. So instead we started with the fun bit, searching for a wedding venue!

Location

One of the first things you need to consider when searching for a wedding venue is how far you’re willing to travel.

Do you want a destination wedding or something more local?

How will your guests get there and if some are travelling in from afar is there accommodation at the venue or nearby?

If your guests like a drink (and who doesn’t at a wedding?) are they going to be able to get a taxi to the venue and how much will it cost them?

Living in a small town, there seems to be a ‘circuit’ of venues near us that everyone either gets married at, or has been to for a wedding. But because we’re awkward buggers, Craig and I decided we wanted to somewhere a bit different and that wasn’t as popular. We wanted the venue to be ‘ours’ rather than following in the footsteps of our friends.

Size

Before you book any viewings you need to decide roughly how many people you want to invite. You don’t need a guest list as such, just a rough figure. This helped us eliminate a lot of places early on in our search for a wedding venue because of minimum number requirements and how many people the rooms would hold.

We tried to find venues that fit our number so that our guests would be comfortable and ‘together’ -able to mingle but not squeezed in like sardines. At the same time, we didn’t want the room to look half empty.

Rule Out Nothing When Booking A Viewing.

Once we figured out an approximate size and travel radius, we sent about googling venues, checking out their social media profiles and booking viewings. We arranged to visit most of them on the same day and our list ranged from stately homes, to modern builds and country pubs. We didn’t really have a type of building because didn’t want to miss out on a hidden gem.

The first we looked at was a Georgian manor with large grounds and multiple bars for the guests. We thought it was nice enough to get an estimate so left our details and moved on to our next appointment.

When we pulled up outside, Craig didn’t even want to go in – compared to the Georgian manor its exterior wasn’t that exciting. In fact, it looked a bit boring in comparison.  However as we’d made an appointment to be shown round we reluctantly headed inside.

I am so glad I did!  The venue instantly felt like ‘us’ and had everything we wanted – multiple areas that all connected so guests could explore without being too spread out and loosing everyone. It also turns out that we’d effectively parked at the back of the ‘wedding’ part of the venue – hence the lack luster entrance!

Although we loved this venue, we went on to view about four or so more venues. I think we both knew we’d already found the place we wanted to get married in, but there felt like a lot of pressure to get the choice right. Chronic overthinker that I am, I was worried about booking somewhere and then going on to regret it.

Some of the other venues we instantly knew were a ‘no’ whilst others were just OK. I think the main piece of advice I can give is listen to your gut and the wedding coordinator. Do you get on with them, and could you work with them for the foreseeable future?

Days

Consider the day you want to get married, even if you don’t have a date in mind, as some venues have minimum numbers and/or additional fees for certain days. We were dead set on a weekend wedding, so factored this in to our plans as we had to get a venue that would accommodate this without being extortionate.

Be prepared for questions!

In almost every venue we visited we were met with questions we hadn’t even considered.

Do you want a civil ceremony or a religious one?

Will you be getting wedding insurance? (Most of the venues we visited insisted on this.)

What month/seasons are you considering?

Are you thinking about a package deal or a DIY wedding?

Booking the venue is one of, (if not the) biggest part of planning your wedding so it can be difficult to choose and be sure you’ve made the right choice. I hope this post has gone some way in helping, because once you’ve booked – things start to feel properly real.

It’s a huge milestone, so make sure you celebrate it like one!