We’re back with another look inside the lives of two incredible TWIPS Members. Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to Elizabeth, who is based in the UK and is the editor of Bridal Musings. In addition to providing all around gorgeous inspiration, Elizabeth is my go to blog for great videos as she has a special section dedicated to them known as the Film Club. She partnered with the lovely Sarah of A Paper Proposal. Sarah’s blog is filled with all things gorgeous and she has a knack for creating the most beautiful inspiration boards. Take it away ladies!

Elizabeth

Sarah

How did you get started in blogging?

Sarah:  Well, before I started A Paper Proposal, I was actually a publicist!  I worked at a PR agency for a few years with hopes that I would get to write, while maintaining a 9-5 job.  It’s much more practical to be a publicist than it is to be a writer here in L.A.!  I thought it was a job that I would grow into, but I never really enjoyed it, so I started dabbling in web design on the side.  My husband suggested that I start a blog in order to get more practice designing, and I was actually terrified of the idea at first!  I put it off until I began working on my wedding invitations, and suddenly, I had a ton of inspiration to share.  I started A Paper Proposal in November, and I actually kept it a secret from everyone for a few months until I felt like it was in a good place.  Then in January, I started to tell more people about it and get into social media, and now, I blog full time!

Elizabeth:  Two years ago, I hadn’t even heard of wedding blogs but as I began my wedding planning, so began my wedding blog obsession and my transformation into a ‘wedding geek’.

Bridal Musings was a tiny, little ‘what if?’ thought in the back of my mind that never would’ve come to fruition if it wasn’t for my husband. I’m actually an early years teacher covered in play-do & paint most days not a glamourous, wedding industry type!

But my husband saw how passionate I was about all things wedding-related and how much I loved being creative in the run up to our wedding day {and beyond} so he encouraged me to go for it. I’m so glad he did because I haven’t looked back since!

{Sarah, how lucky are we to have such supportive, encouraging husbands?!}

What inspires you on a daily basis/how do you keep the inspiration flowing?

Sarah:  When I first started blogging, I drew a lot of inspiration from paper.  I fell in love with stationery while I was looking for my own wedding invitations, and was fascinated by how it could capture what was special about each couple and their wedding day.

Now, I find myself gathering inspiration from lots of places, but it’s the brides that really inspire me.  A couple of months ago, I received the BEST email from a bride whose wedding I had featured.  She told me that I had really “got it,” and that reading my post had actually brought her to tears!  I really try to tell the entire story of each wedding that I feature, and I was so happy that she thought that I had done her day justice.  It is always so cool hearing brides tell me that they followed my blog while planning their weddings, and whenever I receive questions from brides, I almost always turn it into a blog topic.  Any day that I receive an email from a bride is a good day for inspiration, really!

Elizabeth:  Weddings are endlessly inspiring. I love how a wedding reflects each couple, their love, their style and their special little quirks. I covet those unique little touches and details. And, like Sarah, I absolutely love hearing from brides and relish the chance to help them with inspiration and ideas!

I’m always so inspired by beautiful, thought provoking photography, cinematography and imagery. From epic films to fashion illustrations, beauty editorials to vintage family wedding photos. I feel blessed to be surrounded by so much love, beauty and creativity on a daily basis. I find it incredible that one single image can inspire so many ideas.

In fact, I often have so many ideas buzzing around my head that it’s difficult to see the inspiration through to a cohesive blog post! I have a graveyard of lists, bullet points and unfinished blog posts on my computer. I’m like a magpie drawn to some other pretty thing before I finish the first. If I’m ever feeling uninspired I’ll try to tackle that graveyard!

{I wonder if any other TWIPS have the same issue?}

One thing we don’t know about you?

Sarah:  Hmmm, well, my fall-back answer to this question (meaning, how I always answered it on the first day of school), is that I’m technically 50% deaf.  Most people don’t notice it, so sharing this tidbit almost always gave way toa little bit of surprise among my classmates (friends, even!).

Since you technically can’t be all that surprised by that though, I’ll give a more interesting answer and say that I REALLY love animals.  When I watch movies, I care more about what happens to the dog that is in exactly TWO scenes than the main human characters, and I will literally cry just out of fear of something happening to the poor thing.  I grew up with a ton of animals (and no, I’ve never lived on a farm) – 14 cats, 2 dogs, 4 turtles, a couple birds, fish, frogs and rabbits.  I have two kitties right now, Felix and Laney (although I’m dying for dogs, too, once we get a bigger place), and I call them my Halloween kitties because Felix is orange and Laney is black!

The Halloween Kitties

Elizabeth:  That really is a surprise, Sarah! It’s great to know that your hearing impairment doesn’t affect your life negatively. I’m an animal lover too {I dreamed of being a wildlife show presenter as a little girl} but I don’t think I could cope with that many animals!

Sarah:  Ha, me neither!  Or, I would end up trying to take the animals home with me all the time!  I just can’t resist ‘em!

Elizabeth:  Another random fact about me…

I can only type with one hand. I never mastered the art of typing properly with both hands. At school I’d slowly tap tap tap at each key with my index finger but after 4 years of essay writing at uni and 3 years of typing up lesson plans I’ve developed this weird one handed system whereby I stretch my fingers out reeeeaally far like a piano player! But at least my left hand is free for tea drinking!

OK, we’ve all been there. Akin to writer’s block, what do you do to get past a creative/blogger’s block?

Sarah:  I step away from it.  I’ve always loved writing, but I have many days when I’m just not feeling it.  I find that if I step away from my computer for at least a couple of hours – watch TV, read, work out – then I’ll be good by the time I decide to start again.  I’ve been going to the beach a lot lately, too, now that the weather is warmer! 

Elizabeth:  I take our adorable little dog, Rufus, for a walk to clear my head and get some fresh air.

I also like to put pen to paper. I brainstorm, write potential titles for blog posts, doodle or even just write silly things like ‘I can’t think of anything to write…’ Sometimes the act of writing, actually physically forming the words as opposed to typing can get those creative juices flowing again!

How do you take your tea (or coffee)?

Elizabeth:  I’m from England, where we take our tea very seriously so it has to be Earl Grey tea, with a splash of milk ~ but not too much. My Arabic husband has also introduced me to the delights of mint leaf tea with a spoonful of sugar. Yum.

Sarah:  How cool, I didn’t know you were from England!  As much as I’ve tried to love tea because I know it’s good for me, I’ll always be more of a coffee girl.  We got one of those Keurig one cup coffee makers as a shower gift last year, and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since!  I can only drink coffee in the mornings though, and I always add lots of milk or a little of that good ‘ol, full fat vanilla Coffeemate!

How has the online/social community changed your life?

Elizabeth:  It’s been so great to chat with like-minded, creative people who love weddings as much as I do and even better when I have the opportunity to meet them offline too! I’m so pleased that I joined TWIPS as it’s introduced me to some really inspiring people, some of whom have been so supportive, friendly and encouraging. I always learn so much from the professional discussions on the Facebook page too!

Also, another way it’s changed my life is that I’m dangerously addicted to Twitter and a few pounds heavier as I spend far too much time on my laptop!

Sarah:  Haha, I definitely know the feeling!  Whenever I leave my computer in the middle of a work day to go run an errand or something, I always feel the tiniest bit guilty!  Argh!

It’s actually kind of funny, because before I started blogging, I was sort of inept at the whole social media thing.  I could handle Facebook, but Twitter?  Forget it.  When I first started A Paper Proposal, I actually put off joining Twitter because I was so intimidated by it.  Then one day, I noticed that another wedding blog had “#FF” me and I didn’t even have an account to follow!  At that point, I got over my fear of Twitter and just made an account.  When I first started tweeting, the support that I received from the blogging community really made me feel more confident.  Unlike Facebook, Twitter eventually allowed me to engage with other people, and I could build relationships that I never would have otherwise.  I joined the TWIPS community not soon after, and the amount of encouragement that I have received from other wedding professionals and bloggers has been absolutely incredible!

What are some of your dream travel destination{s}?

Elizabeth:  I’ve always wanted to go to Havana, Cuba for the dancing! Marrakesh for the buzz of the markets and New Zealand for the incredible views and tranquility.

Sarah:  Ha, I think the better question for me is where don’t I want to go!  I did some traveling through Europe several years ago, but I would LOVE to go back to Italy and the Greek islands, my favorite spots in the world; hands down.   I’d also like to see the UK, Spain and Ireland the next time I’m over that way.  I’d love to do a safari in Africa, and a second honeymoon in Fiji one of these days.  Oh!  I’m dying to go to Australia, as well.  A close friend of mine lives there, and I keep promising her that I’ll visit!  See?  I could go on and on…

Where do you write your blog?

Sarah:  As much as I love to work on my laptop from my couch, I usually force myself to sit at my desktop for at least a few hours each day.   I feel like I move faster on the larger computer, and I am definitely less prone to distractions at my desk.  I’m in the process of making my work area a comfier place for me now, too!  I used to sit in front of a computer in an office every day, and the last thing I wanted to do was get on the computer again once I came home.   For that reason, I hardly ever used our office area and it was basically my husband’s space.  Once I began working from home though, I took it over and have been slowly making it prettier!  It’s no “girl cave” yet, but maybe someday! 

Elizabeth:  At our living room/dining room table overlooking our little shared garden/brick wall or at this charming, local coffee shop with stacks of books everywhere and the comfiest seats. One day I hope to have my own pretty little office space with a huge corkboard so I can pin a bunch of beautiful images, motivational words and lovely stuff to inspire my writing.

What one item of make-up could you not live without?

Elizabeth:  Black eyeliner {& mascara} ~ I wear 60s eyeliner flicks nearly everyday. Love that look!

Sarah:  Me too!  I can never seem to do them right on me though!

I’m not sure if this counts as make-up technically, but I would say nail polish.  I almost always have my nails painted – whenever I get a manicure, I feel better about life instantly!  J  That, and I have a terrible habit of biting my cuticles, and I never seem to bite them when my nails are actually done because I don’t want to mess them up!

If you were blogging your own wedding, what would the title be?

Elizabeth:  Romance and Roses: A Blush Pink Wedding Full of Lace, Love and Laughter {I’m so cheesy!}

Sarah:  Aw, I love it! So cute!

Hmmm…When I look back on my (destination) wedding, I think about how much fun we all had celebrating together, above all else.  I would probably go the opposite direction and call mine something funny like “What Happens in Mexico…” 

Feature image via Sweet Dream Events.

Sarah is the editor of The Paper Proposal, a wedding blog filled with gorgeous inspiration for both the modern and the vintage bride. Elizabeth is the editor of Bridal Musings, a wedding blog dedicated to beautiful weddings, excellent advice, and wedding cinematography.