Where to find the best wedding umbrellas

As an autumn 2025 bride, one thing I'm *slightly* concerned about is the weather - will it rain or will we get lucky? I'm so excited to be having a gorgeous autumnal wedding, and I honestly don't think it matters in the UK what date you choose; the threat of showers is always there. We got engaged in the middle of July and it rained aaalllll day!

With that in mind, a wedding umbrella seems like the perfect accessory - and one that could easily be overlooked. I've had a look across the internet, and found some really lovely white umbrellas (and wedding adjacent-styles) that could be simply perfect for a rainy wedding day...

This first one is white with a blue floral design, and I think this would be perfect if you're having any sort of blue within your wedding colour scheme - and it feels very spring showers too, so for those spring 2026 brides it might be ideal. This one is by L-Lei and it's under £20 too. Shop white & blue floral umbrella

I love this transparent Just Married umbrella from Debenhams - it's a dome, and the see-through nature of it makes it great for rainy photos as you'll be covered but your photographer could still get some great shots of you and your husband or wife through the umbrella. It looks nice and big, and it's only £13 which is a bargain. Shop transparent Just Married umbrella

Next up is a basic white bridal umbrella with a cute frill - this one is only £9.99 which is a scandalously low price, and I really love it. This is the one I personally am considering ordering just in case of a rainy wedding day! You can get a 5 pack too, working out at around £7.60 per umbrella, which might be really fun for bridesmaids and could make for some fantastic photos of you all. Shop basic white bridal umbrella

Another frilly white umbrella but this time with a bit more wow factor thanks to the multiple layers of ruffles - I love this one too, which is from Jollybrolly's wedding umbrella range and comes in a few different colours like beige and pink. Jollybrolly have loads of different wedding umbrellas like pagoda-style ones, and various levels of 'frill'. They're more expensive, with this particular style bridal umbrella being £29.95, but it's a special occasion so why not? Shop Jollybrolly triple frilled umbrella

Last but not last is another white floral umbrella, perfect for a rainy day wedding; this is also a compact, foldable umbrella meaning it's ideal in terms of transporting to and from your venue, and having easily to hand if the rain comes as a surprise on the day. The flower pattern is so cute, too! At a mere £7.59 you just cannot go wrong. Shop compact floral wedding umbrella

A slightly different post from me today, but I was hoping to do a lot more wedding related content - life has been hectic, though! Planning a wedding while working full time, battling a chronic illness and also trying to lose weight for said wedding has been *a lot* but with less than 2 months to go I'm SUPER excited. Leave me any wedding day tips in the comments below!

Read next: 8 books to get you in the mood for your wedding

July 2025 reading round up

July was an incredibly busy month, but also wound up being a really good reading month. As usual, there's a good mix of ARCs, thrillers, romance novels and more - so without further ado, here's everything I read in July 2025 with my quickfire reviews and ratings...

The Writer's Retreat by Samantha Verant

This was an ARC via NetGalley, and honestly I didn't enjoy it whatsoever. I had high hopes as the premise - a murder goes down at a writing retreat with a cult aspect to it - sounded right up my alley but it felt so flat. It was so complex with all these different POVs and timelines, which didn't flow well at all, and the characters were incredibly insufferable. Just overall felt like a slog to read. 2.5 stars from me.

The Lucky Winners by K L Slater

Another NetGalley thriller ARC, this time centred around a couple who win a stunning Lake District house in one of those crazy raffles - but of course, one half said couple has a past they're desperately trying to run away from, and the publicity doesn't help matters. Their dream home turns into an absolute nightmare. This was well paced and well written, and I really enjoyed it - though the ending was a tiiiiny bit flat. Overall, 4 stars.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

I read this as an audiobook (for free on youtube) and it was fantastic - such a fascinating concept and a really compelling story, which I genuinely enjoyed listening to. We follow a writer, who's wife has disappeared; in the hopes of finally being able to write a new book, he moves into a writing cabin previously owned by a bestselling author - in the middle of nowhere. What could go wrong?! It's expertly crafted and the twist was pretty mindblowing; the remote Scottish island setting is always a treat, too. Easy 4.5 stars from me.

Real When I'm With You by Lucy Powrie

I read this as a NetGalley ARC, and I knew going into it that it was YA etc; I've read Lucy's books before and, as always, this was really beautifully written and it's a lovely story. It has great neurodiversity and LGBT+ representation, but this could also be its downfall - it honestly felt really forced, rather than being a naturally woven part of the plot. It's a shame but overall I still enjoyed this book, which is a fake-dating romance following an autistic girl and a sweet barista. 3.5 stars but I'm definitely not the target audience here...

Love Me Do by Lindsey Kelk

This was one of the books I got for my birthday this year, and my first ever Lindsey Kelk. I have to say I really enjoyed it! Set in LA, it follows a British copywriter who is supposed to be visiting her sister but ends up playing matchmaker for her hot neighbour. It's just a lot of fun, quite a surface level romance but a really nice summer read nevertheless. 4 stars!

The Teacher by Freida McFadden

Still putting myself through Freida audiobooks on my walks and when I'm working - they're easy listening, but they're really not great books. This one is about a messy student and teacher relationship, and what happens when said teacher's wife finds out. It has a pretty good twist at the very end which I didn't see coming, but overall it's not very thrilling. 3 stars.

Rush by Daphne Loveling

This was an indie pub that I picked up on Stuff Your Kindle Day, and I was really expecting a dark romance given that it's a motorcycle club book, but it really wasn't dark at all. It was actually quite sweet, very 'insta love' with some found family and some decent spice. I enjoyed it, and it's a very quick, easy read, though the writing isn't fantastic. 3 stars!

The Situation Ship by Kate Callaghan

This is billed as a murder mystery romance, and that's basically exactly what it is, but it was a really odd blend of the two genres - with added spice. Bonus points for being set on a cruise ship, it follows an A-list celeb in the wake of a family death who then becomes wrapped up in multiple murders happening on board which she investigates with her new bodyguard, a hot detective. I did enjoy this but it just felt like it didn't know what it really wanted to be. 3.5 stars from me.

Body Check by Elle Kennedy

This was another birthday book, and it's actually Elle Kennedy's first ever book (as far as I know). It's a sports romance (loveeeee) based around a girl having a one night stand with a hockey player, who coincidentally plays for the hockey team her (possibly corrupt) father owns. The story navigates their blossoming relationship alongside the pressures of family life and hockey drama. I really enjoyed this and it's only a short one! 4 stars.

The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden

I actually really enjoy this series - definitely her best work. This is the sequel to The Housemaid, following the same protagonist a few years down the line as she finds herself still trying to be the saviour for women in sketchy DV situations. They're well written, still popcorn thriller-esque but genuinely very good and I'm glad I've continued reading the series. The twist wasn't really that big of a twist but nevertheless, 4 stars from me and another physical read, rather than an audiobook...

The Baby Group by Jade Lee Wright

This was an ARC from NetGalley, and did I enjoy it? I didn't love it, but it was okay; it follows a couple who have moved to the seaside in anticipation of their new baby, and join a parenting class filled with locals. The plot develops as they form friendships (and rivalries) with the other couples, and it builds up into a huge and devastating drama. Honestly the twist just annoyed me because it was one of those that just wouldn't occur, because you'd know certain information about your partner that would make what actually happens completely avoidable. Trying not to include spoilers but yeah, silly twist and overall not a thrilling read. 3 stars.

11 books in July, and August is already off to a great start! Feel free to let me know your latest read in the comments too, as I'm always open to recommendations...

3 day trips from Verona, Italy

During our week in northern Italy in June 2025, we based ourselves in Verona - we loved the city, but we knew a week would be too long to just stay in one place. So we took the opportunity to do some day trips, and I thought I'd share our experience! I must add, this definitely isn't an #ad for GetYourGuide, although we did use them throughout all of our day trips from Verona...

Verona to Venice, Murano and Burano day trip

Our first day trip of the week was from Verona to Venice; I had been to Venice once years prior, on a cruise, and I already knew I didn't want to spend the whole day there - which turned out to be the right choice for sure. So I hopped onto GetYourGuide and booked an islands boat trip to Murano and Burano.

First things first, though - how to get from Verona to Venice! I booked us a train from Verona Porta Nuova to Venezia Santa Lucia; I used Trainline to book etickets in advance, which cost us £9.13 per person - the same on the way back, too. This was really easy, of course, and I thought the price was amazing too. The trains are huge, comfortable, and have USB charging points at the seats. We actually needed to change the time of our return train, which was quick and easy in the app and didn't cost us any extra!

Upon arrival in Venice we used the ACTV ferry to get from the station to the main tourist area; I had booked our tickets on the app in advance, and it cost us 25euros per person for a day ticket - more expensive than getting from Verona to Venice mind you. But it is what it is, and it was the quickest/easiest way to get there in the rain.

We had some time to spare and grabbed a quick bite to eat down a little side street - just focaccias to eat on the go, which weren't too expensive. We decided to try and hit most of the highlights before our tour, so found ourselves rushing up and down all the streets of Venice; we walked through St Mark's Square to see the Basilica and Doge's Palace, headed to the Bridge of Sighs and also to the Rialto Bridge. Of course we admired the Grand Canal and saw plenty of gondolas too!

Then it was time for our tour, so we headed to the meeting point to pick up our audioguides and then we all walked to our boat together. We had great seats near the front, and our lovely guide chatted to us about all the different areas we passed as we sailed to Murano, our first stop. This portion of the tour included a visit to a Murano glass factory, which was boiling but absolutely fascinating - we learned about the history of Murano glass and watched a demonstration, then you could shop for authentic pieces in the factory shop with a discount. After this, we wandered further along the waterside and stopped for a drink, had a look at the Basilica of Santa Maria e San Donato (one of the oldest churches in the Venetian lagoon) and just generally took in the peace & quiet of Murano.

Our next stop was beautiful Burano, somewhere I've wanted to visit for years. It was genuinely as pretty and colourful and magical in real life as you see in photos, with more beautifully painted houses down every tiny alley and street. Here we visited a lace shop for a quick talk and demo, and sampled some traditional bussola cookies from a nearby bakery. We then had some free time, which we spent literally just admiring all of the stunning houses and taking plenty of photos, before relaxing right at the tip of the island with an ice cold drink.

I'd highly recommend this tour; I'm sure you can visit the islands yourself, but this was great because we had the guide and the factory visits etc included. We headed straight for the train when we got back to Venice; as nice as the city is, it was wayyyy too busy and hot for us in June!

Visiting the Dolomites from Verona

Our second day trip was from Verona to the Dolomites, another tour I booked on GetYourGuide. And what a day it was... the day before our trip, we got a text to say the coach was no longer leaving from Verona so we'd have to get to the meeting point an hour early, to be taken by taxi to where the coach could get us. This happened to be a petrol station in the middle of a junction in Affi, where we waited around 20 minutes for the coach. Okay, these things happen.

Our first stop was at a small town called Ora where we could use the loo and buy pastries and coffee - it wasn't the picturesque village we'd been hoping for, and was more a chance for the driver to take a necessary stop. There was nothing to do here in our 30 minute window and not much to see either. We got back on the coach, and the tour guide pointed out every single thing we drove past, including the lake we were meant to stop at but just... didn't. I had been really looking forward to a nice walk around Soraga Lake as it looked beautiful in the photos we'd seen, but we didn't stop there in the end which was really disappointing.

We reached the Dolomites area itself and the drive was really beautiful - it's a gorgeous mountain range and such a stunning part of Italy. All the chalets and greenery were just lovely. There are a lot of tight corners to get round, and our very long vehicle struggled with this; there was also a terrifying moment where a motorcyclist crashed into our coach as we rounded one particular corner, which then caused a bit of a traffic jam. Thankfully everybody was unharmed, but it was a hairy 15 minutes!

We finally arrived at Sass Pordoi, where we had the option to get the cable car to the top of the mountain; you could get a discount by booking with the group, but this was cash only (not communicated prior to the tour) and we didn't have any, so we just paid ourselves and went ahead to ride.

At the top there was so much cloud cover we couldn't see a thing; obviously this isn't anyone's fault, although I do think if we'd stopped at the lake we would have had much better timing and managed to take in some views. We had a drink and a croissant at the Rifugio Maria restaurant at the top; you could get food, although the menu they gave us only had ribs on it (?) although other members of our tour group did get different menus with a lot more options on and we heard the food was good. It was super cute in here with real chalet/ski lodge vibes.

We stayed a while to see if the clouds would shift but they didn't, so we headed down to get something to eat at Maria Ristorante (very confusing I know) which was recommended by the tour guide. Don't eat here, the food took honestly AGES to come and was both burnt and tasteless.

Our journey back to the petrol station where we'd started the day took a few hours, though we did stop again at the very pretty Ortisei - this actually is a lovely picturesque town, and we really enjoyed wandering around here with a gelato. Probably the best part of the day, honestly!

Overall we were really disappointed with this tour, which was such a shame; we paid over £100 per person, and it just didn't feel worth it at all. I had been so looking forward to this, as a mountain lover, but it didn't end up being the day we'd hoped for. I did get in touch with GetYourGuide who gave us a 50% refund, which I appreciated, but the whole thing left a bit of a sour taste for me. This was the specific tour we booked, in case you want to avoid it.

Verona to Sirmione, Lake Garda

Another place you can easily access from Verona is the beautiful Lake Garda area; we settled on Sirmione, and we decided to get the bus there. From my maps it seemed like the only place to get the bus from was the bus station which is opposite the train station, so we made our way there. I couldn't find any way to book tickets in advance, so we waited for the bus (LN026) and when it arrived went to buy our tickets from the driver - who only took cash, which we still didn't have. We ran round to the ticket office, which a man pointed out to us, and paid for our return tickets there - but then the bus left early and we missed it, which was frustrating.

Note: you can also get the train from Verona to Sirmione, which is quicker, but you will need to get a bus from Sirmione station to the town.

Not to be deterred we went and had an iced tea while we waited for the next bus, which we successfully got on. I actually slept through most of the journey, but woke up as we started to arrive at Lake Garda - the few towns we passed through were gorgeous. Unfortunately there was an issue with the buses on this day meaning we were deposited on a random road where we had to wait for a shuttle bus, with no information in English and a huge crowd of people also waiting to get to Sirmione - this was a little hiccup, but we did eventually make it to this absolutely beautiful lake town.

We stopped for a drink at a hotel right on the lake, just taking in the views and the ambience, which was a real pinch me moment. It's just a breathtaking place!

 

I had booked a lake cruise, again using GetyourGuide (they really are the best way to book tours and excursions, and 9/10 times we've had great experiences). As we arrived later than planned, I messaged the tour operator to move the booking and they were really happy to accommodate us, which was great. And the cruise itself was lovely - the captain was funny, the area is stunning, we got to learn a little bit of history about Sirmione and it was nice to be on the water on such a hot day. We paid just over £10pp for our Sirmione lake cruise and I'd highly recommend!

After our boat tour we just wandered through the streets, admiring the shops and the castle and the beautiful buildings. I also had the best gelato of my life here, which was HUGE and delicious, and despite being much busier than Verona itself it also felt really laidback here. There are restaurants galore with so many foodie options in Sirmione, and this day trip definitely cemented a desire to go back to Lake Garda and spend more time in the area.

While we didn't necessarily *do* much in Sirmione, it was a really beautiful place to visit and I'm so glad we did!

So, a mixed bag when it comes to day trips from Verona - the Venetian lagoon, the Dolomites and finally Lake Garda. I'm really glad we ticked these all off our list, despite the disastrous experience that was our Dolomites tour. I do love a day trip, and I think conquering public transport abroad is something to smile about.

June 2025 reading round up

June was a pretty good reading month for me, as we're now officially more than halfway through the year I'm really pleased to also be halfway past my overall 2025 reading goal! Without further ado, here's everything I read in June with quickfire reviews and ratings...

Access All Awkward by Beth Garrod

I picked this up on a whim in the charity shop for a mere 50p; it's a YA and part of a series, none of which I'd read, and honestly it was fine but just SO cringe. It follows a friendship group finishing their A-levels, and focuses on one of the girls who is (obv) "super awkward". The girls go to a festival and get their exam results and have fall outs and run a protest and it's all just cute and sweet and fun but the language and dialogue is honestly an ick. It's not a bad book, and I generally do love YA, but I found this one more difficult to read than most! I gave this 3 stars.

Matched Up by Jenny Ireland

Another YA pick, and one I read as a NetGalley arc - this one was lovely, following a girl who plays (and loves) football as she navigates relationships, friendships, family drama, injury and more. Well paced with great character development and a really sweet plot. 4 stars from me.

Home Sweet Home by Ruth Irons

Another NetGalley arc, this thriller follows the fairly common trope of 'couple invite someone to live in their home and something terrible happens' - in this case, a woman keen to be the centre of attention at all times. She goes through quite a severe illness and finds community in this, but is everything as true as it should be? I liked this, nothing groundbreaking but a good thriller nevertheless although the characters were all rather irritating. 3.5 stars!

Murder High by Lauren Munoz

I loved the concept of this; it was another NetGalley arc, this time a YA thriller, and I really enjoyed it. It's set at a criminology school, who plan an annual murder mystery game - only this time, the body is real do they have an actual job to do trying to figure out who's responsible. It was just really fun and charming, with a great plot and plenty of drama. 4 stars from me!

Guilt Trip by Jo Furniss

This was another NetGalley arc (can you tell I was going through my requests?!) - a thriller which I had high hopes for. Ultimately it fell very flat for me; it's a dual POV following a mother and a daughter, the latter of which has been involved in an accident/kidnapping situation on her school minibus. We follow what's happening with her and her classmates, as well as what the parents are going through, and how everyone's past is coming back to bite them. It all felt super unrealistic and a lot of it just didn't make sense. Lots of questions. I gave this 3 stars in the end, but it's a low three...

The Tenant by Frieda McFadden

I don't love Frieda like many readers do, but I find her thrillers are decent enough audiobook reads when I'm working, cooking, cleaning or on one of my daily walks. This was one of her better ones, in my opinion, following Blake who has been let go from his job and takes in a tenant to make back some cash. There's that trope again! Of course, this turns into an absolute nightmare and has him questioning everything - the twist was brilliant, I really didn't see it coming. 4 stars!

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Wow. This was our book club read for June, and I read it on the plane on the way back from Italy - I was absolutely, wholeheartedly, blown away. It's not my typical genre, as I'm sure you can tell by my other reviews, but maybe I need to branch out more because this was honestly just brilliant. Following the story of a young wealthy Afghan boy and the son of his father's servant, it weaves through their childhood and the devastation taking place across Afghanistan. As their lives go very separate ways, we learn so much about this country, about power, about fatherhood and trauma and so much betrayal. It's safe to say this book completely gutted me; I felt bereft when I finished it, and I cried a LOT. 6 stars genuinely!!!!

Freeing the Wild by Paisley Hope

The Silver Pines series is definitely my favourite cowboy romance series (sorry Elsie) and this one has been my favourite in the series so far. Following country singer Cassie (sister of Ivy from book 2 if you've read that already) and Haden, who works on the ranch, the story is one of first impressions, incredible chemistry, raw emotion and overcoming personal issues, together. Plus spice. LOVED IT. 5 stars.

Wolf.e by Paisley Hope

Two Paisley Hope books in one reading round up come onnn! She really is fast becoming a favourite author of mine, and for good reason. Her books are bloody brilliant, always balancing spice with plot - and this one certainly delivered. This was my first foray into dark romance, a motorcycle club book, and while parts of it were definitely a bit shocking, the overall story and of course the smut (there's a lot) were both fantastic. It follows a girl who moves back home after a break up, and bumps into an old friend who's dating someone from an MC - at first she disapproves, but time changes everything... I gave this 4 stars!

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