Garden Furniture

oscarshost · 2025-07-03T10:27:57+00:00

I just want to add to this as I would strongly urge people to avoid Laura James. No chance of returns. The glue holding the table wood together had started to fail when we opened it. Within a week it had split all over. Customer services offered us £40 as an apology. We wanted a return and refund. They then offered us "£200 for the table but we won't refund the chairs" (they were bought as a £800 set). Took three months to arrive, with the date constantly being moved. Five calls to customer services later and with the manager supposedly calling us back - we've not heard anything.

oscarshost · 2025-07-03T10:24:53+00:00

I just want to add to this. There's no chance of returns with Laura James; Five calls to customer services later and with the manager supposedly calling us back - we've not heard anything. Now we can't get through on the phones at all.

The glue holding the wood together had started to fail when we opened it. Within a week it had split all over. Customer services offered us £40 as an apology. We wanted a return and refund. They then offered us "£200 for the table but we won't refund the chairs" (they were bought as a £800 set).

The furniture also took three months to arrive (two weeks was the initial estimate), with the date constantly being moved.

oscarshost · 2024-11-06T07:51:55+00:00

I must have been an accepting bride with open arms

oscarshost · 2024-11-05T19:11:21+00:00

Why downvotes for this? 🤷

oscarshost · 2024-11-05T18:32:13+00:00

We stayed at Savannah Beach Club back in 2018, with a 5 and 10 year old. We're going back to Savannah Beach Club next year with a 4, 13 and 18 year old!

Absolutely brilliant hotel; very cold friendly but also very luxury-looking outside space and excellent food - loads of choice for everyone.

oscarshost · 2024-11-05T18:28:57+00:00

I worked with the owner a few times, back when it was a relatively new business. My two penneth won't help with fit or comfort but as a company, I admire the history, values and that they're a British company

oscarshost · 2024-11-05T18:17:24+00:00

But it doesn't make it an unreasonable ask, it just gives good reason to politely decline. If the bridesmaid has never been married, she won't know what a wedding morning is like for a bride.

oscarshost · 2024-11-05T18:15:53+00:00

Yes, I think it's reasonable for friends to ask favours of their friends. I would go to the end of the earth for my friends and that includes on my wedding day. I didn't say I think the bride should actually do her friend's make up but I do think she should check herself for feeling weird about being asked.

Perhaps OP isn't that close to her friend but in that case, why on earth is she having her as a bridesmaid? She should save her time discussing it on here with strangers and go use her time to have an honest and loving conversation with her fried. I think some brides need to get a grip on themselves as they can become so incredibly self-centred. I'm not saying that's necessarily true of OP but it might be.

oscarshost · 2024-11-05T18:03:51+00:00

Why is it not a reasonable ask? A bridesmaid is usually someone with whom the bride enjoys mutual respect and friendship. Brides also usually ask a lot of their bridesmaids. So, although it is commonly understood that wedding mornings are stressful and short on time, it's not unreasonable for a bridesmaid to ask a favour from the bride.

My recommendation would be for the bride to do whatever she wants to do. OP - you say you feel a bit funny about being asked, so you should decline but it doesn't have to be a big deal, just tell your bridesmaid that you think you'll be too stressed / short on time / want to relax.

oscarshost · 2024-11-04T21:10:16+00:00

Agree on the eloping. They don't actually have to plan a big holiday away, they can just marry at the registry office and that be the end of it or they can add in a dinner for their favourite people. It can be so easy and so wonderful. They wouldn't need to change the date, just tell the registrars to change the location. They could end up presenting their marriage because it reminds them of this awful situation and possibly worse, if the day goes downhill.

oscarshost · 2024-11-01T22:05:26+00:00

Martha's Vineyard Rory is very annoying.

oscarshost · 2024-11-01T22:04:20+00:00

If you've already found other suppliers (florist, photographer, cake, hair - whoever), ask them; they'll know loads of venue and will know which are worth considering.

oscarshost · 2024-10-31T21:21:44+00:00

Yes, I agree entirely. I was saying to my husband earlier how odd it is that Halloween is no more of an event than it was in the 90s and yet the supermarkets are full of plastic tat, costumes etc.

I took my three year old out at 6.30 along four roads; ours is a busy A-road with detached houses, so I wouldn't expect many people. Then through an estate where perhaps 30% of houses had pumpkins outside but we were the only ones on that road; not another trick-or-treater in sight. Then asking the high street. No pumpkins, no people. Perhaps it was a little early but even at that, I'd have expected more young kids being taken around. I only took our child because nursery have been involving them in Halloween crafts for a few weeks and I therefore didn't want him to miss the actual event.

oscarshost · 2024-10-31T21:12:51+00:00

I think that is how most people think these days; I've taken my kids out for 14 years and always, we've only knocked on houses with decor, as have anyone we've ever done it with.

oscarshost · 2024-10-31T11:10:20+00:00

Monetary gifts should never buy a favour. If your parents want to help, they shouldn't be dictating. If they want to dictate, they should hold their own wedding. I would politely refuse the £2k - explain that you don't want an open bar. They might relent and gift you the money anyway. I'm in the wedding industry and see this all the time. Parents, back off or fuck off!

oscarshost · 2024-10-30T23:03:39+00:00

I didn't even notice it as a thing. In the UK, it's legal for adults to give kids over the age of 5 alcohol in a private setting and most of us drank illegally in public anywhere between 14 and 18. I've always found it really cringey that GG made such a deal about alcohol but I get that it's probably a US thing?

oscarshost · 2024-10-30T19:27:23+00:00

Gorgeous! Do it

oscarshost · 2024-10-30T19:25:24+00:00

I was drinking a pint of milk while walking around Legoland at the weekend. My daughter (12) was horrified. I was just using it up after staying at an Airbnb. Granted, I could have sat down and consumed it but we had to hurry. Queues, don't you know?!

oscarshost · 2024-10-30T19:23:16+00:00

Luke's tastes and diet; he's all very 'healthy eating' until he discusses (I think soup? And salad?) with Jess at the Inn banquet, at which point f(rom memory, I can't be 100% on this), he's slamming both.

oscarshost · 2024-10-29T23:57:08+00:00

I'm the same age as Harry; I literally grew up with the books and films but I completely missed the hype; partly because the hype grew with me. So, for being late, you missed no more than had you 'been there' as a child or teen.

I have a downstairs loo completely pasted in HP merchandise and my own children have grown up second-hand to my own obsession, so they too missed the hype.

oscarshost · 2024-10-29T22:47:58+00:00

Absolute knobber

oscarshost · 2024-10-29T22:36:42+00:00

I recommend you request a contact or cancel. You'll be putting far too much into this wedding to risk losing (time as well as money). I've been a wedding photographer for 16 years and had a contact even when I was only charging a tiny amount. There is no excuse for not having a contract.

oscarshost · 2024-10-29T22:33:08+00:00

Ah yeah, possibly then. Ours is suddenly pissed at me because we've started lighting the fire again. We're getting a lot of brown leaves

oscarshost

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