When Sarah and I initially met back in June at my #ldnbloggersparty, I had no idea just how much we’d be seeing each other after that point. The blogging community really is the most supportive I’ve ever come across and it is lovely to be able to make new friends through events. After the success of our Hertfordshire Meet Up in the summer, we thought we would throw a Christmas party too – complete with festive decorations, candy canes, presents and prosecco – of course, no blogging party is complete without a flute of bubbles.
Soon enough, the day had arrived and it was time to set up and decorate the table ready for all the lovely bloggers we had confirmed. Unfortunately we did have a few last minute drop outs, which can’t be helped I suppose – as it’s part and parcel of any event, but it was a shame as we had gifts for you all! First to arrive was Bex and Lisa, who are both local bloggers with fantastic websites, followed by Emily, Katie and Beth, who have equally as fabulous blogs (if you have a moment, make sure you check them out).
Held in Pizza Express in St Albans, which has recently been refurbished and stands as a glittering, gorgeous venue to host an event, we were able to opt for the £17.95 three course set menu, which features pizzas with a festive touch. I had garlic bread with mozzarella to start, followed by a rather safe (but delicious) margarita with spinach and Pizza Express’ very own, ‘Snowballs’ for dessert (buttercream dip and sweet dough balls with cinnamon).
Although I do love attending larger blogger events hosted by brands, as they are great for networking, smaller more intimate events are often more rewarding due to the fact you all have lots in common and you have more time to talk to one another. It is so interesting to hear about why others blog, what they enjoy most about it and how they manage to fit it into their busy lives. The conversation of ‘SEO’ and bloggers came up, as Beth works for a company that specializes in it – so she gave me lots of great tips, which you can read about on her blog. We also talked about our favourite bloggers, when we started and all the ‘woes’ of daily blogging life!
Each blogger left with a Yankee candle (gift wrapped very professionally by Sarah) in one of four Christmassy scents (Merry Marshmallow, Sugared Apple, Christmas Cookie or Christmas eve) and a fragrance from So…! We decided wrapped presents would be a much nicer and more personal treat to go home with than a goodie bag, so hopefully everyone enjoyed the little treat – I know I have!
Sarah and I will definitely be hosting another local bloggers meet up in the future, so if you’d like to be kept in the loop, feel free to leave your email in the comment box below. Everyone is welcome – newbie bloggers, lifestyle, mummy, beauty, food (and so on), and even if you’re London/further afield based we’d love to meet you! As I said previously, events like this – although non branded and self funded, are great for meeting new friends in the area as everyone is like-minded and we’ve all got one thing in common at least – we all blog!
Thanks to everyone who came along, and to Sarah who was an absolute star in organizing the event and wrapping up all the presents! We both hope to see you at the next event.
Until then – Merry Christmas!
