Perth Bride to Be is now a Mrs.

Photos Are Back

2010-09-08T19:59:00.000+08:00

So after the legal BS email I got from the photographer I actually got a nice one where she apologised! At least she realises she went about it the wrong way and admitted she's learning. So I can post these beauties up now.

Just some of my favourites until I tell the story:


The dress and accessories

The DiY button bouquet

Mr Piggy Wig

My ninja little sister-in-law

I love this photo of my little sister and me. She actually looks like the older sister :)


My FAVOURITE photo with my gorgeous Made of Honour

Whoops!

The aftermath giggles!

The Girls

Through the tunnel with my Dad

Walking down the aisle with my parents

Our ring bearer and bridesmaids

Kiss the Bride

Whoop, I kept making random arm movements wanting to bust a move!

Fake wind

The girls attacking my boy

More photos to come

Photo grumbles

2010-08-29T15:06:00.000+08:00

Sadly the photos have been removed, I'm having issues with the photographer and don't want to risk getting into strife.

It's helpful having copyright etc... thrown at you after the fact when nothing was ever ever mentioned during the whole process or even when we received the photos! Especially considering the email was very snooty & legally worded with no apology from her for not explaining anything just telling me off.

Grrr I have now learnt not to deal with family/friends because you wind up coming off second best.

Photo Album

2010-08-21T16:51:00.001+08:00

Photos removed...see new post

Double Take

2010-08-08T08:36:00.000+08:00

So there were a few things at the wedding that made me do a 'double take' or that I was slightly annoyed over:

Realising the Hubby had not ordered enough lapel pins so he had to miss out.
Buying our awesome frame from Ikea to use in photos and forgetting to use it.
The burgundy colour ribbon on the flower boxes not really going (shouldn't have had a ribbon) and the flowers not being exactly what I was after
Hubby's friend showing up in jeans
The DJs not being able to keep the music flowing
Both my parents coming up to me with 'problems' that they could easily solve
My highschool friend who flew over arriving mid-ceremony
The cake being too dry

But you know what the awesome thing was...none of it really mattered, I was on too much of a high to care. And after the wedding none of the guests complained about any of these things in fact they all loved the cake and the flowers. The only thing people were a little down on was the guy in jeans (and rightly so!) and the DJs (again well deserved).

I think it was helpful that I'd been reading people's posts past-wedding and realising that it wasn't all going to be perfect but that that didn't matter. And, as I mentioned in an earlier post, it's the odd things that make the wedding! They also help bring you back to Earth and really savour the moments!

Still Here

2010-08-04T17:49:00.000+08:00

Another 1.5 weeks before we get the photos back :) I'm really excited and looking forward to being able to post more (especially with photos throughout!).

So things will be a little quiet on this front while I wait for them.

New Site

2010-07-30T18:12:00.000+08:00

I posted this link before and then deleted it because I wasn't sure if I'd keep it. But here it is: http://mrssometimes.blogspot.com/

I wanted another outlet to blog about my life as a Mrs and there's 2 posts up already. It'll be a bit light on posting until I've completed the recaps here. I've decided I want to continue to be creative and because I haven't had the urge to write fiction in a long time I'm going to use blogging as the next best thing.

Short Break

2010-07-30T17:18:00.000+08:00

...from wedding blogging.

As requested this is the sort of back story to how the Hubby and I met and the infamous red garter (which was not taken off at the reception because I didn't like that idea).

The Hubby and I met at a mutual friend's 18th birthday party in October (and years later realised we'd gone to another 18th in January the same year but hadn't seen each other!). I wasn't going to go to this party because I'd 'un-friended' a couple of girls who were going and they were complete cows. My best friend dragged me along and the night was just plain weird because of that drama.

The party was dress as something starting with S, now I either went as a Stripper, Spy or Show Girl...I can't really recall but I'm pretty sure it was all three! Whilst Hubby showed up as a Soccer Fan (which meant I couldn't really tell what he looked like!). We sort of kept eyeing each other off the whole night but for me it was more to figure out if he was gay because I'd heard he'd gone to a gay pride parade (later I found out this was to support his friend). Gradually we got to talking (alcohol no doubt helping) and when the night ended I was all set to grab a taxi home with my best friend but somehow he managed to weasel a seat in ours. I didn't really want to let him into my house but how could I resist his pleas for a glass of water. Nothing really happened though and I sent him away with an invite to my Halloween party.

Fast forward a week or 2 later and I was dressed as a French Maid for my party complaining to my friends that he hadn't shown up. I was just about to storm out the door when he showed up in a sheet (how original) and everything was ok. He'd spent ages roaming the streets trying to remember which house was mine and even stumbling into a complete strangers party.

We had a great night and at one point (due to the large amount of shots I'd consumed) I decreed that I would pull my garter off with my teeth. I do have a photo of this somewhere but can't locate it so you will have to enjoy the photo below.

He spent the night (completely innocent on a couch) and then we both woke up the next morning totally hungover. I drove him home and over the following weeks, text messages and dates followed until we wound up in the now :)

Morning of...

2010-07-29T19:44:00.000+08:00

I was the first one awake, although Mum followed pretty quickly afterwards considering we were sharing a bed. I went downstairs to have my little sister staring at me from her sleeping bag on the ground. She complained that our old dog had decided to lick her face in the middle of the night and wake her up. Which is really cute considering our dog can hardly walk and is kind of deaf and sort of blind!

Everyone got up pretty quickly and I pretty much just ambled around the kitchen and living room. I wasn't very hungry but I never really eat breakfast so that wasn't anything knew. I was stressing out though because I needed to get my nail polish done.

Everyone had to have showers and shortly after that the other bridesmaids showed up along with my MiL who bought my hideous garter (that story is for another post). We hung around for a bit and I handed out hair magazines so the girls could go through them.

The morning was pretty relaxing (once I sorted out my nails!) and I only sent the boy one text to see if he was awake (he wasn't!). I pretty much refused to be in contact with him because I really wanted it to be special when I finally saw him. The hair dresser arrived first followed by the make up artist. We set the hair dresser up in the lounge area (and all slowly died of hair spray intoxication) and the make up artist was upstairs in Mum's light and airy bathroom.

Photos tell a better story so I've posted some below. Throughout the morning I kept getting asked if I was nervous but I never was. It just sort of felt like the next stage and of course I should be doing it! The only time I got teary (and that wasn't even nerves) was seeing my best guy friend in his groomsman suit and our little page boy (the one who didn't come down the aisle).


Me & the Hubby's SiL & little sister (My Mum & Hairdresser in background)


My nails done (finally)


My 'Man' face and little sister in background, enjoying glasses of well deserved champagne

My Mum getting her flower put in

I think at the point of the last photo the photographer had arrived but you'll have to wait for me to get my photos before I post more on that. Fingers crossed 2 more weeks!

The Night Before

2010-07-24T21:05:00.000+08:00

We did the traditional thing and spent the night apart. What I really wanted to do (have all the bridesmaids together at my Mum's house for a sleepover) didn't happen but I think the best thing that could did.

We'd spent the day out at Caversham putting finishing touches on tables, laying out place cards and table decorations.

I made the table numbers, crappy brown frames spray painted high gloss black, small wood numbers spray painted and then damask paper on the inside...so easy and they looked so much better than the boring numbers Caversham had.

We also picked up our AMAZING cake (which sadly didn't live up to it's beauty, taste wise, but only because it had obviously been made too far in advance):

The Danish cake which, you can see to the left, was delivered by my MiL and her sister after we'd left the venue.

After that the Hubby and I returned to our place to get our wedding night bag packed (nothing sexy in there I'm afraid!) and then I went and got my nails done with Mum. Fortunately, they did a good job and we bought the nail polish just in case. Unfortunately, the manicure did not last and we were stuck redoing that the morning of.

After that we did a shop for snacks and then went back to my house to pick up a few bits and pieces. We also bumped into Andreas (and his entire family). I was a bit stressed and was running back and forth between the car with lots of stuff. As I was leaving I realised I hadn't said goodbye to the Boy and I was glad that it was only him and I in the house so we got to have that little moment together and say goodbye (especially because I'd gotten him angry with me earlier in the afternoon!).

The night was spent with my best friend (and MoH), my little sister and my Mum. We went out for yummy chinese and then came back to Mum's house to pour through hair style magazines for ideas for the girls (funnily enough the Patrick Dempsey Made of Honour movie was on!). There was a minor panic because I realised I didn't have my hideous red garter (which had come in handy on our first kind of date ever). We drove back to my house to search through all the boxes and no luck. Then I called the Boy and luckily it was at his parents house with a bunch of our old stuff so his Mum bought it down with her the next morning.

We had a relaxing and fun time and then went to bed. It was strange because I wound up sharing a bed with Mum and, I haven't done that since nightmare age! I had a great sleep though and woke up feeling like it was any other day...

Ceremony

2010-07-20T17:51:00.002+08:00

The ceremony involved Mum and Dad giving me away. But preceding us where 4 bridesmaids, 1 pageboy (the other decided to throw a tantrum) and 1 ring bearer. This worked out perfectly, the Hubby's sister and SiL walked his nephew down (through a tunnel, along a limestone path and down the stairs) followed by my sister and MoH taking the ring bearer. I didn't really tear up at all, all I wanted to know was if my soon-to-be Husband was crying (he wasn't!).

The girls (and boys) walked down to Going to the Chapel and I walked down to Natalie Cole - This Will Be (An Everlasting Love). I wanted to do a bit of a boogie but I didn't manage to rope anyone else in so it was more an upbeat walk (with Mum trying to hold it together) to the top of the steps (we didn't walk down an aisle until the end of the ceremony).

We had an amazing celebrant who was really relaxed and into the ceremony which made all the difference. I've put our ceremony below (sans the poem by my Uncle because I'm not sure where a copy of that is): [everything in italics had to be said for legal reasons]

Diana: Family and friends, on behalf of Andreas and Jessica I welcome you here today on this happy occasion.

My name is X and I am duly authorised to solemnise marriages according to law in Australia.

Andreas and Jessica, you are now taking into your care and keeping the happiness of the one person in all the world whom you love best. You are adding to your life not only the affection of each other, but also the companionship and blessing of a deep trust as well. You are agreeing to share strength, responsibilities, and to share love.

At the end of this ceremony, legally you will be husband and wife, but you still must decide each and every day that stretches before you, that you want to be married. Make such a decision and keep on making it, for the most important thing in life is to love and be loved.

Jessica and Andreas would now like to invite Heather to share a reading.

Heather: The Union by Robert Fulghum:

You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making promises and agreements in an informal way. All those conversations that were held riding in a car or over a meal or during long walks - all those sentences that began with “When we’re married” and continued with “I will and you will and we will”- those late night talks that included “someday” and “somehow” and “maybe”- and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding. The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, “ You know all those things we’ve promised and hoped and dreamed- well, I meant it all, every word.” Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another- acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, and even teacher, for you have learned much from one another in these last few years. Now you shall say a few words that take you across a threshold of life, and things will never quite be the same between you. For after these vows, you shall say to the world, this- is my husband, this- is my wife.

Diana: Thank you Heather. Andreas and Jessica would like to thank all their family and friends for being here to celebrate and lay witness to such an important milestone in their relationship.

Andreas and Jessica have been together for over 5 and a half years and to honour their commitment to each other they asked Jessica’s Uncle Ken to write a poem for them. Ken and Olive are the longest married couple here today. For Jessica and Andreas this poem will always symbolise the importance of commitment. Uncle Ken would you please read us the poem?

Uncle Ken: poem

Diana: Thank you Ken. I am duly authorised by law to solemnise marriages according to law. Before you are joined in marriage in my presence and in the presence of these witnesses, I am to remind you of the solemn and binding nature of the relationship into which you are now about to enter. Marriage, according to the law in Australia, is the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.

Diana: Jessica and Andreas will now share their vows with us.

Andreas repeats after Diana:

I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, Andreas X X, take you Jessica X X to be my lawful wedded wife. To honour you I would like to share these vows I have written in front of all of our family and friends:

I loved you because you were willing to let me into your house and give me a glass of water even though you had only ever seen my face full of paint.

I love you because you support me, believe in me, help me, trust me and above all, love me.

I will love you because I only see happiness in our future together and look forward to expanding our little family.

Jessica repeats after Diana:

I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, Jessica X X, take you Andreas X X to be my lawful wedded husband. To honour you I would like to share these vows I have written in front of all of our family and friends:

I loved you because you let us have a third wheel on most of our first dates because you knew I was nervous.

I love you because you have to deal with my grumpy brain, crazy brain and baby brain and you still tell me that you’re the lucky one.

I will love you because you will be there with me every step of the way on our new journey as husband and wife.

Diana: Charlie can you please bring the rings for Andreas and Jess (Charlie leaves Amelia and brings rings). Before Andreas and Jessica exchange rings, I would like to ask that you all silently wish them well for their future together. (Wait a few moments). Thank you everyone.

Could the happy couple please turn and face each other.

EXCHANGE OF RINGS

Andreas: I give you this ring to wear with love and joy. As a ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I choose you to be my wife this day and forevermore.

Jessica: I give you this ring to wear with love and joy. As a ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. I choose you to be my husband this day and forevermore.

Diana: Andreas and Jessica, today you have declared before all of us your commitment to each other. You have made promises to each other and we have seen you symbolise your union by the exchanging of your rings. May your marriage be all that you need, all that you want and all that you dream of. May it be filled with lots of laughter, love and strength to overcome any obstacles that may arise in your lives together.

It is now my great pleasure to announce you husband and wife. Andreas, you may now kiss the bride!

Diana: We would ask that you all please enjoy the music whilst the newly married couple now signs the register. Could Inger & Hannah please join us as witnesses?

Signing of the registry

Ladies and Gentleman, girls and boys, it is with great pleasure that I present to you Mr and Mrs X.

More to follow :)

Back from Bliss

2010-07-17T18:36:00.001+08:00

The 2 week honeymoon in Vietnam and Singapore was exactly what the doctor ordered and now it feels like we're truly back to reality! Finally we can sort the house out (once we get all the presents from Mum's house!).

The wedding was amazing and apparently everyone is still talking about it. Nothing in the ceremony really went to plan but that's what made it perfect. My favourite moments were the imperfections:

The ring not fitting on my finger
Not being able to get the rings off the pig's nose...apparently the ring bearer had almost lost them previously so his Mum had tied them on a little too tightly. My Uncle also chose this time to pipe up that we were supposed to be 'tying' the knot ha-ha
Dogs barking in the background
Mum almost breaking down during her reading and when I patted her back her sharply telling me 'Don't touch me!'
My best-friend (who was a groomsmen) cracking up at one of our vows (I'll share the ceremony later)
Me wanting to boogie down the aisle and attempting to boogie at any chance I got. (see below)
Our ring bearer climbing up the limestone when it was time to give us the rings
Nobody being down at the ceremony site when our limo pulled up! And then seeing my older cousin running past still in his jeans (the Hubby said he came up and said not to worry he'd just gotten back from working up North and had his suit with him! Unfortunately the same can not be said for the Hubby's idiot immature friend who did show up in jeans)

And because pictures tell a thousand words (this is one of my favourites!):

Wow

2010-07-02T07:29:00.000+08:00

So tomorrow I get married!

Sorry I've been a hopeless blogger, I've even done so many crafty things that I should post DiY tutorials on here etc... Maybe after the stress of the wedding is over because I'll be at a loss of what to do with my time!

It's panic stations at the moment, I realised we still haven't got all our ceremony music sorted and that needs to be done in 1.5 hours!!!

Family

2010-06-28T17:01:00.000+08:00

Did anyone else's family do their heads in before the wedding?

So far we have had a cousin sprung on us who after pulling out at the last minute is now coming to the wedding. The three overseas relatives announced they were giving a speech even after we asked 3 different times if they were and were told no. That would have meant 9 speeches in total! So I had to cancel my best friend giving one and then I told my Mum this and she chucked a dummy spit saying she would give up her speech...my mother loves acting like a matyr!

GAH this is another moment when I wish we'd just eloped...or at least gone far far away before the actual wedding so that the family couldn't stress us out!

The count down is on!

2010-06-25T16:08:00.000+08:00

This time next week hopefully I will be sitting down with my feet up excited about the amazing day I will be about to have.

Work is finally over for three whole weeks! YIPPEE! Now I can focus solely on wedding stuff and getting prepared for our honeymoon :)

12 Days and Counting

2010-06-20T18:21:00.000+08:00

As requested I am doing an update. In the lead up to the wedding I found myself looking at this blog and asking whether or not I wanted to continue. I'm definitely not as interesting as those other bloggers out there who are awesome and regularly update and incoporate photos :( But I always wanted to use this as something to look back on when the whole thing is over so onwards and upwards!

The Hen's night was awesome but also involved bitching between the family side and the friend side which did my head in. I'm the kind of person that wants everyone to be happy and trying to maintain the peace with 11 people was not easy. But it was still a great time. We all got dressed up to the theme of Alice in Wonderland and had a fun time going on a boozy wine tour.

Today was spent trying to finish off button bouquets with the help of one of my awesome uni friends. Below are some photos of the end results (we still haven't completed them):

Once we forced ourselves to just do it and stop worrying about possibly screwing it up they turned out really well.

After the honeymoon I'd like to post a tutorial about how I did them all. It was really easy (in the end and with a bit of help!) and much better than forking out 100s of dollars for someone else to do it.

We've finally decided on our reception music as well and we'll be walking in to 99 Luftaballoons...not really a great love/wedding song but it's OUR song. I got annoyed trying to think of a nice one that would suit and wedding and decided that it's about us and should reflect us. What I would love to do is walk in with a bunch of balloons to kick around (a la Scrubs) but sadly the reception venue won't allow that due to fire issues :(

So it's now in the final stretch. I have one more week of work and then I get to devote a whole week to our wedding. It's scary to think how much needs to be done in such a short period of time but thankfully most of it is in the hands of professionals!

The one thing that has caught me off guard is that my Mum is doing my head in! She keeps wanting to take over/help with everything and if I say no to her or anything other than silence she gets really angry with me. She took over the table planning, she's trying to take over the rehearsal dinner and she's doing my head in! Thankfully the Boy is keeping me grounded but I feel worse for him because he's right in the middle of exams with all this going on. I've put my sister on keep Mum under control duty at the wedding because I think (surprisingly) she will be the one to cause me the most stress that day!

24 Days and Counting

2010-06-09T16:17:00.001+08:00

Is anyone else, or did anyone else, start to grow weary of people asking the same old question: 'not long now, how are you feeling?' or 'how's the planning going?'

My cousin's partner was the only one who said 'I bet you're over it' and damn if she wasn't right. I'm completely over it. It also doesn't help that we've only just moved into a new place and unpacking has consumed by every free hour but gah. I have no desire to continue with my craft projects...which are kind of important seeing as at some point during the move the still unfinished bridesmaid bouquets got destroyed :( I still haven't confirmed if all the bridesmaids have everything they need.

How did other people cope or feel in the home stretch before the wedding?

I've got my Hen's Weekend down south this weekend so that is something to look forward to and then the female family Kitchen Tea the following Saturday. I guess parties will put me back in the mood but it's all rather stressful because now I'm looking at weekends going OMG I have no time to do anything.

I know in the end it will all work out but I also realise it takes a lot of time, effort and HARD WORK to get it to that point. With the Boy studying for exams and me feeling so blase about the whole thing I'm pretty concerned!

Make Up Trial

2010-05-26T17:30:00.001+08:00

So I recently had my make up trial and again sadly no photos :( Well there are but my mum said I looked like Dracula so they're not going up on here!

Which is a lie by the way! The make up was awesome, even though I was a bit spotty after my eyebrow shaping my skin looked flawless. Airbushed foundation would be fantastic on a hot summer's day. I had bronze/gold eye makeup and it was just the right amount of smokey to look demure but still incredibly hot ;)

In other news my little sister got herself some cute black ankle boots and tights for the Big Day. Now I just need to kit the other bridesmaids out. Bridesmaid day should hopefully be happening this Sunday (after repeatedly being cancelled/put back).

Oh and the biggest news of all

*drum roll*

The Boy and I have found a rental property close to work where we can have our puppy! Awesome news, after 5.5 years together we're finally moving out. YIPPEE!!!

Bridesmaid Drama, Hair Trials and all that Jazz

2010-05-16T08:33:00.002+08:00

So the count down is on yesterday it was officially 7 weeks and as my maid of honour and I were driving to our hair trial I realised I would be walking down the aisle at that time! Scary stuff but exciting as well.

I think I'll split this post into several little sections because so much stuff has being going on since I last posted:

Life

We're living with the in-laws now and have finally decided to take the plunge, move out and rent. I'm really looking forward to it just being the 2 of us after 5.5 years together. It's not going to be great financially but I've worked out a budget and even with the Boy not working we'll be ok.

Hair Trial

AWESOME! I was so so pleased with how my hair turned out. Especially seeing as I don't have a lot of it! Here are the photos which inspired it:

Originally I was going to let the girls all have different styles but the Boy's sisters (easier to refer to them as that!) wanted something really harsh. Hair pulled tightly back and high ponytails with bright red lips! I don't really want my wedding looking like Romy and Michelle's Highschool Reunion so I vetoed that. Also my sister and best friend would look hideous with bright red lips and I think with all the decadence of the outfit they need more subtle make up. I couldn't find the exact photo that inspired the bridesmaids look but this kind of matches it (plus my MoH reminds me of Nicole Kidman only shorter):

We'll be using a black ribbon and tying a bow at the back. If I have enough money I want to add a small diamante brooch in the middle of the bow.

The funniest part was that because we didn't have any ribbon for the style (we didn't think we'd go down that path and the hair stylist had none) my MoH got the power cord from a hair straightener wrapped around her head. But it did make the hairstyle, before that it looked a bit ho-hum. Sadly I didn't think to take any photos of her almost being decapitated by the black power cord but it was an awesome time!

Dance Lesson

I was a bit disappointed, it wasn't at all private and we had to share the floor with lots of other people/all the spectators. We only really heard our song once the whole way through as well which sucked. But I've got a credit with the place so we'll persist for 2 more lessons and I'll be asking to have something more private next time. I didn't mind people watching I just hated not having space and not being able to dance to our song! That's what it's all about after all. If anyone has any suggestions for good dance places in Perth I'm all ears. We're going to Humphrey's at the moment.
We were inspired by this:

As soon as I played it for the Boy that was our wedding dance song done and dusted.

Cake

This is the inspiration behind our cake:

We wanted 4 tiers to match the height of the Danish cake. We're having white chocolate mudcake, jaffa mudcake, cream cheese poundcake and caramel mudcake for the top tier which we're going to save.

So we're making lots of progress and I've experienced the joy of a horrible bridesmaid...I finally feel like I'm getting married!

Invitations

2010-04-26T10:01:00.000+08:00

The long weekend = invitations and getting the Boy to help because measurements and numbers were involved hehe.

I'm dedicating today to mail merge and trying to incorporate our logo as well so the envelopes don't look so boring. My Mum suggested using pea green envelopes to tie in with the theme but the Boy didn't like that. I did but factoring in cost and I immediately decided people could have boring old white ones!

I've managed to put a little pocket on the back of the invites to house our gift registry card along with a little card (which I still have to make) advising people who don't have access to the net, who to contact so they can RSVP. Thankfully most of my family, even the oldies, are really net savvy so I'm hoping they'll enjoy our little 'wedsite'.

But boy oh boy is this a time consuming task! I meant to have the invites out last week and then my aim changed to having them in the mail today...I don't think they'll go out until Wednesday but in that case thank god for save the date cards!

Crazy

2010-04-21T18:23:00.001+08:00

Mass apologies for not posting lots recently. Things have been INSANE to say the least. We moved in with the Boy's parents and then after getting semi-settled we had to come and house-sit for my Mum...grrr I can't wait until things get a little bit more normal!

It's getting a little bit scary now as things start to pick up speed. I've booked in my hair trial and the trial for my MoH May 15th. But the biggest thing is trying to get out the invites, everything has finally been sorted but measuring the paper is what I'm leaving up to the Boy. I'm also feeling a little bit under appreciated when it comes to the Boy. I don't think he realises how much I'm actually doing for the wedding!

So much for not stressing, I'm in full on stress out mode :( I still haven't formed a list with when everything needs to be done and what's planned for when. Crazy since I'm usually super organised but not living in my own home and working full time plus getting sick isn't helping. Plus we just found out that our photographer who is a friend of the family (has finished photography at Tafe though) and our wedding will be her first is charging us $1200...do people think this is reasonable? I was thinking $500 but that probably is a way too cheap. Just another thing to go cucukoo over! (Sorry this post is pretty disjointed just need to blurt it all out!)

With a ring on the end of his nose

2010-04-06T19:50:00.000+08:00

Guess what arrived in the mail today...

PIGGYWIG! Our version of a ring pillow.

Courtesy of AshLynnB at Etsy.

We will need to tie a bit of ribbon through his nose for the rings but I'm so happy with it. Neither of us want the OTT traditional wedding but we also don't want to go too crazy. I could feel myself heading down that path as I tried to find an owl and a cat as well for the other boys. But I keep reminding myself less is definitely more.

It fits in perfectly with our invitations designed by the wonderful, patient and oh so talented bride-to-be behind Getting Hitched (you're missing out if you haven't read her blog!).

She has designed us a logo and beautiful invitations. I'll post the logo up but will wait on the inivitations because I don't want to blur anything out. They can be an after the wedding post :)

Isn't the logo awesome?! Both the boy and I are so happy with it and I can't speak highly enough of our graphic designer. Sometimes you really have to love the internet! Without both of us reading each other's blogs this never would have happened.

Oh and I guess I should point out the obvious...our invites are themed to the owl and the pussycat and are very similar to the invitation I posted awhile ago.

We've passed the 90 day mark as well, according to my countdown timer there's now 87 days to go. I'm not scared though because I've got all my bases covered at this point (I should mention I'm touching wood as I type this!). I know I won't always be so stress free so I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Centrepiece

2010-03-24T18:32:00.000+08:00

So have you cottoned on to the fact that I'm Little Miss InDecisive?

Whilst I fell in love with the bird centrepiece and then fell in love with orchids (but Ikea stopped selling those vases) I came to the conclusion that it just doesn't fit with our theme which is - traditional with a twist.

Now this is what we are doing for our centrepiece...a little bit gothic but it has feathers which suit my bouquets and the Boy loves it!

Because I still want to incorporate orchids instead of that burgundy flower in the centre I'd have a deep burgundy orchid there along with dark/deep red/burgundy mini calla lilies as well. We'll probably double it in size as well but that's something I need to discuss with the florist.

We also bought these cute little mosaic votives to go along our bridal table (with about 5 of the centrepieces as well):

They look a lot better in real life so I'm stoked, just need to order more because we only purchased 3 in case we hated them. They're small as well which is perfect and I love the way the light will play around the tables with tealights in them.

It's all starting to come together...now I just need to decide on my hair! I definitely want volume with my hair slicked back so if anyone has any photos or links I'd greatly appreciate it.

Gift Registry

2010-03-21T16:39:00.000+08:00

Today has been INSANE! Started early because our mattress has died and I'm a toss/turn kinda girl. We're also currently in the process of moving house. Usually this is a semi-easy project (I've lost track of how many times we've moved!) but this time Mum is going her way and we're moving in with the Boy's parents. Most of our stuff is going into storage because we won't be with the in-laws for ages just until we get our housing situation sorted out. But, it is so damn hard packing and trying to figure out if I can live without it for an unknown period of time!

Of course with the wedding stuff that's easy, it's all getting carted over to his house. So at least there's that plus!

I decided that for our 'fun' weekend thing we should go and do our gift registry at Myer. I got to use the scan gun...YAY! But the excitement quickly wore off and I'm starting to wonder about choosing Myer. They do have great deals but in terms of electrical goods etc... I'm contemplating going with another company and having 2 registeries. My biggest splurge was going to be 2 of those antique/old-school champagne glasses but they didn't scan. The boy was happy about that because they were $350 each! Way, way, way too much but I want to find something like that because I fell in love! We do have a few $$$ things on the list, the most expensive being a blu-ray/hdd recorder but we've also got lots of inexpensive bits and pieces as well which I think is always very important.

So now I'm back home and procrastinating from packing. It feels like a storm is about to roll in and it's way too hot :(

Whoops

2010-03-13T16:11:00.000+08:00

So I spent $195 on a veil...or rather Mum did...and it was discounted from $250...(the parents are chipping in for the wedding thankfully!)

Why do I still feel horrible for spending that much on a bit of tulle with sparkles!?

It reaches the floor and looks stunning on me (and compliments my dress perfectly). The button bouquet worked with everything and I've decided I definitely want my hair big, pulled back and UP!

My shoes looked cute too and everyone told me my boobs looked awesome in the dress.

Starting to feel more settled now :)

The Dress has Landed

2010-03-12T17:06:00.000+08:00

Silly me didn't check my messages thinking they were from a crappy recruitment company. I checked it during my lunch break today and...MY DRESS HAS ARRIVED!

I was so excited I immediately started calling everyone and anyone and my poor Maid of Honour didn't even get a Hello! I just blurted out my dress is here! So tomorrow we're heading into the city (MoH and my Mum) to go to my first fitting.

I'm really excited and happy for the chance to see what my half complete button bouquet will look like against the dress. If it doesn't look any good I think I'm going to stick with flowers but maybe still have the bridesmaids having the button bouquets.

Did anyone else get this excited? I've been waiting since August so it has been awhile since I've seen it (other than staring longingly at it on my computer!).

Yummy Yummy Yummy

2010-03-06T18:01:00.000+08:00

Today was tasting day because we wanted the Boy's grandparents to see where we were getting married. They showed up earlier than we did so unfortunately we missed touring the gardens with them but they were very impressed. The Boy's dad couldn't stop saying how amazing it all looked.

It was so lovely to finally be living the wedding planning process with his family. I loved that everyone was getting so excited and it helped because they were setting up for a wedding so you got a real feel for it. Except the Boy's Dad hurried out because he wanted to be 'surprised'...so sweet.

The food was amazing and the presentation was 10/10 (much better than the buffet gloop slopped on our plate at the last wedding!). We tried 5 different entrees and 4 different mains and the Boy even had a cocktail. It was just a really lovely lunch with my Mum and his parents and grandparents. Jointly we decided on the goats cheese tart and seafood tasting plate for entree and for main a choice of duck or salmon.

I'm getting so excited now, it's all starting to come together and seem real!

The Brother's Wedding

2010-03-03T21:19:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday was the boy's brother's wedding. It was incredibly hot and sweaty but a beautiful day none-the-less.

The bride looked absolutely stunning and from the little we saw of the photos I wouldn't be surprised if she winds up in some wedding magazines. However, 3 hours of photos in that heat was way too long and the groomsmen complained loudly enough that at the last stop we got to stay in the limo (YAY!!!). I felt sorry for the Groom, poor guy, he was hilarious though telling us how the photographer kept pushing him further and further back to just focus on the Bride. Modelling experience is definitely a plus when it comes to photos, I'm scared for mine :(

There were some odd things that cropped up in the wedding:

They said their 'I-Dos' whilst the bride was still standing with her Dad - one reason why the priest should have shown up to the rehearsal. But after that it was the two of them together (and every so often there son who was very upset he couldn't be with Mum and Dad but adorable in his outfit!)
I almost got pooped on outside the church haha not odd lucky I guess!
The groom's name changed to that of a woman and the priest also said the bride's surname wrong...seem's to be a common theme at the weddings I've been to though!
The DJ seemed really down for the most part of the reception (her box was tiny compared to the rest of the room) luckily she perked up when the dancing started!
A gatecrasher showed up and was quickly shoved out by the bride's family (it was kinda awesome!)
Some random old man came up during photos outside the church and offered the bride a caramel.

I've also decided I hate the idea of a bridal table and would love to have a round table so people aren't left with no one to talk to (as I was throughout the dinner). Unfortunately our venue has a raised bridal table so I doubt that wish will come true for our wedding. The speeches were really good (except for the groomsmen which was a bit to 'drunk moment' filled) and I was really touched when the bride's mum included me as part of the groom's family. I felt a bit left out throughout it because I wasn't asked to be in family photos. I do understand but I felt a bit yuck seeing as I've been with my boy for 5 years (longer than anyone out of his siblings) and we're engaged. But oh well it wasn't my wedding and it just makes me more considerate when it comes to ours.

Wedding Tomorrow

2010-02-26T17:02:00.001+08:00

My first week of work over with and I'm exhausted! But tomorrow is Wedding D-Day and we've got to get our hair in curlers at 8am so goodbye sleep in. I'm very excited and will definitely pop up a post about it once I've recovered.

Please cross your fingers and wish us cool weather! The prediction has gone down a few degrees so that's a good sign!

PS: Not our wedding the boy's brother's.

Joint Decision

2010-02-24T18:38:00.000+08:00

This post was inspired by the lack of we in wedding (thanks Miss Fancy Pants) and also this post on Offbeat Bride - Is it worth spending money on wedding art?

I never really thought much about the wedding invitations since I've made many invitations in the past simply using our local paper shop. But lately (thanks to all the wedding porn out there) I've started to think I want something quirky and cute. I've been trolling through etsy and stumbled across these when I was just randomly googling the Owl and the Pussycat.

Found here

I wouldn't go with letterpress because that is way outside our budget and I've had a look at the costing for getting a custom piece done by the artist (minimum 100 invites and we don't have that many guests!). So we'd probably try and get it done cheaper and definitely change the colour scheme. I'd also like the front picture to be them both facing the front with a bit of wedding deco.

The best bit is though, both the boy and I love them. He is really really keen on them after I showed him a range I'd found! I'm so happy he's finally gotten excited over something. He does show interest in everything when I ask but more because he knows how in to it I get. So, this was great to get a real honest reaction out of him.

Do people have any recommendations for custom made invites? I do know a graphic designer through an old job but I feel a bit odd asking her especially when it comes to cost!

PS: First day of work was good but I have to wear dark blue pants :( and dental nurse shirts after I've finished my probation period.

Wedding

2010-02-23T16:20:00.001+08:00

So today was helping with the lolly jars for the brother's wedding this weekend. They looked so cute and it was fantastic to finally see something. I can't wait until my DiY things come to fruition because you don't know 100% until you see them.

In other news it will be 38 degrees for their wedding on Saturday and we're stuck driving around for 3 hours to take photos! That seems just a tad to long to me but then again it'll be my first wedding where I'm a member of the bridal party. I tried suggesting to her that maybe we go back to their house which is 5mins from the reception venue just to clean up (and make ourselves all smell good) but I got a bridezilla look at the mention of that. Instead we can freshen up at the toilets at the venue...I just hope we only need minor sprucing but I doubt it in that weather :(

I start my new job tomorrow, not in wedding planning but in human resources. Very excited and it'll be nice to finally have some money coming in. We can feel a lot more secure when we finally move out of home because of it!

Tonight we have the rehearsal dinner and we'll get told where we need to stand etc... etc... So that'll be a nice night out getting to see everyone before the big day. I'm still a little nervous about not having a trial run at the church but the priest stuffed that one up! I'm sure we'll be fine though, I'm crossing my fingers I get to leave the church on the arm of my boy. But even if I don't we'll have the whole night to day dream about when it's our turn and celebrate his brother and new sister too.

Head Gear

2010-02-21T22:09:00.000+08:00

I cannot make up my mind. Does anyone else get frustrated with the timeline? For example I want to know my hairstyle before I purchase any hair pieces but I have to wait for my hair trial until closer to the date. I'm not a patient person and after searching for cakes I turned to head wear. I'm slightly concerned because stupid me said to my MiL that I would love if she made my veil. She then made one for the Hen's Night I went to and said she'd make mine similar. I'm now freaking out because that was way too simple compared to what I want and whilst I still want something homemade I'm scared it won't turn out like something I've spotted/will spot on Etsy.

I'm also contemplating making a birdcage veil because I have the netting but I don't think I can go from a traditional veil to a birdcage veil without stuffing up my hair. Plus I don't want to be staring through netting throughout the reception!

So I'm starting to think I'll just have to be very exact with what veil I want and if she can't make it then I'll buy it. I also figured that to combat my worry about not having something on my head for the reception (I'll be taking the veil off) I want some kind of 'hair piece' (haha that sounds dodgy!). Below are some ideas I've stumbled across and I am completely in love with Linda Gorringe Couture.

My favourite is the one on the black head. But I also love the one on the bottom right because of it's retro feel. I don't know if I'm keen on going with a bit of gold though (3rd photo down on left) because, I rarely wear gold although, on the day I will be wearing Mum's pearl earrings which have gold. I also prefer the gold to some of the silver options they have on the site, the silver and crystals just seems to lose itself.

What do people think? Could I get away with wearing that long head piece and a traditional veil? Especially with my dress?

Let Them Eat Cake

2010-02-19T13:07:00.000+08:00

The wedding is quickly approaching for the Boy's brother and yesterday was the rehearsal...or at least was supposed to be. After the bride called to confirm and the priest told them 5pm Thursday DO NOT BE LATE. He completely forgot and had to be called in and that was only after people pounded on the door to be let in because they don't have an after hours line.

It was disgusting but I figure 3rd time lucky, after this and her hen's night they will have an awesome wedding!

Now we are currently waiting until their wedding is over before we bring up the 'C' word. We want to have a traditional Danish cake (Kransekage). We thought his Mum and her sisters would be able to help out and make it in the lead up to the wedding but we don't want to ask until the other wedding is over. Yes I am being sneaky but there are a few things that I want to be special to our wedding. If she had uncovered it and decided to use it then fine but I don't want to put the thought in anyone's head and the Boy is with me on this.

From chic photography.

I have no idea how yummy it will be and my Mum won't be eating it because it has marzipan in it but we will also be having a separate wedding cake to compliment it. I did want a lamington tower (I saw an awesome photo in Cleo or Cosmo of lamingtons on a cake stand in yellow and aqua) to represent the Aussie spirit but I think a cake is better for dessert. I definitely like the simple elegant look of the bottom photo but Denmark is all about sticking flags on everything so our cake will have lots of Danish flags covering it! I also think they look like awesome centrepieces but I don't want to make everyone bake their fingers to the bone making lots of them.

Another issue of have is I don't want the second cake to have fondant icing which seems to take over and not taste that great. I wish I did like the taste because some of those cakes look AMAZING but I think I'll just go with something a little more rustic.I've found a few I like:

I think they're all from Martha Stewart and listen to what is inside the bottom one: "Under the curls rest discs of vanilla meringue layered with chocolate mousse" YUMMY! Unfortunately both dark brown cakes look a little off but I could always change the colour.

Concerns

2010-02-16T16:50:00.000+08:00

I'm back to having those fun niggling thoughts such as 'why are we getting married in 2010', 'should we postpone everything?'

Now none of these thoughts are related to our relationship, we love each other heaps and will be celebrating 6 years in November but it's the outside factors which are getting to me. For example the Boy is in fulltime studies and can't work (unless he gets crappy night work which would impact on his studies and our time together), I'm currently unemployed (although I've had 2 interviews today and 2 more Wednesday & Thursday) and the big one we don't have our own place.

I thought if worse came to worse we'd be ok living in a family home when we're married but we're both in hate with that idea. So I guess I just really really hope and have every part of me crossed that I get one of these jobs to give us a bit of financial stability.

That's the other thing I think about as well when I consider postponement:

We'd lose all our deposits
Prices would increase and our wedding budget would go over
We've booked the honeymoon

I really don't want to postpone but smart rational me is shaking her head. Sometimes I want to smack that girl and say stuff it just throw caution to the wind.

Practice Hens

2010-02-15T09:31:00.002+08:00

So Saturday night was the night to let my hair down (for the first time in ages...I am a Nana)! We were celebrating the soon to be SiL's Hens Night. As a bridesmaid I can say the day of was a bit of an ARGH moment. With no one really knowing what was going on but we managed to pull it together beautifully (even if we went over budget, next time I'm being in charge of the $$$).

I did learn an incredibly valuable lesson though, do not feed tiny bride-to-bes (who haven't partied since getting pregnant with their first child over 2 years ago) mass amounts of booze in the space of an hour. Unfortunately this Hens Night lost it's bride after only 1.5 hours and not even leaving the house!

The night did go on though and we had heaps and heaps of fun. We came up with a fake bride and then I took over for a bit (obviously being the next one in the running). I wound up out and about sporting a statue of liberty hat, bright pink veil, bride to be sash and a sign saying Deep Excavation (which was inappropriate after I thought about it haha so I gave it to some Pommy boys).

We didn't leave until around 2am (I love my boy for first going to the wrong suburb and then coming and picking us up!) which may be a new record for me! I didn't complete all my dare cards except for doing I'm a little teapot but it was lots of fun. I really enjoyed being out with a bunch of girls I only barely knew celebrating a hen who wasn't there! Oops this sounds like I was happy she was gone, I wasn't I wish I knew she was so sick but no one told me until she'd left. Note: make sure you all keep an eye on your bride even if her mother is sitting next to her the whole night. (edit)

It's definitely provided me with some do's and don'ts for my hens night. I know drinking games are fun and I will definitely partake in some but I don't want to wind up in the bathroom until the very end of the night! I will also be having a night with the girls minus the mums because even though I love them it's way more fun without them.

Orchids

2010-02-09T12:53:00.000+08:00

One of the most important things about my wedding is that I want it to have touches of tradition in it. Last family dinner at the Boy's house I got to talking about wedding flowers with my MiL. Now I was very hesitant to discuss any wedding stuff further because I feel she keeps laughing it off because the wedding isn't until July. But she told me a very odd but sweet story about how when the Boy was a baby he was sick she really wanted to give him milk and wound up with lots of extra milk which she sold to the hospital. So she decided that with that money she would buy something nice for herself and that's how she got into growing orchids.

So now I definitely have to have orchids at our wedding because I want lots of things which are symbolic. So whilst I love the bird and the nest maybe I'll just do one of these near the guestbook table or something?

I should forewarn everyone (if you haven't already worked it out!) I change my mind A LOT. I think I really need the pressure of a deadline looming to decide on something. I'm the same when ordering food I can never make up my mind until the waiter is staring at me with their pen poised ready to take my order. But I will definitely be incorporating orchids into my flowers due to the importance they hold for my MiL and to some extent the Boy (even if he doesn't realise it). I found these cute arrangements on Style Me Pretty, suprisingly not something overly elaborate!

Now I've seen these little vases at Ikea so I thought I would have 4 or more of them (with half white orchids and the other half pink) and then also use the tea light candle holders below. I really love how mosaic holders throw the light around.

So there you have it another centrepiece conundrum!

Centrepiece Love

2010-02-07T15:58:00.000+08:00

I stumbled across an AWESOME online wedding magazine (which Polka Dot Bride linked to): http://www.nonpareilmag.com/

I'm so glad I clicked on that link because I found my centrepiece.

I got so excited I started singing stupid little songs to the Boy...until I realised I was a complete ditz and it was an American website. The problem with that being I can't located cake stands for $5 on any Australia sites and I'm having a hard time finding spanish moss (although I have found other fake moss on florist sites).

I think instead of a cake stand I may just use a plate and an upside down cup/mug spray painted gold. This wedding is certainly turning me into a crazy arts and crafts lady.

I won't be using white birds but I have found some adorable coloured mushroom birds and they suit our favour boxes as well.

Isn't it fantastic when something for the wedding just falls into place!

Button Bouquet

2010-02-04T22:30:00.000+08:00

Apparently it looks extravagent (words of the boy)...maybe that means I should go easy on the feathers haha. I will post a photo when I finally finish. At the moment I'm just fiddling. But I must say it is so much fun having something unique to DiY!

And on a non-wedding related note. Our house (my mum's house) has sold and she's bought this awesome French/NYC apartment that's so gorgeous. We've nicknamed it the Poodle Palace and I'm definitely getting ready there for the wedding. I can't wait to sit on the balcony and eat croissants and berries YUMMY!

Unfortunately this means we'll probably have to live with the in-laws for a month most likely longer :( I just want to be out before the wedding! I'll miss all my animals the most though. At the moment we have 3 dogs (the youngest is ours) and 2 cats (both mine). Mum will take 2 of the dogs and the cats because the in-laws hate cats.

This is our baby Loki when he was a puppy. He's otherwise known as the Gremlin!

Lola (cat) and Riley (dog) - Riley is neurotic and Mum's baby and Lola thinks she's a dog and sometimes goes on walks with us.

This is Bella our 12 year old grandma. She really struggles with her back legs :(

Last but not least...Lady also an old Grandma but she doesn't look it. I couldn't think of a name for her so Mum picked this one. She's otherwise known as the bribe cat because Mum gave her to me so I'd be nice to her asshole boyfriend (who she dumped a few months later!).

I haven't heard re: the wedding assistant job but things are progressing with my HR job that I interviewed for. It's with an engineering company so that's great news for the boy when he graduates haha. But there's a second round of interviews I have to get into and hopefully I hear about that tomorrow.

The Danes are Coming

2010-02-03T23:12:00.002+08:00

Hurrah, hurray! Some of the boy's family from Denmark are now on the definite list. We're both so excited, 2 of his Aunties and the oldest cousin from his Mum's side of the family are coming down. Only for 10 days but still we're very happy. My family is very big (Mum's side at least due to coming from the country!) and I was getting sad that his would be over shadowed. I know he was a bit disappointed as well because his Grandparents are coming down for his brother's wedding but said they wouldn't be here for ours.

The List

2010-01-31T14:43:00.000+08:00

Being unemployed makes me not appreciate the weekend :( I hope I get this job I've interviewed for because I can feel myself going crazy pouring over every single aspect of our wedding online!

I've decided to write a little list of what I've booked/where I am at with all the planning:

Dress: booked and ordered, still waiting to hear back from Brides by Design but I was told they would call when the dress arrived.
Flowers: I'm constantly changing my mind about what to have (currently contemplating bright pink roses or yellow/white for centrepieces). I have paid a deposit to Flowertopia and won't be having any bouquets because I'm making button ones. I'm also making the boys' boutonniere as well.
Music: 2 DJs have been picked - just have to break the news to them that we don't want flashing lights/colourful spotlights every where.
Colour scheme: dependent on flowers but at the moment, cream/ivory, tinges of brown/gold, deep/light pinks.
Hair: booked (still scouring the internet for photos and kind of wishing I had longer hair!)
Make Up: in process of booking, I'm excited about airbrushing and thinking I'll definitely need some false lashes
Cars: we've got the girls' limo and our getaway car sorted and the boy is working on getting a limo for the boys
Venue: booked and I can't wait to go back and do a food tasting which will happen whilst the boy's grandparents are down from Denmark
Presents: I've bought the bridesmaid presents and a present for the boy. We're going cheap and writing really nice letters to our parents (because they're chipping in what's the point of spending their own money on them!) The groomsmen still need their presents but again that's for the boy to sort out
Honeymoon: tickets to Vietnam booked, we need to organise visas and then start booking accomodation

I can't think of anything else at the moment, no doubt I've forgotten something which is always the case ;)

Goldilocks

2010-01-28T11:04:00.000+08:00

So more on what I want as a hairstyle. I've managed to sort out some pictures and post them on here. It's funny but I save everything on a word doc and periodically go through and delete half of them. Which leaves me a bit worried that even with hair trials etc...I'll change my mind way too much. Although I did realise that wedding planning is half the fun of the wedding itself so I'm making myself enjoy everything, even the annoying bits!

I love this style but I have no idea if it will work with my hair. It said it was designed for shorter hair though so fingers crossed! My only issue is that I have a huge forehead so I want my fringe or a bit of it left down.

I don't like the hair but I love the veil, especially the pink tinge. It's from TessaKim at etsy and her store is fantastic!

This is the other veil I really like and I am tempted to have my hair simple - half up/half down but I feel like this is my wedding I should do something different! (Etsy seller: SimpleBeautyVeils)

(Unfortunately I can't credit where I sourced the first photo)

When I was in the bridal shop I tried on this awesome long veil and fell in love but I want something I can wear at the reception!

The Other Wedding

2010-01-26T11:25:00.000+08:00

First off HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY! To all the Aussies out there.

Now as everyone knows there are 2 weddings this year in the boy's family. Ours in June and his younger brother's in February. They're now in the home stretch with a month to go until they get hitched. I'm so excited for them but after attending another wedding (only the church ceremony) last weekend I know I'll be bawling my eyes out!

On Monday I invited myself along (it's a bridesmaid's prerogative right?) to the soon to be SiL's hair trial. We had to drive to Northern Whoop Whoop and the lady who greeted us was initially very very frosty (but I came around to her towards the end). It was exciting to see what a hair trial entailed because it is one of the things that scares me the most. Unfortunately for my SiL those fears became reality. Whilst she was given an AMAZING up-do it was nothing like she'd requested and aged her about 10 years. As my future MiL described it it looked like something for the Edwardian Era and her dress is reminiscent of this (obviously not an Oscar De La Renta dress but same sort of bottom):

She wanted something soft and elegant with big curls swept of to one side and she wound up with a birdsnest of curls and plaits on the back of her head and tight curls off to the side. Of course we all ooh-ed and ahh-ed over it but as I left with the MiL to go back home I got a text from her saying she hated it. Which brings me to my grr about the hair trial. First off she got barely any time with her hair dresser as she was running late. The next thing was that she got talked out of one hairstyle (which I can understand obviously certain hair can only do certain things!) and talked into another one. What I didn't understand was why did they not sit down together go through magazines/photos and try and come up with the perfect hairstyle before just going for broke? I understand they have limited time to do brides but seriously with the money that we fork out they should put a little time into understanding what the client wants before even going near their hair.

But as we said about the practice wedding...thank god I got to experience that. I'm now trawling the internet to find photos of exactly what I want. I'm hopeless if they start throwing in other suggestions because I can't picture that in my head. So I figure I'll pick 3 options (because I can't guarantee what will work with my thick short-medium brown hair) and go from there. I'm also finding looks for the bridesmaids because I've paid for 2 hair trials with my deposit. Which was another thing I didn't like about the hairdressers the SiL went to, they have taken the deposit out of the final payment so now she has to go back to them. Rather than have the deposit cover the hair trial so if she hated it she wouldn't have to go back. Obviously smart but sneaky thinking on that hairdressers part!

Wedding on the Back Burner

2010-01-22T08:12:00.000+08:00

I guess I should start this post by saying I am a jealous person. The boy and I were always planning to get engaged on our big trip to America and after going out for almost 5 years, we both felt it was time and were so excited. Then I got blindsided by his brother popping the question to his girlfriend even though, they hadn't even reached a year (she was pregnant though so, idiot me should have seen it coming). I am happy for them and, they love each other to pieces but, I feel like we're completely in the shadow of their wedding. I know, I know I sound horrible but, I just felt like being honest and airing a bit of my dirty laundry.

So their wedding is planned for February and ours is in July. I am of course extremely excited for them both and interested in hearing all the details. In fact, as a bridesmaid, I'm currently helping out with the Hens Night etc... But I just feel like I can't get excited with his side of the family over our big day :( In fact I was talking about everything with his Mum and, all she did was laugh and told me I plan ahead way too much (um hello, you need to plan ahead for weddings!). So even though I've bought the girls bridesmaid dresses I feel like I can't tell the soon to be SIL (the one getting married) and also the boy's sister because everything is about her wedding. It sucks missing out on that! I know it'll be different when their wedding is over but, I feel a bit bad counting down the days and wishing their moment over and done with.

Grr if I have one recommendation it is don't get engaged when someone else in the immediate family is because you do feel like you're chucked in the cupboard like a winter coat!

At least I can share the excitement with my MoH today though and I'm so excited to be doing so. Although the dresses look a bit crumpled and no where near as awesome as it did in the shop window (or done up to make my little sister look gorgeous)! Hopefully she can see the magic and I know the colour will make her look stunning.

Dresses

2010-01-21T12:08:00.000+08:00

I am a horrible blogger, I don't blog enough so I will make that a resolution!

So as a present (and to apologise for not blogging enough) here is a photo of my dress. Obviously without me in it because I'm no model...even though I am drop dead gorgeous ;)

(Sophia Tolli Design)

It's so pretty right, complete opposite of what I was wanting (I wanted something frou-frou and frothy but as the soon to be SIL is getting married in a dress like that I wanted to distance myself). I feel like a princess in the dress and I look stunning in it because I have a body made for wedding dresses and no doubt hips for birthing babies haha. I called myself squishy last night to the boy and he disagreed but I meant it in a nice way!

So I was most recently on a holiday in Bali with my little sister. We both had a great time and whilst lunching in Ubud came across a really cute dress in this shop window. We decided to go and fill our tummies and then I dragged her in there preparing to be disappointed but just to have fun with it. I walked out with 4 dresses! They're dark blue and convertible which is exactly what I wanted. The material is that plasticky kind - not in a gross way but you know not cotton or satin... The tops are strapless but have 2 long thick bits of material off to one side so that each girl can have a different style top. The bottom is even more gorgeous. The girls can have it bustled so that it's short or undo the ties and have a longer dress. I will post photos when I find my camera cable.

So now I have bridesmaid dress problem solved and I can get to work on their button bouquets! I also found the cutest diy boutonnieres:
http://www.mydiyweddingday.com/2010/01/april-and-matts-awesome-diy-wedding-part-2.html

And the boy loved them so that looks like the go-ahead for the moment, except I want to incorporate the Aussie & Danish flag in there somehow. I'll probably get rid of the love heart & bird and put the flags there or maybe even wrap red and white ribbon around the wire instead of twine. Decisions, decisions hahaha but I love it.

Nightmares

2010-01-07T11:34:00.003+08:00

Well my aim of finding a bridesmaid dress during the sales is drawing to a close. I was going to go hunting with 2 of the girls today but that fell apart because my MiL got invited without my knowledge. Don't get me wrong, I love her but, I wanted it to be a bridesmaids only excursion!

So now I'm trying to organise a proper shopping/lunch trip with the four of them in March (after the other wedding is out of the way) but who knows if that will go ahead, none of them are ever free at the same time. Eloping is sounding like a lot of fun right about now but I guess everyone goes through that stage.

In funnier news I had my first wedding nightmare last night and because describing dreams isn't the easiest thing I'll just highlight the odd bits:

I was standing at the altar not the Boy and he was walking towards me (weird!)
I was wearing this hideous lace long-sleeved dress and kept thinking at least the op-shop will take it
My cousin was there even though I didn't invite her and I realised no one had rsvp-ed! So a minor melt down about food and place settings followed.
Some random kids started shooting foam rockets at us and I started screaming

So all in all a crazy crazy dream but at least it wasn't a baby dream! I keep dreaming about a baby boy with brown hair (because the Boy is blonde and I keep teasing him that it's recessive)...I don't want that coming true for at least 2 years. It was bizarre the other night though because, I was talking to my MiL and she told me if I really want to get pregnant I should. She's starting to scare me a bit because the boy is still at uni, I'm currently unemployed (after being made redundant), we still live with my mum...the list of reasons not to goes on and on. It just really hurt me that she'd say something so stupid because she knows how desperately I want a baby and that's the worst kind of taunt ever. GRRRR in-law family members are not in my good books at the moment!

On a lighter night I want to post some of my New Year resolutions:

Have a celebration every major holiday with my friends
Tone my arms for the gorgeous strapless dress I'll be wearing (I even bought dumbells!)
Move out of home
Start the next step in my career

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years (I know MRS. T did!)

My Wife

2009-12-20T21:26:00.001+08:00

So last night the boy came to the realisation that I was going to be his wife. It was lights out time and we were both trying to fall to sleep and out of the blue he says "you're going to be my wife, I really like that". It was so sweet especially because I keep complaining about how I don't want to be a 'wife' the title just doesn't sit well with me for where I feel I am at in my life. It's bizarre as well because marriage is about becoming husband and wife but, I think it comes down to my fear of losing my name and the rest of me. I know that isn't going to happen but it's still a scary big step to be taking.

Anyway getting back to it...it was just a really sweet moment and reminded me once again of why we're getting married.

Then on the otherside of this whole wedding thing...you know the side which isn't about us celebrating our love but rather us conforming to all that is WEDDING. Bridesmaid dresses are doing my head in! They can't decide and no colour suits all of them so I am seriously tempted to put them all in black with different dresses. I do not understand people's aversion to black at weddings, after all the groomsmen are generally in black suits! I don't buy into the whole black is for funeral thing either, because if it's good enough for the boys why isn't it good enough for the girls? I think this is just something I need to sleep on for the next few months and hopefully something will just come to be and that whole debacle will be over!

I want to say a big Merry Christmas to all the brides-to-be whose last christmas this will be as a Miss (or Ms). We're entering the big world of Mrs. soon and even though I'm scared, I'm looking forward to it as well.

My Box

2009-12-10T20:32:00.001+08:00

So I got my box of goodies from www.feather.com.au YAY!

3 different kinds of tulle (2 ivory (one with those spots) and 1 black), an ivory flower for my hair, 2 brooches 1 of which I'm not too fussed on cos it's a gross gold but looked prettier on the site and FEATHERS!!! I wish I'd ordered more feathers because my button bouquet really needs that something extra.

In other sad news the boy failed one of his exams. Luckily he can do summer school but I always get scared when stuff like that happens because our whole future is based on him doing awesome. Then I feel evil because I'm a woman I can be independent and bring home the bacon. But all I really want is to have lots of babies and then when they get to school hopefully figure out what the hell I want to do career wise!

Hopefully the trip to Bali in January is still on because we need to get away but if it's not we can always go somewhere later on in the year. Plus we have the Vietnam honeymoon to look forward to YAY.

On a more wedding side note: people have already started talking wedding registries with me and it's weird...I have no idea what I want let alone if I even want one. The one thing I do know is I want a gun to pick stuff out with, I blame American movies for that!

Dress Hunting Disappointment

2009-12-06T20:47:00.002+08:00

So I thought my sister and I had finally found the bridesmaid dress:

Unfortunately when I went back with my MoH and she tried it on, the colour just wasn't right and I think it's also a dress more suited to tall people :(

So now, I'm trying to stop myself even thinking about them. My backup is to go with dresses from Bari Jay and order them online. Although I'm a bit scared at ordering 4 dresses online from America the other option is spending quadruple the price at a shop here! I was disgusted when I got a quote for $470 for a dress I found online for $120! But I guess that truly does show how saying the word wedding ups the price considerably.

Now I'm just trying to focus on birthdays and Christmas. Then next up is the soon-to-be brother in-law's wedding which the boy and I get to be part of the bridal party for. But I'm looking forward to the new year even if I potentially start it without a job, I'm good at landing on my feet thankfully!

Favours otherwise known as Bon-ber-what?

2009-11-15T21:22:00.001+08:00

I have been eyeing off this site http://www.lehanes.com.au/index.htm ever since I uncovered laser cut invitations (or whatever they're called). Even though rosettes are playing a prominent part in the wedding theme, I always wanted to incorporate birds somehow (but was scared it might be a bit too obnoxious - especially with some of the bird theme stuff out there).

I wish I could share my moment of WOO HOO with fellow brides-to-be who get that feeling when something that wasn't in the budget finally is. I was so excited the find the box below on sale.

I haven't completely decided on what we will be filling the boxes with, but I'm leaning towards gingerbread cookies. As I've mentioned before, I want to make things so that everything is a bit more meaningful. It'll also give me an opportunity to make Mum feel more involved as she's feeling a little out of the loop at the moment.

I love the boxes as well because I can attach name tags and they can double as place cards as well.

Another idea that I fell in love with (yes Sundays are my wedding web trawling days!):

These can be used as an awesome seating chart and double as an extra little gift...it might be too much with the boxes but I thought they were cute.

And on another note...I met my semi-distant second cousin this afternoon and had that fun 'can I see the ring' moment. I miss that from when you first get engaged!

Bridesmaid Dresses

2009-11-11T20:36:00.001+08:00

A little secret...I hate bridesmaids haha not hate them but just the thought of organising a bunch of girls and picking dresses that they want on top of getting them all together at the same time. I know it's going to be a nightmare which is why I got a couple of bridesmaid-ey things while we were in Bangkok in the middle of the year.

Exhibit A:

I fell in love with the pleating (and of course the rosettes - that's where it all began) and all the bridesmaids love it but I've fallen out of love with it. For starters I feel the colour is too harsh and secondly I can't be bothered with dressmakers. It also falls a little bit too short for a wedding and a winter(ish) wedding at that.

Exhibit B:

Which I can't show photos of is the awesome presents. I won't mention what they are but they're cute, useful on the day (and after) and make great wedding party gifts.

Luckily I have the most awesome Maid of Honour aka Milo aka my best friend from highschool. So hopefully everything will just work out as the others are my sister and then sisters/sister's in law of the boy. I'm lucky to have them all but everyone is just so different that I can see it being hard to find everything and even just organise catch ups where everyone has fun. I sort of feel like bridesmaids are supposed to be this tight knit little group that you have around you...but, because over half are family (and they don't really know each other), I feel awkward wanting to force lunches and shopping trips on them.

And I would offer a snippet of my wedding dress for a sneak peek for what's to come but I can't risk the boy oggling it (yes I am being traditional in that regard). So instead I will share that I always wanted a wedding dress like Pink's - I fell in love with that black slash!

The list gets shorter

2009-11-08T19:48:00.002+08:00

For a manic planner such as myself it is hard to stop. So far I have:

The DJs decided (they loved our dogs which is an instant tick from us plus, they came recommended)
A florist picked but I have changed my mind so many times. Originally I was going with ranuculus but I bought a bunch for our 5th anniversary and just didn't fall in love. So now I'm on the hunt again, the latest is orchids, I really think this bouquet is interesting (from the Greenwood Florist):
Photographers - the boy's family friend who took great photos at his brother's engagement party and my sister's best friend who does photography at TAFE (and is amazing!!! If anyone is looking for a photographer but doesn't have a huge budget I can give you her details). Both for free which is fantastic seeing as Caversham is kind of blowing our budget.
Cars - at least for the girls to get to the wedding and our get away car. We still need to sort out a car for the boy, the groomsmen and his parents.
The cute save the dates which we sent out two weeks ago (the photo is of a vintage cake topper - we had the couple of the side with a calendar and our date circled with a red heart). My first DIY project with the help of the boy. I loved it and everyone has commented on them (one of our groomsmen's mum even showed them off to her friends and she's not even invited!). So, it's made me really passionate about trying to be more DIY with the wedding and I'll be posting all about my adventures and misadventures as I try everything.
The dress (which I've already discussed)
The shoes - gorgeous pointed dark blue satin flats with a rosette (a common theme I see springing up! About the only one as well). The one rule I made was my shoes absolutely had to be able to be worn again. I'm already slightly sick at how much the dress is costing for less than 12 hours wear!
My bag which is a rose pink colour, draw string and covered entirely in rosettes. I couldn't resist when I spotted it. I want to keep rosettes as a running theme through the wedding and I also want to have interesting pieces which will look good for photos.
Our rings which were heavily discounted thanks to the boy's sister's best friend's (way too many of these mouthfuls but I'm not a fan of acronyms) dad being an amazing jeweller.

We're definitely getting there and I know we are ahead of schedule but I just can't stop. My latest is trying to DIY a button bouquet. I found an awesome site by a West Aussie designer: http://www.lillybuds.com/ but as I mentioned above, I'm really keen to DIY whatever I can. I know it's going to be a lot of work but I miss having projects to work on and it makes everything just that little bit more special.

Changing of the Dates

2009-09-03T20:20:00.002+08:00

I don't know how many times we changed the date but we've finally settled on July 2010. It doesn't help having to work around a university schedule but at least it means a nice long honeymoon!

We paid our deposit for Caversham house (or rather I should say the Mums paid the deposit...we still haven't gotten down to the nitty gritty details about who pays for what) after seeing it at the Swan Valley Open day. It was and still is my dream venue (as long as I stop looking at all those amazing farm/barn weddings that seem to be absorbed by all wedding blogs) and in turn it led to me putting the deposit down on my gorgeous dress.

Now I can see this post becoming very disjointed so at first I'll start with Caversham. When we finally got there and walked around the gardens I was jumping up and down like a little kid. Begging that we could say our vows in the Hidden Garden and feed our friends and families an amazing feast in the French inspired house. This has definitely shaped our theme and unfortunately our budget. We are still aiming for a wedding under $20k but this would have been a lot easier had I not set my eyes on Caversham House. You're locked in when you go there, no room to budge and charged for everything. But as my future MiL says at least there are no hidden costs and this is what they're made to do.

Our colours for the moment will no doubt revolve around flowers and the royal blue bridesmaid dress that I bought in Bangkok. Thank fully all my bridesmaids love it but unfortunately I now have to get 3 more dresses made. But at least they're dresses that the girls want to wear and not something they'll be paying an arm and a leg for and never wearing again!

I got my dress at Brides by Design in the city and was helped by the amazingly talented Holly. It came down to a choice of 2 dresses and, after my stubborness (I didn't want to like the same one my family did), I came back with the Mil to have another look and decided that I did want to look elegant and like a princess. Sadly there's only 2 hoops under the dress (as I wanted something extremely poofy) but I don't want to look like the ill-fated meringue haha.

So for the moment we have the location, deposits down and I have my dress...oh and we got DJs, but that's for another post!

The Engagement

2009-07-29T21:22:00.001+08:00

We got engaged during our big trip to North America (December 2008). It happened in New York after we went and watched the Little Mermaid and even though I expected it I was still shocked.

Because I'm such a crazy planner I immediately wanted to set a date. After a few months we decided on December 5th 2010. Initially we were thinking 2011 as this would have celebrated Husband-to-Be finishing university as well. But we/I couldn't wait that long and decided what the heck! So now we're saving and hunting for the perfect location for our Summer wedding.

I'm going to use this blog to document the whole process, no doubt to provide some much needed therapy :) and to provide me with a diary of sorts to look back on when it's all over.