Woopsie... Here's a wedding!

Woopsie! I fell off the bandwagon and I give myself the worst blogger award!

 

The funny thing is, I have actually had a lot to blog about... but my business has stopped me. Life got in the way, as they say. I have been attending so many markets and pop up events for Dat Girl, I got a new job, I turned 26 (eep!) and I have tried to put my foot on the petal with wedding stuff, as we are now under the 6 month mark.... I'll update that in a separate post...

 

So here's to the start of updating you on what's been going on...

 

Let's start with my friend Christine's wedding

 

I have had loads of conversations with Christine about wedding planning over lunch, what annoys us, what we don't want to spend money on and what traditions we are throwing out the window.

 

She got engaged maybe 6 months after us, but was married in April.

 

Unfortunately on her day the rain bucketed down and her beautiful outdoor ceremony had to be moved indoor. She was lucky she had a backup venue and lovely decorators who were more than happy to move things to another location for her...

 

 

 She looked stunning.

 

You know how you always try to imagine what the bride will wear? well I got it totally wrong and I loved how she looked!

 

The reception was at Garden's on Forest, which was a beautiful venue and we had soo much fun!

 

 

 

 

 

Especially in the photobooth!

 

 

The 5 hour reception just flew by though, and I wasn't even the  bride..how fast will time go at my own?! arghhh!!

 

 

Cake, complete with bobble heads!

 

I am glad weather is one thing that I don't have to worry about.

 



 

What I wore..

My wedding planning

I haven't done an update in a little while and did have a slight "OMG" moment when I looked at my wedding countdown the other day and saw this.....

 

 

when did this happen? was I sleeping??

 

Luckily I have still been doing some wedding planning.

 

 

Looks better with a flash, the white pops out more.

 

I FINALLY found black lace for the tablecloths at a suitable (aka not $20 per metre) price. I cannot tell you how difficult this was... everything was wayyy too expensive, as I needed 80 metres or just well, fugly. Thanks to aliexpress and a supplier from China I got the lace I wanted for only $2.7 per metre. I love globalisation and the internet :)

 

 

We also decided to go with the second bridesmaid's dress and I ordered the rest.

 

 

My mum ordered her dress, which will look a bit like this... I'm glad she went with something special, I want her to feel special on the big day too, after all she made me who I am.

 

I purchased part of my dad's wedding present.

 

I ordered my robe for the day, which I will post when I get it.

 

 

I FINALLY (most were booked out) managed to lock in a hair dresser - Mary Tannous.

 

We found some frames in the Reject Shop, which look to be perfect for the table names... we just need to find more than two now :S

 

and the best news of all.... we booked our over the water bungalow in the Maldives for our honeymoon!!

 

 

 

We aim to go for a five week honeymoon and go to Singapore, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.. I CANNOT WAIT!!

 

How are my fellow brides going? Some of you must be close to D day now!

OHHH and one other question - where do you usually put the daddy daughter dance into a wedding program? I can't think of a wedding I have been to where it has happened. Please help.

Making my Wedding Dress

A I don't think you read this anymore, but if you do... press the close screen button NOW!

 

Last Saturday I had my second wedding dress appointment, and I got to see my skirt and train for the first ever time!!

 

It was so exciting, but I must admit every time she asked, "how do you want this..." or "do you like it like that...." I freaked out a little before answering... if I thought it was nerve racking choosing THE DRESS it is even moreso deciding details on THE DRESS.

 

So here it is....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(blank space so A doesn't accidentally see)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The silk on the skirt is skill so new it is very crunchy and crinkly.

 

 

Getting pinned and pulled.

 

 

This is the "fake" (I forget the name of the material) bodice as it started out.

 

 

After reshaping the bodice and adjusting etc.

 

It still doesn't have anywhere near the amount of boning in it and it definitely wasn't pulled as tight as I would like my actual dress to fit, but I think the lower bust line is a lot more flattering.

 

 

Ignore stupid face.

 

We lowered the back, from the height on the right to that on the left. When she asked how low I wanted it, I replied with "as low as we can go" (without ruining the make of the dress.

 

My bridesmaid told me I have a sexy, fatless back. I guess if the wedding weight loss journey doesn't work out I can "back it up" the whole day lol..

 

 

 

 

and TAA DAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

 

My over 2mtr train!! I love it and can't wait until the other layers and finishing touches are put on it.

 

I have always wanted a train it was a must have in my books.

 

 

I'm not sure you will get to see much more of this bad boy, because I think in my June appointment it will start looking a lot more real, but I'll see what sneak peeks I can provide.

 

Despite the stress I am really loving the dress making process and I would recommend it to any bride. I love the fact that the end product will be all my ideas.

 

Now I can't wait until June....



My First Dress Fitting

Remember how I found my dress in ahhhh like July last year?!!! Well last Thursday I went back to Couture by Francesca for my very first fitting!

 

To say I was excited is an understatement, I was giddy, a little nervous and felt like a little kid at Christmas time all over again.

 

See the excitement?

 

We actually didn't do that much for my dress, except talk about what I wanted again, have a quick sketch drawn up and take my measurements. Of course this was followed by the whole "what do you intend to do leading up to the wedding...", which was started by some comment I made about my sausage arms. Pretty standard in a wedding dress salon I am guessing.

 

 

Seen as it had been 6 months since I picked the dress, I asked if I could try on the sample gown again. I was so so nervous as she put me in it, I was scared I was going to become one of those girls on "Say Yes to the Dress", who argues it is not the same dress, or who knows it is the same one but hates it now and has to fork out thousands more dollars for a new one.

 

Luckily, I am not one of those girls. As soon as I was clipped into my dress, I fell in love all over again! I couldn't stop smiling, my bridesmaid and mum were taking pictures and I wanted to get married there and then!

 

I am so excited about my dress, I want to show you, and everyone else the photos... but for once I am going to keep my big mouth SHUT! SORRY!

 

At my next appointment, I will take photos of the construction and that should be okay to share.

 

I will show you one photo now though... my shoes underneath my dress.

 

 

The right show still has the cardboard under the flowers, but you get the idea.

 

Under 10 months to go now. YEYYYY!!!

 

P.S. Sorry for the poor photos, my iphone flash has broken.

Wedding Flowers

I did warn you that we have made a lot of decisions in the beginning of this year. As I write this post, exactly 10 months out from the big day, part of me is happy with all the decisions that have been made, while the other part is petrified that I will forget a lot of the smaller details.

 

I always really really wanted a wedding decorator/stylist for our wedding to give it that extra something special, but when I would look around a different ones I never found any that screamed out at me and with the help of my mum, I think I have worked out most things anyways.

 

A few weeks ago, Mum and I met with Elizabeth from Sydney Wedding Flowers to discuss my needs and the quote she had given me.

 

One thing I immediately liked about Elizabeth - her prices are on her website and regardless of what type of flowers you want, her price doesn't change. For someone like me, who wants Peonies and Hydrangeas this is very important!!

 

Elizabeth operates out of her home and I think (from my own home business experience) this is why she can keep her costs down.

 

I was super nervous about this appointment, because this was one that made it feel real, and this was one that could impact the look of my wedding in a major way.

 

From the start, Elizabeth made me feel very at ease, as she asked all the details of our wedding - my dress, BM's dress, locations and venues.

 

I then pulled out my StyleMePretty inspiration photos and showed her what I wanted. Straight away she told me "these are American photos, I know American Peonies because we don't get them like this here" - awwwww! ahahaha All I could do was laugh.

 

I showed her my ideas, and what I liked about her, which may actually shock you, is the fact that she didn't just agree with everything I imagined, she actually told me "no I don't think that would look good" and explained her point of view, which my mother (the trader) agreed with.

 

I am happy Elizabeth did this, because I don't have a stylist or decorator and when I am paying professionals, I want them to give me their professional opinion from their experience, I don't just want a "yes mam" and end up with a fugly wedding, that I look back on and cringe! haha

 

We decided on a mixture of mainly pink and some white peonies for myself, mainly white and some pink peonies for the girls, and 3/4 large peonies, tied with ribbon, for the flower girls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bridal table will have an arrangement of mixed vases - different types and sizes

 

(sorry for the blurry photo)

 

 

and the centrepieces will be balls of peonies and hydrangeas (whites and soft pinks, but mainly whites - due to the pink lighting in the place) on black baroque stands like the one below and a circle mirror underneath. On the mirror will also be our table numbers.

 

 

 

I have paid the deposit and Elizabeth is locked in. PHEW - one more major decision down!

 

How are my fellow brides coming along with your plans?

Wedding Car

Eh, the wedding cars were a pain in our backside!

 

Remember ages ago I told you that I didn't really care about the wedding cars? Like in my mind, people barely see them, neither A or I are big car people and so we just wanted to get out of it as cheaply as possible, while not getting our dad to drive us. Well maybe it was my "non-caring" that made it so difficult for us to lock in a car.

 

To begin with, it was finding the time on a weekday to see the cars, then we loved the first one we saw (on the Friday), sent them an email to book (on the Monday) and was told (on the Tuesday) that someone else had beaten us to it (on the Sunday) because we left it such a long time (3days) between seeing the limo and emailing them.

 

Argh.

 

We made a time to go and view another similar limo. When we arrived at the appointment, we were greeted with bags of dirty nappies on the front door step. Funnily enough, this didn't entirely put us off, what did it for us in the end was how small the limo was. It seems people's definition of 10 seater varies greatly and we need enough room for 10 people PLUS my dress!

 

The final group we spoke to, the guy over the phone told me he had the best cars and offered to price match my previous two offers, so in hope of finishing this car deal once and for all, A and I gave up our Wednesday night, trained and drove over to the other side of Sydney. The limo was great, we were impressed... now to pay a deposit.... ohhh yes and find out that the "lowest price" he could do was in fact the standard rate and $200 more than we were told over the phone.

 

Are you kidding me? I don't go out of my way to see things I cannot afford.

 

I know you are thinking $200 is not that much, but I have heard things creep up on you later in the planning process, so I am trying to stick to my guns now.

 

A few emails back and forth and we negotiated a rate in the middle.

 

A and I were so relieved. This is the first thing we have really had difficulty with since we started planning.

 

Finally - we have a super stretch Chrysler 300CC with Jet Door to take us all to the wedding! 

Wedding Update

Ok, so I wrote this post at the start of last week, but it wouldn't let me add pictures and I didn't want a post without pictures, so I kept trying every day until it let me! :)

I will do a life update shortly, but now that we are OFFICIALLY under the 12 month mark, I thought I would do a wedding update.

 

 

 

The dreaded 12 month mark, made me whip my bottom into action a little bit this week I think...

 

I sent out most of the save the dates, you can see here.

 

I finally got around to asking my friend Alessia to be my bridesmaid.

 

I told her to close her eyes, because I had a birthday present for her, I placed this in her hands and then told her to open. She did a double take at the card, then started to cry.. I was worried for a split second, until she started saying "OMG OMG OMG" and then squealed!hahaha

 

I spent the rest of the night speaking with her and showing her things only bridesmaid's can see e.g. my wedding dress. She was messaging me the next morning, still excited!

 

Unfortunately, Alessia has a trip planned to Italy next year for 6 months and will only get back a few days before our wedding, but this is just an awesome excuse for TWO hens parties if you ask me :)

 

I finally got around to paying the deposit for and locking in my Makeup Artist, who did my trial here.

 

We started to get a friend (travel agent) to help us plan our honeymoon, which when I originally started writing this post was going to be the carribean, but due to the time of the year.. I think it will be a lot of hassel and money, so now we are looking at the maldives... but not just the Maldives, because I want a year off so we are looking at also going to Malyasia, Macau,  Dubai and either Beijing or Singapore, as well as either Laos, Sri Lanka or somewhere lol.

What do you think? Do you have any tips about any of these places? I'd love to know!

 

And last, but not least we picked our wedding band.

 

We decided to go with Vibe wedding band, they had great reviews on wedding websites, sound good, have a good selection of songs and most importantly they promised they have never ever played celebration! haha A and I are not the corny wedding music type at all.

 

A is pretty happy now that all he has left to "decide" on is the wedding cars, cake, rings and his attire. The rest I am pretty sure he will be happy to let me take care of.

 

I know this year will fly and I am excited, nervous and in full wedding planning mode! 

Flashback Friday: Engagement Party

Today marks exactly one year until I will marry A, one year until our wedding day!

 

WOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!

 

I've been smiling most of the day.

 

So for today's Flashback Friday, i'm going back to September last year, our engagement party. I can't believe it was so long ago!

 

I'll be a wifey before I know it :)

 

 

 



SAVE THE DATES : Arrived!

When it comes to the wedding invitations, I won't blog them before I send them, but with the Save the Dates I don't mind.

 

I was in two minds whether or not to get Save the Dates, with such a long engagement people would have been hearing about our wedding date for 2 and a half years!! Either way, I thought I would remind them again with Save the Dates. I also think it is nice for our overseas and many interstate guests.

 

I didn't want to spend too much on the save the dates and wanted something simple and easy.

 

That is when I stumbled across these save the dates for only 0.37 each.

 

 

 

You can see them here.

 

We are not having a chandelier motif, but for a small fee Tori was happy to design something new for us, incorporating our motif. I wanted to keep it simple too, so it didn't clash with our black lace theme that will be in the actual invites.

 

And here they are....

 

 

(sorry about the bluriness)

 

 

 

They are actually a lot smaller and cute than I expected and a little bit thinner, but to be honest I don't mind. As long as they make it through the post I'll be happy!

 

We are almost at the year mark now.. I am petrified of getting to the year mark, because then I know I am in the same race as every other bride and then I know time will FLLLYYY by and I'll be hensing and wiving before I know it! :)

Mini Freakout

 

Last Thursday was an eventful day. It was such an eventful day, it gets its own blog post.

First things first, I had another wedding delivery arrive at work... YEY!!

 

This little wooden sign for the pageboy to carry down the aisle, instead of a pillow.. I think it is adorable and I can just imagine all the "awwwwws" when he walks down.

 

 

On the other side, is this cute saying for our wedding photos.

Thursday night after work on the train to my mum's house, I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw a photo of my wedding dress sample in a wedding magazine, I knew it was going to be featured so that didn't surprise me, but what did surprise me was that I didn't realise it was my dress at the time and I thought it was very average looking, I actually didn't like it at all.
 

I kept staring at the dress. I felt sick.
 

All of the worst thoughts started going through my head. Even though my dress is being made from scratch, with all the little things I want to add to it, I still could not help but freak out.
 

Was it just because I was exhausted or did I actually not like the dress anymore? I didn't know, but I knew my mum would talk sense in to me and she did - pointing out all the differences in the photo and my dress, the styling etc. She even made me look the photo on a computer and once we realised it wasn't even in focus, that eased a lot of my worries!! It made me realise why I couldn't see any of the detail. My bridesmaid also helped me by telling me that she saw me in that dress and she would not hear me saying anything other than "it is the most perfectest dress ever". She told me "the woman makes the dress, not the other way around".
 

AHH.. I am surrounded by the best women ever! I trust them completely and was so grateful they smacked some sense in to me.
 

Has anyone else had this feeling? You know the feeling you picked the wrong dress? Were you proved wrong later? What happened? tell me allll! hehe.
 

After my bride moment, I went to pole dancing for my first lesson with Suzie Q - she is amazing and she is also the hardest task master!! I have never worked so hard in a pole dancing class before and by the end by arms refused to lift me anymore. While I hated it, like you do when something hurts, I loved it and I am soo excited to do more classes with her and hopefully improve improve improve! I hate feeling like the whimpy unco kid in the back haha.
 

I am now COVERED in bruises and my muscles hurt for days after, but i'm heading back there tonight ready to work off some more of these wobbly bits.
 

 

Suzie Q is amazing.. check out this video of her in a NSW comp.