Catering Capers

On thursday evening we went to meet with our caterer Aidan Tierney of Tierneys Caterers, to have a tasting! Our party consisted of us, and mum and dad, and we really werent sure what to expect!

We drove to Oaks Farm in Shirley near croydon, along with about 30+ other couples/parties, all hungry! We found a beautiful room laid with ten different tables, with different ideas for decoration,theme, plates, glassware, different napkins folded, all set to give us ideas. We had canapes and were then seated at our tables, 10 to a table, and were seved a delicious main course of lamb, with roasted mini herb potatoes, with some other variety of potatoes, and a range of veg. This was then followed by an even more delicious plate of three mini desserts, and all accompanied by plenty of wine.

It really was a lovely evening and gave us great opportunities to meet other couples also getting married. For Greg this meant he could chat to grooms and realise that I am not the only nutty bride out there! and to hear how other people are doing their thing! I think Greg had a new found appreciation for my organisation after this!!

Great night! Next step making our choices!!!
x

Six months today....

Six months today we will be getting wed... guess how we feel? It's also one and a half years today that we met! It's been a perfect day so far today, and we have actually spent a considerable amount of time with the owner of a wedding ring design company chosing and designing our own wedding rings. They are now ordered and paid for, and will be on their way to us in a few weeks. We've gone for 18ct white gold to match my engagement ring, a unique style band made by this company, rounded but squared off also, with one small princess cut diamond, (unusually as my engagement ring is brilliant cut, but with a square setting) and around the band, our wedding date in roman numerals engraved. So really this post is all about special dates to us! Today has been one of those days I realise just how lucky I am.

xxxx

Happy Friends

A very good friend of mine today told me that he/she is thinking of getting married. Don't want to give anything away on here, but just to say that I am thrilled, and thrilled to be taken into their confidence! My wedding mags are yours when I am done with them!!! (albeit with lots of tiny bits cut out!!)

Can't wait!!!

xxxxx

Honeymoon booked!

Finally after much searching and trawling through website, and travel brochures we have found a lovely hotel in Crete which we have booked, and which fits all of our wish list!

Greg decided he wasn't up for travelling too far so our destination had to be short haul. I was desperate to have somewhere with a private pool, and luxurious room. I really want this honeymoon to be beautiful! My first choice would be the Maldives, but I would hate the flight so I understand that Greg doesn't want to go that far!

We did like the look of the Atlantica Imperial in Rhodes, and although the hotel does have some private pool's they are just so expensive! We also liked the Lindian Village in Rhodes, but again so expensive and only bed and breakfast!

So when I found Sensatori in Crete by accident the other day, imagine my delight when I realised we could have either a swim up room, or a private pool!!!! We have piped for a private pool for just that bit more privacy and found out that the private pool's are on the roof.. so they sound amazing!!!!

Even better, we fly the friday following the wedding so we have tons of time after the wedding to be packed and relaxed before we jet off!!!

Organising Odds

Mum and I have luckily had the odd chance in the last week to have a few chats and get a few little bits sorted which has been good! It's amazing how many people's surnames you don't know, and addresses you lose throughout your life! Compiling the guest list has been hard work! Still we are more or less sorted as long as Greg's side sticks to the guests we know about... if that changes then I need to rethink a few!

Still.. this weekend has largely been a wedding free zone. I have lots sorted now, and am getting to the stage where I can't organise much more until other things happen! Thats what frustrates me most but I guess it is good, or I would have everything done, and then would probably want to change it all just before the big day!

We had some great news though that Greg has finally sorted things out and got himself a best man!!! Yeah!!! His very good friend Homefield has happily accepted the role! I havent met him yet, but am looking forward to it soon!

Night Night Sleep tight

xxx

Magpie Vintage tops my expectations!

Ordered a couple of items of jewellery from a lovely company online called Magpie Vintage which specialises in vintage items of jewellery, and jewellery made from vintage items. So excited about it! I ordered them on Tuesday night and they arrived at work today! Really beautiful! Excited to find such a lovely company, and such a nice lady who owns it!

Check it out...

http://www.magpievintage.co.uk/index.html

Evening Visit to Ewell Court House

Just got back from another lovely visit to Ewell Court, with my friend Steven who will, if all things work out, be singing during our Wedding Ceremony. We went to visit tonight to check out the acoustics in the room and work out what will be needed equipment wise! Lovely to show someone else the beautiful place we will be wed! And very strange standing in the room, now it's all coming together, imagining what it will all be like!

Vacancy Filled!!

Great news! My little brother Ben has agreed very happily to MC our wedding! He'll do the introducing and the starting of the speeches, and help organise the whole day! So pleased to have him involved and his help will be invaluable on the day! I told him we've asked him as he has a biggest mouth! heheh!!!

So excited!!

Bridesmaid Dresses!!!

Finally the day arrived and Rachel, Scarlett,Mum and I went off Bridesmaid dress shopping! After finding out recently that Courtney was too shy to be a bridesmaid, and Sarah couldn't be one, we had a smaller party than planned... but it was great fun!

Rachel is a big girl like me, and our search was largely around trying to find a shop with a dress to fit to try on! It's absolutely appalling that shops that profess to be specialising in larger sizes call holding one size 22 bridesmaid dress specialising, especially when Rachel isn't that big!!!

Anyway.. we did manage to find a dress that sort of fitted enough to decide that we loved it for Rach, and the most beautiful dress for Scarlett, which will be in pink and ivory. Scarlett spent the whole day saying I want the pink dress, bless her, not understanding that just because one dress isn't pink that we can't have it in pink!!! Anyway she will be thrilled when it arrives!! I'm very excited too to have another thing sorted, and the day start to be coming together! My girls are going to look so beautiful!

Sparkling Shoes!!!

Bought my wedding shoes a while ago, and they are so cute! Decided wasn't going to go the traditional bride route on the shoes... can't wear heels and wanted a pair that were sparkly and pretty and that I could wear again! Found these in Next, would you believe it!!! I think they're perfect!

Thanks for my comments!!!

Just found a few comments from readers. Thanks for leaving them!! Am loving recording my wedding plans for all to see, and it's really special to know people are enjoying it!!

xxxxxxxxxx

Beautiful Pictures

We booked our photographer a while ago after searching and ringing around a fair bit! I was shocked at the price of it really! It's a strange business though, and I found the more sites and photographs I looked at, the more I wanted our pictures to be perfect. We went with Mum and Dad to visit one photographer in Epsom who was lovely and produced beautiful pictures but was just too expensive. She made the most beautiful albums but they were hugely pricey, not to mention the fact I couldnt lift them as the covers were made of metal! In the car on the way home, I realised that much as my heart was shouting I want them all.... realistically we would never look at them, and that really all I want is one beautiful arty shot of Greg and I to have made into a canvas. Of course I want more than one.. I want memories of the day, but really I couldn't justify the albums that let's face, wouldnt fit anywhere other than under our bed!

Still we were impressed by the Epsom lady, until the following night we met David Hares of Contemporary Weddings. Very impressed straight away with him, no pretensions, just a love of photography, and a good feeling that he would enjoy our day almost as much as we will! His photos also are magnificent! This is one from his website, not the most stunning by far, but an idea... have a snoop at the website below!

http://www.contemporaryweddings.net/

Fantastic Find!!!

Just found a fantastic online shop that has the most beautiful costume jewellery. Have ordered some beautiful butterfly hair pins and mini claws to decorate the back of my hair with, and also just cos I wanted them so badly!!!! Scrummy!

http://www.shefaly.co.uk/

Sunday films and activities

With the rainy dreary weather outside have enjoyed being snuggled up on our big bed making things for the wedding and watching Sunday afternoon television. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for the millionenth time for me, and Scarlett's first time in Molesey, us sharing our favourite bits on the phone throughout!

Anyway, table names are now all made and put together and here's one. Decided on names of characters from Midsummer Nights Dream, as I love the play and it's in keeping with the theme.

Onto the next task.....

Back from Bournemouth

Just back from sunny bournemouth on a work visit... missed Greg needless to say, and work was interesting, but so nice to bond with some of the girls from offices far and wide in the region! Has made this week fly by, just having two days away! Looking forward to a lovely work function tomorrow night and a weekend of fun too, seeing our band play and spending time together
xxx

Lippy and Locks

Finally today after much searching managed to sort out and book a lovely lady called Mel to do my bridal makeup and her partner in crime Eric to do my hair!

She sounds so lovely and am planning to go to Notting Hill to meet her over the next few months, and plan my trial for around January February time. She may well do Scarlett's hair too!

http://www.melkinsman.com/

Weekend frustration!!

Saturday night and I am bored!! I have so much to do planning wise but just feel like I keep coming to stops on various things! Does anyone else feel like that?? My invitations are coming along well, still need to print the inserts and cut, and address! Then onto assembly time.

Been looking at rings online and found some lovely ones by the same company that made and designed my engagement ring. Need to try some on, and getting moving.

Rach is busy this weekend, and Sarah on hold re dress choosing at the mo, and Courtney.. well we are off to try and see her tomorrow and actually ask her to be a bridesmaid! The whole waiting to sort out the dresses is killing me!

We're also planning to visit Greg's parents tomorrow and have a chat about the wedding guest list. Greg still is adamant he wants just immediate family, which will be difficult I think as his mum wants a few more. Seeing as mine are all coming it makes sense for them to come, but I will have to go alone with what he wants!

Stupid as it sounds I am just wishing time away now already.. it's just under seven months to the wedding and I wish it was sooner!!

Shopping Trip

Mum and Dad met me at work today and we walked along to Elys Department store and had a browse at Moss Bros for the men and the bridal department's beautiful bridesmaid gowns. Found a gorgeous little bridesmaid dress for Scarlett which is perfect with a corsage on and colour in it!

Mum also managed to find two outfits which will suit her and she bought one!!! Can't believe it really! It's beautiful! Mauve and black, a dress and a shrug very flowy and pretty. She looked smart and very mother of the bride but still herself.

Definitely a good shopping trip!

xxx

Catering capers!

Saturday afternoon Mum and I went to visit our venue and meet our Cater Aidan Tierney, from Tierney's Caterers. He was lovely and talked us through what he can do for us, and showed us our room laid up for someone else's wedding! It looked beautiful! It was laid up for a wedding breakfast for 85 people, so about our size, although without the top table. He was great though and gave us some fab ideas for having meal choices, missing the starters so people arent sitting too long, and the party can start!!!

The table that was made up also looked beautiful and it was so helpful as it's made it clear to me that we actually need nothing else on them! We already have birdcages, all the favours, a few little play things, the table names, the place cards.. so plenty!

Aidan may be doing a tasting day in october so looking forward to that!

Appointment at Big Beautiful Brides!!

It was an amazing day!!! Suzanne, the shop owner was wonderful bless her. She'd got in a dress I had seen on the Alfred Angelo website that I liked the look of, and that was similar style to one I had tried on before at Elderberry Brides in Basingstoke, but with more detail.... Anyway tried that one on, the alfred angelo one, and it was beautiful and despite that not fitting I got an idea of what it could look like, although it wasn't perfect for me... Then I tried on one of BBB's new dresses that they have designed themselves... their new range, which I had spotted when I walked in...and it was just perfect!!! It actually gave me good shape and it looked amazing with my necklace and tiara, and shoes. I don't need to wear a bra or a basque with it as the corset is so good... and I decided a veil was too much as I am wearing a wrap with it, that we are going to have attached at two points either side of the dress so it stays in place and disguises my chubby arms!!! Mum, Nan and Rach were all adamant this was the one too which is lovely and at first I thought oh I want to try on more...just cos trying on is such good fun, and I looked at the rail and I then thought.. no I don't I just want this one, and to have this in my head too!! We'll be going back in January apparently to try it on and have Anna make any adjustments for us! Now just have to sort out my bridesmaids (as we ran out of time to get a real idea on them) and my groom!!!!!!!!!!!!! So excited it's unbelievable!!!! Sent Sarah my chief bridesmaid a pic when I got home on email and on pain of death not to show anyone and she got all emotional and said she had goosebumps!!!!