My Wedding

It is finally time to share with you all my amazing Wedding day.

I feel very lucky to report that (as far as I know) everything went to plan and more importantly my husband and I had the BEST day and night celebrating our love with our friends and family.

I'm including some photos, minus the faces for privacy reasons so I hope you can understand that choice.

I'll step you through every little bit :)

My bouquet is made of artificial flowers so I can keep it forever, they looked SO real even my photographer didn't realise! I went with a mix of white flowers; roses, spray roses, hydrangeas and baby breath. 

Ok. I am one of those crazy women who went and ordered her dress to be made from an overseas online store for $300 (including the veil)... I know! And you know what, IT TURNED OUT AMAZING! This was my compromise so that we could afford a videographer as well. I ordered my dress from dressilyme.com and it was a great success. I did pay for someone to do my alterations once I received it but I had a friend who didn't need any on hers. Make sure your measurements are accurate. They also were very quick to respond to my emails, friendly, professional and willing to help make any changes necessary to the original design. 

For my Father of the Bride present I decided to go with a set of personalised cuff links, which my dad loved. One is our favourite picture of us from when I was little and the other had the words 'I'll always be your Princess' because that was (still is) his pet name for me. There are a lot of businesses on ebay.com and etsy.com who make this and can tailor to your needs. 

For my Mother of the Groom present I got my MIL an embroidered handkerchief. I bought the handkerchief from Myer (btw very difficult to find classic frilled edged old school style napkins so don't leave it last minute like I did). I went to a little kiosk store at my shopping centre and had her initials and name with the message 'Thank you for raising the man of my dreams' along with my name and our wedding date in our main wedding colour (yellow). I don't know if it was used but she really appreciated it.  

The Groomsmen gifts were superhero themed cuff links. It was fun to have this little bit of our quirkiness without taking over the styling of the wedding. The guys loved it (a lot more than I thought they would..) and it totally brought out the little 'super hero boys' in them. My husband of course wore the batman ones. 

A view of our chapel and my dad's pride and joy vehicle used to bring the groom and groomsmen.

Our ringbearers (aka our adorable nephews) wore our rings on a rustic style rope around their necks.

Our page boy (aka yet another adorable nephew) wore the 'Here comes the Bride' sign. We made this our self with just a piece of wood I found laying around painted with chalk board paint.

A very cute moment when he gave my husband a flower. You can't plan for this adorableness! 

A view of bridal party during ceremony inside the chapel. I fell in love with the floor to ceiling windows. Our photographer was very skilled to still get amazing photos despite the bright background.

The outfit our Ring bearers and Page boy wore. I ordered the suit set and bow tie separately from ebay.com

Another spectacular view.

A cute one of us.

Love my shoes (something blue).

Bridesmaids wore yellow chiffon full length dresses with lace top from forherandforhim.com 

They had baby breath (real) bouquets which just went so perfectly. They all had their hair in updos (my MOH had a little bit of baby breath in her hair) and for accessories; big tear drop silver earrings, silver shoes (I gave them the option to chose their shoes flat or high heel), and they wore the rings I got them as their present. See other post for those gems, click here. 

Groomsmen and Groom wore dark grey suits with white shirts, black dress shoes, yellow ties (all from Lowes, amazing quality and super affordable price), and baby breath boutonnieres. Groom had a black vest and yellow rose in his boutonnieres. 

Fun Fact: He proposed to me with a yellow rose so it was a special thing for us to bring into the wedding.

We hired large lawn games for our guests to be entertained while we took our photos. We had Chess, Jenga, Ring Toss and Connect Four. We found a business on gumtree.com to hire from.

Our delicious wedding cake. I found inspiration from a few cakes on Pinterest, photoshopped them together, sent the picture to a small business I found through facebook and Voila! She even delivered.

Our cake topper is lazered acrylic from a store on Etsy.com (on the right has our surname going down). It came with a stand to use as home decor afterwards which I love.

Our Reception set up. Large baby breath bouquets in tall thin cylinder vases which sat on a circle mirror and tea lights. 

Some entertainment for our guests. 

Bridal table.

Our bonbonnieres  were these jars I bought from Ikea. I ordered the chalkboard stickers and a white chalk pen from ebay.com as well as made the tags to go around. One side is what you see, the other side said 'Thank you for making our day complete'.

These were their jars to use to fill up at the lolly bar.

The oh so lovely lolly bar (which was practically GONE by the time we arrived btw lol). 

A MASSIVE HIT!

This wishing well was made by my older brother for my sister's wedding, then it was passed to an older brother for his wedding, and finally through to us as we got married. Now it is ours until we pass it on again one day.

Bridal table.

Back lights.

Sparkler send off.

And there you have it! The most amazing Wedding, I could never imagine it would be that wonderful.

Any questions or comments please leave below :)

Until we meet again my loves,

It's All About The: Hair!

Welcome to the Series of "It's All About The:"

This post - HAIR!

I have decided to give my bridesmaids different hairstyles, as I am leaning towards having them all in the same attire.

Here are a few of my favourites, and ones that I will most likely have them wear.

Please comment if this is yours.

Let us number the above photo 1 to 12, left to right and then down. As if you were reading.
My favourites are numbers 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 12.

Braids are such a beautiful thing that can look so different and amazing. They really add something to the hair. Definitely feminine, neat, and classic (and quite easy to do on yourself if you're on a budget!)

http://bridalmusings.com/

So beautiful and effortless. Gives volume and therefore is flattering to the face. And the ability to add flowers or other embellishments to the hair is a nice touch.

Please comment if this is yours.

LOVE this! So simple, but oh so elegant. If your bridesmaid has long hair, you just can't fail with this style to show it off. 

Please comment if this is yours.

My number one favourite option for my Bridesmaids. This is THE photo. The one that inspired me. I first wanted this on all my bridesmaids, and then I found so many more gorgeous styles as I've shown you now. But this one is just so simple, beautiful, effortless, and I love it so much. 

As you can maybe tell, the trend with my Bridesmaids hair is to include a braid of some sort, and to be an updo whether a bun or ponytail.

artzycreations.com

And last, but certainly not least.

This is it ladies.

My hair.

I'm going with a waterfall braid, and nice big voluminous curls.




What styles are you going for?

Comment below!

Bridesmaid's Gifts

I think it is a lovely idea to save something special to give your Bridesmaids on the day of the Wedding.

This is what I have decided to give mine...

And yes I have bought them over a year in advance. Don't judge me... I got excited, ok.

Monogrammed Rings

Above picture is what I received. A tiffany blue gift bag, jewellery pouch, cardboard box with foam insert, and the monogrammed ring in a plastic ziplock bag. This all came with each ring I ordered which is fantastic because it already looks so pretty for me to give my Bridesmaids.

Another look at all the rings with their boxes.

Here is a close up of all of the rings.

In order of left to right:

RCD - JHA - RHS - MHJ

My 4 Bridesmaids.

The initial in the center of the ring is the person's last name, then on the far left is the initial of their first name, and on the far right is the initial of their middle name. 

This can be tricky if you have more than one middle name. I got one for myself, and I was lucky to have my first and last name with the same letter so I chose to have my two middle names on either side. 

I decided to get my Bridesmaid's and mine with our maiden name. See this however you will as all my reasons range from "feminist power!", "so we remember who and where we came from", "because mine is my maiden name and first name so I needed to make ours all the same", "because there are two lots of sisters and it just looks nice".... and I'm sure there could be more reasons.

How I chose the colour and size of the ring:

It was late one night and I Facebook messaged all of my Bridesmaids asking what colour jewellery they prefer. I already had a good idea of what their answers were but wanted to double check before spending the money. Luckily they all replied instantly. Then I asked them what their middle names were because Facebook profiles didn't give me my answers (don't you just hate those failed stalking moments?). I didn't mind by this stage if I was clueing them in, because it is not until over a years time that they will get these. So I'm banking on them forgetting. I also then asked if they knew what size in rings they were... I know. really giving it away now... And again they answered. You can see they make good Bridesmaids already not daring to make the Bride wait haha! (jokes)

And Voila!

Ask and you shall receive... answers! I placed my order, waited patiently and was so happy when I received them.

I am SO in love with this style of Monogrammed rings. Both the silver and gold look amazing. 

Such a nice personalised touch that my ladies will love and wear forever.

What are you getting your Bridesmaids? - My sister gave me and her other Bridesmaids perfume with individualised scents. I still have the bottle!

Questions To Ask Your Photographer

Here are the questions you should be asking your photographer:


Number of weddings photographed?
Experience, portfolio, references...

How many weddings will you shoot on my day?
You'd be surprised by how busy they can get. If there are more than just yours then make sure there is plenty of time in between - and a backup plan never hurts...

Deposit?
Get your understanding of price and deadlines for payment...

Cancellation policy?
Who knows why, but you need to know...

Ever photographed at my venue?
If yes then they should have a good idea of some great spots, if not then ask if they could please check it out before the big day...

Preferred style of photography?
Traditional, artistic, natural light, scenery, photojournalism, quirky, props, posing...

Can I request images to be taken?
Make sure you detail what you want and if they are capable of meeting those desires...

Do you bring lighting?
They should say yes, but if not make sure they explain...

Do you have a list?
Check out my post on Tips for You and Your Photographer which should look similar to their list and if not then give mine to them...

Hours included in package?
Read the fine print and make sure you know how long they will be there, if they will tell you when time is up on the day, and how much extra it will be if time goes over...

Number of images?
Make sure you understand what you are getting including raw and edited and if you get a choice of which ones are edited...

Time period on photo proofs?
Find out when you get to see them...

CD/USB/Prints/Album?
Find out the cost if extra for prints and if an album is included...

Will my photos be used for advertising?
Most photographers will get you to sign a waiver which gives them the right to use your images however they want so make sure you read what you sign and make it known if you are ok with this or not...

What will you wear?
Sounds strange and odd but imagine you are from a conservative family, having a conservative or religious wedding, and the photographer turns up in a crop top, or singlet with tattoos of the devil staring into your poor old grandma's soul! ... or on the flip side you are totally casual and relaxed and the photographer turns up in a tux - awkward... 

What is your plan if you fall sick or there is an emergency where you cannot make it?
I repeat - a backup plan never hurts...



Hope these tips help you so there is no stress or confusion with possibly the most important person there to help you capture your special day, forever.

Tips for You and Your Photographer

Here are the absolute basics that your photographer should be doing with photos on your wedding day.


Make sure you read through this and even print it out with whatever additions or changes you may want or need so that the photographer knows. You want everyone on the same page. Remember this is all in one day so if you make a list now then you wont have to worry about it on the day.



*Quick tip - give your photographer or maid of honor (give someone this job) a list of the names of family etc you definitely want in photos. That will make it easier for them to scream out the names and gather whoever they need...


Photos you need:

Before the Ceremony...

- dress, veil, garter, bouquet, wedding rings
- getting ready photos 

*tip - get the photographer to do the groom first in a faux getting ready, then the boys can undress and relax while the photographer goes to you and follows you to the ceremony...

- groom with groomsmen
- solo of the bride
- bride with bridesmaids



At the Ceremony...

- outside shot
- guests arriving
- bridal party walking down the aisle
- groom waiting for his bride
- father giving away bride
- first kiss
- throwing confetti etc

*tip - if you are wanting a photo of that special moment when the groom first sees his bride, then ask your photographer to have the camera on him first to capture that split second moment... you will look stunning the whole walk down the aisle with plenty of time for photo ops...



At the Reception...

- newlyweds greeting guests
- toasts
- father and daughter dance
- first couples dance
- wedding cake
- table photos with newlyweds
- guests dancing
- getaway car
- send off



Formal Photos...

- full-length solo bride
- bride with parents
- bride with bridesmaids
- groom with best man and groomsmen
- groom with parents
- bride and groom together





Hope all these tips rested your mind. They seem so simple, yet so easy to forget about sometimes.

Good luck!

5 of My Favourite Wedding Table Decoration Ideas

I don't know why but for some reason I really enjoy browsing through table decoration ideas.
This is a strange realisation because I think I assumed that every bride-to-be goes straight for the dresses but so far my order of events have been 1. Booked venue, 2. Bought the picture frames I want our wedding pictures in, 3. Research the shoes I want to wear (then found them and cried at the price), 4. Ask bridal party, and now 5. Table decorations.... Because this order makes sense.... Right?
(On some level this really tells you a lot about me haha)

Here are some of my favourite ideas so far:

1. Check out this cute idea for the champagne bottles, perhaps it could be for the ones on the bridal party table. The idea is to have two champagne bottles, one covered in a suit and bow tie and the other in a wedding dress. I have not seen this one before and think it is so cute and quirky!

Image from Pretty Little Liars Season 4 Episode 23.

Click here to find these cuties on ebay.



2. This one is definitely something I'll be doing at my wedding because I've seen it done a few different ways and love the style of a very tall, thin vase with big, almost overflowing flowers on top. It would also be really helpful because your guests will be able to see everything including each other at the table, rather than have an obstacle in their face.  This looks oh so very simple yet chic.

Image from http://www.sirromet.com/barrel-hall/w1/i1104343/

3. Another trend going on is to bring the outdoor in. This gives a rustic feel which is a very popular style right now. I don't know why but rustic is everywhere, everyone is doing it, I've always loved it and now that it's my turn ofcourse it's what everyone else is doing. But that's ok because it means easy access and I get to see all the great ideas people are coming up with. It gives a very earthy, warm and romantic feel, especially hanging tea light candles on the tall branches/twigs as well as placing candles around the base.

Image from http://www.sirromet.com/barrel-hall/w1/i1104343/

4. This is a brilliant idea! Again another I will be wanting to do. Having your table numbers as pictures of the bride and groom at that age. I've also seen other ideas where they've used the numbers as significant dates from your relationship. However I am not sure if you could manage this for consectutive numbers, or if you can pick and choose. (I think my OCD would go crazy if I didn't have numbers in order.) What a lovely way to share some history with your guests (and then keep those pictures for when you start having children to see the resemblance).

Image from http://www.weddingwindow.com/blog/what-wedding-flowers-come-in-green/

5. And last but certainly not least this fabulous and creative idea to fill mason jars with glow stick fluid. Simply cut open a glow stick (make sure to wear gloves just incase, and do this over a sink), shake the contents into the mason jar and add a bit of glitter for some oomph. Close it up with the lid, and lastly give it a shake. Now I'm assuming from my experience with glow sticks that this will most likely be a job for on the day of the wedding just to make sure you really get the neon colour and to make sure it will last all night long. This is such a magical idea, and one that no one will forget! I can just see the children in particular loving this one.

Unaware of any copyright. Please comment.

Comment and share below what you are planning or have done for your wedding!

A Disappointing Reaction...

In my previous post I was talking about How I Asked My Bridal Party to be involved in our special day.
I hadn't yet asked my two best friends to be my flower women. We had decided to have our siblings be in the bridal party and we didn't want it to be too huge. 10 people including us was enough!

I came up with what I thought (and still think) was a really sweet way to still incorporate my friends so they felt they were still a big part of this special time. And ofcourse I wanted to ask them in a special way. This idea involved the irony of giving them flowers, accompanied by a poem I wrote (you can read this in my previous post).

Yesterday afternoon I went around to Friend 1's house to give her the flowers in person and ofcourse see her reaction and get all excited and girly with her. She was suprised and confused I was giving her flowers but still smiled as she read the poem. Then she briefly said yes and gave me a quick hug. Then made a comment about how funny it would be if she said no and we had a little joke about that (along the way I too was thinking how awkward if someone said no) and then she made a comment about how she's everyone's bridesmaid and oh how busy am I, all still joking around.
I thought it was odd she used the word bridesmaid and then was worried she was confused about what I had just asked her (even though it was written very clearly 'flower woman').
To avoid any awkwardness I tried to steer the topic into being positive and mentioned it was her and my other friend who would be my flower women because I still wanted them involved, and oh yay how cute you get to walk down the aisle with my little nephew. In saying this I thought I would get the excited reaction I was anticipating.

She didn't respond.

And for the next minute she was completely poker faced, monotoned, and said nothing. Didn't ask me any questions. (Also up to this point she never made any effort to ask about how I was going with everything, had I asked my sister to be MOH, or just anything in general you would think a best friend would ask when there's planning for a wedding. This is also a 'friend' who has been calling me to rant about how she's not engaged and everyone else is... and also made the comment 'oh everyone gets engaged on Valentines' trying to make mine seem less important).

And that was it.
She just brushed it all off, including me, and rushed out the door to go to work. I had planned to have some time before she had to leave so I knew this was odd and out of character for her.

I immediately called my fiancée and explained what had happened and how it was very odd, weird and just didn't seem right. I was really disappointed she wasn't excited (because I was!), nor did she recognise the effort I put in to 1. Ask her, and 2. Include her!

A few minutes passed and I got a text message.

'So I'm not a bridesmaid'


....








Because these are my reactions, I have chosen to ignore it whilst I sort through my emotions and try to get some clarity. It's hard to explain how I'm feeling as I'm sure some of you may be taking this differently, but this is the 'straw that broke the camels back' and it's really making me rethink the entire friendship. Because I have not been happy in this relationship for quite some time now. 

Please feel free to leave comments, suggestions, ideas, etc. 

I have a lot of thinking to do...