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!

How I asked my Bridal Party (Bridesmaids, Groomsmen, Ring Bearer, Flower Women)

Today was so much fun...
I was extremely excited as I have been working really hard on how I wanted to ask my bridal party.
I browsed the internet, and ofcourse good ol' Pinterest to get some inspiration, and this is what I came up with.

There are 4 girls in my bridal party. My sister is my Maid of Honor, and my fiancee's three sisters are bridesmaids.

I gave them each a box that on top of the lid said "I can't say I do without you" and when they flipped open the lid the other side said "Will you be my Maid of Honor/Bridesmaid?" Inside the box I layed down yellow shredded paper and sat on top a bar of chocolate, a lollypop ring, an information card with the bridesmaid's numbers and names (at the top I placed an image from Bridesmaids the movie because it's hilarious!), some "I promise" cards, and a minimergency kit which I added in items such as a packet of tissues, bandaids, hair pins, panadol, nailpolish, lipgloss, mirror, sewing kit, deodorant, TOM items, etc. They all absolutely loved it! They were so suprised, excited, happy and honored. Ofcourse they all said "Yes"! YAY!

I told them to close their eyes, handed them the box, said open, and watched the magic happen...

It feels so much more real and exciting now that I have my bridal party. It was such a relief to finally be able to tell them.

I love the even number of four bridesmaids, and in particular how it looks in photos with two on each side of the bride. And I prefer to have family as it's a lovely way to include everyone and will be great bonding time.

As for my two best friends (who unfortunately cannot be squeezed into the bridal party) I am asking them to be my "femmes de fleur" [flower women in french]. I am going to ask them with a boquet of flowers and a lovely poem I wrote - "There is something special I need to ask, And it involves the day I'll say "I do". I need my best friend by my side, And I want you to walk down the aisle too. (name), Will you be my Femmes de Fleur?" 

My fiancee and I both have a young nephew so we will be having two ring bearers. We asked them with a photobook that we turned into a little book about their job as ring bearer, including pictures of them, the bridal party, and ofcourse us. It's like a little story book where we ask them at the end. They loved it! Especially finding the photos hilarious. So cute! Cannot wait to see them in their little suits!

My fiancee asked his Dad to be Best Man, and my three brothers as Groomsmen. 
They were given a piece of paper that said "I (picture of a moustache) you. Will you be my Best Man/Groomsmen?" GET IT?! haha we love it! And so did they. In particular my future father-in-law was very chuffed from this unexpected honor. (I just know he is going to have an absolute blast planning the bucks night)

We asked my future mother-in-law if she would read out a prayer at the ceremony. We thought this would be a lovely way to include her, and even more fitting as she is religious. 


Hope this has given you some inspiration!

I'm Engaged!

This post is wayyyy over due. But I'm in the mood to do some updating as there are big things ahead!

I'll start from the beginning....

There was this boy.
We became best friends.
One night we realised how much more we meant to each other.
We fell madly in love.

On February 14th (yes Valentines Day) 2014 he asked me to marry him...

It all started that morning when I was given a little origami heart with a clue written on it. There were many more to come. First I was sent to Ella Bache (a fancy spa) where I was pampered for 4 hours indulging in a full body scrub, massage, manicure (yes!), and pedicure. When I arrived back home my favourite yellow dress was laid out and the next clue was to get ready like a princess. There was a knock on the door and much to my surprise I discovered a man waiting with a stretch white limo behind him. There was champagne and a rose inside. I arrived at the Sofitel Hotel and was greeted by the General Manager who gave me my final heart along with a hotel key card. I opened the door to see a room full of rose petals, candles, fairy lights, and my love standing there in a suit. He said his sweet speech, "I've loved you since the first night we spent together. You are my rock. You've seen me at my highest and my lowest and you're still around. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want to start that now". Then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, "(full name), will you marry me?". I said "Yes!" (through tears of happiness). 
There was a photographer there to secretly capture the special moment, and we ended the night with our own private server in the room for dinner to celebrate. It was more than I ever dreamed of and we could not be happier. We are tying the knot in July 2015.

Here are my precious clues that he hand made. (in order left to right)

Watch this space for my Bride-to-be adventures!