This Little Journey

Rain, rain, go away

2012-01-19T17:25:00.000-08:00

It is the middle of Summer right now, but it is pelting rain and hail so hard outside that my car alarm keeps going off.

It just makes me feel even more lucky that we got the weather we did on the wedding day (Australian wedding).

Rob Dose

This group shot from our wedding makes me feel happy every time I look at it. We had 43 guests in the end- just our most favourite people in the world. With the amount of love on the beach, it could have been 200 people.

I'm such a sap.

Doubly Wed

2012-01-11T15:56:00.000-08:00

As I sat in the sitting room of the Bridal Suite on the night before the Irish wedding, looking out the window at the castle, it occurred to me that I was kind of living a fairytale.

If you had told me five years ago that on that day, I'd have moved to Ireland, seen some of Europe, met a boy that is amazing beyond words and brought him back to Australia with me, travelled with him and alone with friends; been married on a beach surrounded by most of our most favourite people and had a fantastic evening dancing and singing with them, then flown back to Ireland with our entire family to do it all again another way, I would've... I don't know. I would probably cried because it didn't seem possible.

Paddy said to me that it was us that made all of it happen- that we had set these goals and done it ourselves. But none of this would have happened without our family and friends, who helped us so much along the way, and dedicated so much to being able to be there with and for us.

I'll start recaps soon, once I have my professional photos back.

I can't believe it was really/only less than a month ago.

You Guys

2011-11-21T18:45:00.001-08:00

I'm getting married soon.

Does anyone even read this anymore?

I have been such a slack blogger, but you know what? I don't even care. I have had a really great six months.

We're currently at less than a month until W Day. It has come up SO very quickly.

Just about everything is in place.

Things have gone wrong, there have been a few disappointments with suppliers, but it has all worked out so far.

I can't believe I'm going to be married before Christmas.

So...

2011-09-21T19:08:00.000-07:00

I got an email from The Knot last week, to remind me that we only had 3 months to go until the wedding.

THREE MONTHS.

Where did the time go?

When my bestie had only 3 months to go until her July wedding, I remember being really jealous that her wedding was just around the corner. I worried about the things she hadn't finalised yet. I thought, how can she be cutting it so fine? Surely, when I have 3 months to go until my own wedding, all I'll have to do will be pack.

Idiot.

The invitations are not done yet. We (I) decided to DIY ours. And by DIY, I mean I timesucked an immeasurable amount of Shan's time and energy in helping to design them, due to me being Adobe Creative Suite- challenged. And by helping, I of course mean that I sat next to her and pointed at the things I did and didn't like. Loves you Shanny!

So, the design part is done for both the Irish and Aussie weddings. I have only printed, trimmed and glued the main part of the Aussie invitation. I also glued my fingers together. But at least I know those suckers aren't coming apart!

We've pretty much finalised the guest lists. Aussie wedding is looking like being 50 people, which is exactly what I wanted. 50 is the minimum for our venue, so we'll be paying for 50 whether that many attend or not. And I'd rather pay for missing seats than invite somebody that isn't family, or a friend that is like family.

Ireland is currently at 130... plus evening reception guests (but they don't cost us anything so that doesn't count). We originally budgeted for 100. However, we cut the soup course from our menu (who needs 4 courses anyway?? 3 is plenty!), so we aren't too far over budget.

On a side note... am I crazy for having my hen's night in Ireland 3 nights before the wedding?! I can't waiiiiit! Hen's night 30th December... then I'll be too hungover to drink too much on NYE, so I won't be hungover the day before the wedding, and then ready to drink again for the wedding on 2 January!

Anatomy of Love

2011-08-29T20:16:00.000-07:00

Source

I love this. It is available as a print or card.

I can tell you now, the Groomie will be receiving the card on the morning of our wedding :)

Help, Part 2

2011-08-22T22:06:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to have a wedding craft day last weekend. Myself, my sister, Mum and a few friends were all congregating at Shan's place to eat cupcakes, drink champagne and get a start on some wedding projects.

First, a couple of the girls couldn't come until late in the day. Which was fine, what ever.

Then, Shan had to go interstate for work for the week beforehand, only arriving back the night before. At this point I thought, surely we should cancel. There is no way I could ask someone to open their home to everyone when she has had such a full-on week. But being the lovely girl she is, Shan insisted that we still go ahead.

Then, the afternoon before, my Mum called to say that she had nobody to look after my brothers on the day.

And so I texted the few that were coming and cancelled.

And I felt so relieved.

Then Shan texted me at 8am the next morning "Yay craft day!!" (she apparently hadn't turned on her other phone yet), and I promptly regretted cancelling.

Here is the thing: I have spent so long organising everything and trying not to inconvenience people, that when people actually wanted to help, I didn't see it.

Silly me.

All was not lost, however.

Shan I spent the day either hunched over our two laptops, or in stationery shops. At the end of the day, we (mainly she with her mad design skillz) had produced possibly the cutest invitation I have ever seen (not that I am biased or anything).

Then, our respective lovely boys joined us for drinkies and yummy food. And forced ooh-and-ahh-ing over invitations.

So, main Irish invitationprototype done. Only the evening invitations, RSVP cards, mass booklets, Aussie invitations... argh.

I have read a lot of posts about learning to accept help from others when it comes to the wedding. I always assumed that for me, it would be about me learning to give up control and trusting others. But that isn't it at all. It is about realising that your friends and family WANT to help and you aren't doing a bad thing by letting them.

And now I will step down from my soapbox.

Help, Part 1

2011-08-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

I have two posts to write about people helping when it comes to the wedding. The post I was going to write first has been overridden by something that just happened, so we'll get on to the happy stuff later.

I am generally the person that organises everyone and everything- it is natural to me as the oldest child, and generally I don't mind doing it because at least then I know it is done and done correctly.

We are currently less than 4 months out from the wedding. And suddenly, I want people to deal with their own problems. It is dawning on me now, that despite being organised from the beginning, the reality is that we are holding two continents events on two continents within a 2 week timeframe. I can be as organised as I like, and that won't change the fact that I am going to be busy constantly until all of this is over. It may run slightly more smoothly than it otherwise would have, but everything still needs happen when it needs to happen.

Where do you draw the line between things people should be able to handle themselves without bothering you unnecessarily, and things you should be helping with because it is your wedding they are there for?

OMG the worst thing happened!

2011-08-01T17:40:00.000-07:00

I sent off our playlist to the DJ last night. That isn't the bad part! The Groomie and I spent Sunday night and two bottles of red wine choosing all of our favourite songs, making sure that we didn't miss any. I promised myself that once the list was sent, that was IT. I don't have the time to do the same things twice- once they are done, they are done. We're currently 4 months out from the Groomie's family arriving. 4 months is not a lot of time and I am starting to freak out a little bit. It feels like there is so much to do.

Anyway, back to my original point...

I woke up in the middle of the night last night with a horrible realisation:

I left Mr Boombastic off the playlist.

Remember the time I nearly spewed in the priest's house?

2011-07-18T00:43:00.000-07:00

I do.

Unsurprisingly, I got sick in Ireland. We landed on the Saturday morning and I had the hen's night that night, our lil nephew (and now the Groomie's godson) had his Christening on the Sunday and my hair trial the next morning, followed by our wedding tasting that night... and well, you get the idea.

I was wrecked, I wore myself, etc, etc.

So, come Tuesday night when we had the rehearsal in the church for my bestie's wedding on the Friday night, I was not feeling too well. I'd spent the morning traipsing around Kilkenny, having my make-up trial (absolutely awesome- Dawn is a prettiness genius! And so, so lovely) and helping the Groomie choose his suit (black tails, top hat and cane- can you be hopelessly predictable and super fun at the same time?)... and shopping.

By the time we got to the rehearsal that night I was a shell of a person.

I managed to make it through their rehearsal, sitting on a pew and looking decidedly pale. Afterwards, we had to go up to the priest's house to go through the paperwork for our own wedding. He found the Groomie's very comprehensive form almost straight away, but spent a while searching around for mine. I sat for as long as I could before I had to tell the Groomie we needed to LEAVE.

We made our apologies and fled the house, and arrived home at the Groomie's parents' house just in time for me to get sick. You're welcome for the mental imagery.

So, to summarise, I met the priest for the second time ever, went to his house for long enough to let him no that I have no religion and have never been Christened, then left in a rush.

Success, yes?

We had to get the paperwork done while we were there, so he pulled me into the back room of the church after I witnessed the marriage certificate at my bestie's wedding and we got it done.

We're getting there!

The benefits of having a fiance with a cute Irish accent

2011-07-17T23:49:00.000-07:00

Not sure what we were doing here, but we were having fun! At my bestie's wedding in Ireland

I'll be upfront and say that the accommodation for our Australian wedding is ridiculously expensive. The online rate for a studio room that sleeps two, on the night of our wedding is currently $305 per night. That is a lot of money. The trouble with that is, the hotel can get away with it. It is the only hotel within a 12km radius.

We chose Bunker Bay beach because it is one of only a couple of beaches in the Margaret River region that is somewhat sheltered from the wind. At the time, the functions lady at the hotel said that we would be able to get a reduced rate on the rooms. And then, we had to move the wedding date back by a week, which put our wedding date as the first day of the school holidays ($$$$$). And the functions lady left.

Both my Dad and I called separately and tried to organise some kind of discount for our guests. We were told that there was absolutely nothing they could offer us. So, we booked the rooms for ourselves and immediate family and gave information on alternative accommodation in the nearest town to our guests when we sent out our Save the Dates. We are also providing bus transfers to and from the hotels and our reception venue.

And then today, the Groomie called reservations to book a room for himself and his Best Man for the night before the wedding. And the lady offered him a discount on nightly rates if we paid upfront. So, I gave him all of our previous reservations, which he cancelled and re-booked at much better rates ($274 for a studio room).

I am thinking perhaps the reservations lady was a fan of the Irish accent? Whatever it was, I am glad that we can pass this information to everyone now! Perhaps this is the money gods' way of cutting me some slack after I found out that I'd been taxed incorrectly by my old job and now owe 3.5k to the government...

5 months yesterday until the wedding. How time flies!

Family

2011-07-11T17:53:00.001-07:00

I'm back in Australia! I have lots of stuff to write about from Ireland this week, but this news is too exciting to wait!

My entire family is going to make it to Ireland. Flights booked. And we (and the Groomie's family) are all arriving in Dublin within an hour of each other.

I cannot wait for the drive back to Graig with everyone.

My big little brother/bridesman (with a dirty mo') and I with our birthday cake last year. This year my birthday will be a few days before the Aussie wedding, and his will be in Ireland :)

I was nervous for a while there that my notoriously laidback brother (and Aussie bridesman) was going to leave it too long and miss out on flights. But he called me last night before he booked and the news was up on Facebook shortly thereafter.

I am elated.

The cutest niece/flowergirl ever, and I.... only a week ago in Graig :(

This is going to be the best Christmas ever.

So far, there will be us and:
- the Groomie's parents
- his favourite aunt and her two boys
- his sister, her husband and their two kiddies
- his cousin/best friend
- my Mum, two little brothers and sister
- my Dad, his wife and my littlest brother
- my big little brother and his...ummm... ex-girlfriend of a couple of years from a few years ago who he still lives with and is like part of the family

That is 19 people (plus us) that are flying across the world to be there with us when we get married (twice). That is friggin amazing. Luckiest people in the world much??

The Groomie and the cutest nephew/groomsman ever. Yes, a groomsman who will be 1 year old at the wedding. Also, look at him! I am congratulating myself on choosing an excellent husband/future father of my child/ren.

Hopefully my lovely ladies Claire and Lozzy will be able to make it, too (no pressure!!) They both live on the other side of Australia, and so far Lozzy has booked her flight to Perth for wedding number one. Yay!

Do this sound ridiculous to everyone else? I know it is. I can't believe it. The reason we are having two weddings is so that people don't have to travel. But so many of our favourite people are travelling anyway.

If I get any happier I might burst.

Leaving on a jet plane

2011-06-23T00:52:00.001-07:00

After stressing for the last week or so that the damn ash cloud was going to ruin our plans, I'm pleased to say that the Groomie and I will be flying out to Ireland tonight.

Because we are having such a big year travel-wise, I went the absolute cheapest way about plane fares. We have 3 stops on the way to Ireland (one overnight in London) and a total of 39 hours in transit.

But, at the end of it, the Groomie will get to see his family, and I will get to be Maid of Honour in my best friend's wedding.

We arrive in Dublin on Saturday morning, and the hen's night is that night. I am going to be wrecked, but I CAN'T WAIT. The rest of the week we'll be finalising things for our own wedding. hair and make-up trials, cake tasting, wedding meal tasting, suit hire, meeting the photographer (YAY), and a million other things I can't think of right now.

Neither the Groomie or I have ever seen the inside of our reception venue. I am soooo excited! My best friend is getting married in the same church as us, so I'll definitely be paying attention to how things work.

Here's hoping I return to blogging in a couple of weeks feeling refreshed!

EFFING CHAIRS, continued

2011-06-01T18:04:00.000-07:00

The saga continues, everyone. Yay!

I have now spoken with my Mum another million times about the EFFING CHAIRS, via text and phone calls.

The other night, as I was driving home from work at about 6:30pm (point being, it was a long shitty day and I was tired), the subject came up again. For about 15 minutes (this seems to be the length of conversation needed to completely defeat both of us on the subject).

The next day, I thought EFF IT! LET'S THROW MONEY AT THIS SITUATION! YEAH!

And then I had a look around at what is available in the area we're getting married in. Basically, we have three options:

1. Pay $8.35 per chair cover and extra for someone to put them on the chairs. No, thank you. I am not a millionaire.

2. Get white gladiator chairs for $5-8 apiece, but risk them being uncomfortable or the wrong height for the tables.

3. Get chair covers from Perth and bring them down, but then have to find someone to put them on.

And therein lays my dealbreakers... I will not pay $8+ per chair to fix something that isn't broken in the first place. That is a lot of money. Mum insists that she will put the chair covers on, but a) I have worked at weddings before and it is not an easy job, b) if they aren't put on properly they will fall off and look hideous, and c) I AM NOT HAVING MY MUM STRESSING HERSELF AND WORKING ON MY WEDDING DAY FOR THE SAKE OF.... wait for it.... EFFING CHAIRS!

And so, we reach a stalemate. There is nothing to be done. Mum will continue not to accept it, and I will continue to wish she'd concentrate on the million other things that are more important about that month.

Yay, wedding!

Chairs

2011-05-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

Yes, chairs.

Chairs are the bane of my existence at the moment.

Last week, I managed to have a 15 minute phone conversation/disagreement with my Mum about chair covers.

I maintain that chair covers are unnecessary. The chairs are fine- the only issue is that they are black (could be a lot worse) and there is no black anywhere else in the wedding.

Our venue is gorgeous. The view is amazing. The food and drinks are amazing. The tables themselves will look lovely. Of all of the things that people will care about at the wedding, I can't imagine that they will be overly concerned about the things that they SIT THEIR ARSE ON.

My Mum, on the other hand, thinks that the wedding will be completely ruined if we do not have white chair covers.

I have tried to compromise. We are having three long tables, with settings for the Groomie and I at the top of each- we plan to have one course at each table. I have said that we'll do special covers for the Groomie and I's seats at each table- these are the seats that people will see when they walk in anyway.

Mum accepted that for a few days. But since I sent her a picture of some of the table decor, she is very concerned again. She thinks that there is no point making the table pretty if the chairs aren't.

My issues with covers are this:
a) Someone will need to put the covers on the chairs. We do not have access to the restaurant until after our ceremony finishes. I do not want anyone having to deal with that on the day. It is very important to me that there is as little to worry about as possible.
b) Chair covers cost money. Mum wants to pay, but it will be a huge month- I don't want her wasting money on chair covers that could otherwise be spent on HER ONLY TRIP TO EUROPE EVER.

I don't know what else I can do. They are effing chairs. I don't want me or anyone close to me worried about EFFING CHAIRS on my wedding day.

Annnnnd... vent over.

Soo...

2011-05-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't been around these parts much lately. I started a new job a while ago and it has kept me very busy!

The cape was a disaster. It was a horrible yellowish tan kind of colour, which I can kind of see when I look at the picture now. The way it fell was perfect, but the colour, along with the overwhelmingly cheap smell that permeated from the package when I opened it, and the catchy fleece (not soft like I imagined) made it a total waste of money. Having said that, I have bought many things on the internet for this wedding, and this was the first failure. So, all good.

The Groomie and I went shopping on the weekend, and I ended up in Forever New (he was safely in Rebel Sport). I swear that shop is a gold mine for weddings. Every single thing in the shop is in white or pastel.I bought a white angora blend cardigan, cute gloves and some socks (all for Ireland, obviously. Actually, I bought a rose-coloured cardigan, changed my mind and went back to exchange it, but changed my mind again in the store and left. Then drove almost home, turned around and went back and exchanged it.

I am starting to feel as though the wedding is going to creep up on me. In a month, we are flying to Ireland for my best friend's wedding. We'll only be there just over a week, but it will be packed with wedding stuff- hers and ours. When we get back, it will be less than 5 months until the Groomie's family arrives in Australia. It seems like yesterday that the wedding was a year away- what happened??

It is dawning on me that no matter how organised you are, planning two weddings is still a huge amount of work. I need a list.

I am trying to imagine what my life will be like when it is all over. I am glad that we get to drag the celebrations out for a month. I am not glad that we haven't allocated time for a honeymoon directly after the wedding. Over the period 1st Dec- 5 Jan, we will get a total of one day alone together. Hopefully. We would be crazy not to take advantage of all of this time with our friends and families, but still. I think I will miss the Groomie until we land back in Australia.

Baby, it's cold outside

2011-04-14T22:39:00.001-07:00

Well, it isn't here in Perth. It is supposed to be well into Autumn and it is 34 today (that's 93 for those of you playing in the States).

But, for our wedding day in Ireland, there is no doubt it is going to be very chilly.

I've been looking around for at least a year for something to keep me warm while we're outside.

Originally I had looked at Cloaks of Ireland, but I just couldn't justify the cost for something I'll only wear for one day.

So, here are the choices I came up with:

Cloaks of Ireland

FashionableKnitting

ASOS

And finally, my choice, for the very charming price of $50 plus postage:

Spiegel, bought from Ebay

Winter brides, you are welcome! :)

Pre-Marriage Course, Part 3

2011-04-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

Now for the second visit to Catholic Education Service.

You know those days when everything goes wrong? I had an absolute shit of a day leading up to the appointment, ending in a presentation at work that ran over, meaning I left the building 10 minutes later than I should have, which meant that I hit the traffic and got home 15 minutes later than I wanted to, which meant... you get the idea. In the end we were about 25 minutes late to our appointment. And I hate being late.

So, we rushed into the office, late and flustered. Well, I was flustered. The Groomie was sauntering along without a care in the world.

We were led into a room with three comfy chairs and a couple of clipboards. Our counsellor came in and introduced herself. She was Croatian but spoke exactly like a German friend of ours, so I spent the first few minutes trying not to notice that.

On our clipboards were copies of the questionnaires we had done a couple of weeks prior and a sheet with maybe 10 relationship categories on them. We were asked to tick 3 areas where we thought we were strong, and 3 areas where there was a potential for growth. Some of the areas were: Communication, Family, Sexuality, Personality, Religion... the list goes on.

We basically spent the next two hours talking about ourselves and why we had chosen to do the course, and going through the questionnaires to questions that we had answered differently.

There were no surprises- I was really happy that we had already had discussions about everything that came up.

What we did get out of it though is that we can't be lazy in our relationship. Things that seem little and manageable now might blow up in the future if we don't do something to remedy them now.

I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. It wasn't at all awkward. The counsellor told us that the reason the church insists that people undertake some form of pre-marital counselling is so that, if things go wrong once we are married, we are more likely to seek help from an outside source because it won't be an unknown, scary thing. And I completely agree.

This appointment was almost two months ago now, and I can honestly say that our relationship has improved because of it- and we were already happy. It is great to know that we are on the same page with things. We've also been making more of an effort with each other- I think after you have been living with someone for a while, you can take it for granted that they are there.

After that session, we were signed up for a "Night Owls" group course that went for 3 hours on two consecutive Monday nights. More on that soon :)

Accepting the brideyness

2011-04-07T22:01:00.000-07:00

Source

I'm a little bit afraid of looking like a bride at the wedding(s).

Is that weird?

I've pretty much chosen and/or purchased everything I'll be wearing on the day(s).

Piece by piece, they are all pretty things- not flashy, but definitely special. Then I think about them all together and suddenly I have become a bride.

How did that happen?

Maybe it is just seeing all of the things together, rather than spread out over my... self? Maybe I have never worn so many "special" things all in one (...two) day/s before? And that isn't to say I am going over the top on accessories- just earrings and a bracelet. For the Aussie wedding- sandals and a veil. For the Irish wedding- red shoes and a haircomb. When I say it like that it doesn't sound like too much. Hmm.

Does anyone get what I am going on about?

I guess it is hard to avoid being the bride on your wedding day. And I wouldn't want to. It just feels strange... I mean, I've never been a bride before.

Baby, you're a firework

2011-04-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

Now I'm imaging the Groomie singing that to me in his cute accent. Nawww.

I love fireworks. I am like a child when it comes to them. If I had unlimited money, I'd have them at the wedding. Both weddings! Haha.

But... we don't have unlimited funds. So, I got to thinking of alternatives.

The most obvious way to have magical colours in the sky (albeit, not exploding ones!) is to have a balloon release.

When I think of balloons, I think of red balloons (now I am singing 99 Luftballons in my head). And red is one of the colours we are using for the Irish wedding. And what potentially very grey sky wouldn't look better with floating red bubbles of happiness in it? So... I got to looking.

Source

Source

Source

Source

I don't think I could look at a picture of a balloon release and not feel instantly happy.

We'd be looking at probably some close to 100 balloons. From what I have seen so far, you do not need a permit for balloon releases unless the amount is into the thousands. However, you must use biodegradable latex balloons- they degrade about as quickly as an oak leaf under similar conditions. As the balloons rise far into the air, they expand with the altitude and eventually burst into tiny pieces. In order to be environmentally safe, the balloons must be hand-tied with no string attached. This is what extensive googling tells me, anyway!

So... I'm thinking about it. It seems to be a much safer alternative to sky lanterns.

Wedding earrings

2011-04-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

So, I had thought that I had checked wedding earrings off the list.

Turns out, not so much.

The ones I had chosen were super, super cute. I wore them to our engagement shoot and loved the little bit of blue showing through my hair.

Photo by Rob Dose

But, it was there that I hit a hurdle. The Groomie said it looked like I was wearing cupcakes in my ears. Such a boy thing to think/say. Anyway, I decided that I couldn't go through the wedding with my husband-to-be looking at my ears and thinking about delicious little cakes.

I took to the internet, with the help of Shanny,and tried to track down something a little more traditional. Oroton had some beautiful jewellery (and much less expensive than I expected). But on our lunch break today, we popped into The Glitter Co in Subiaco and found the perfect pair. Shan claims to have gotten a little teary when I held them up to my ears because they made me look like a bride. That is reason enough for me to buy them!

She also gave me a tip that I never would have thought of myself. All of the jewellery was very prettily displayed in cabinets. When I bought the earrings, Shan asked for a new pair (which were kept safely in a draw) and checked that the posts on the back were straight. Seemingly obvious things that only someone who has worked in retail would think to ask.

The Glitter Co

Apart from the earrings, the only other jewellery I plan to wear is a bracelet that the Groomie gave me on my first birthday with him, in Venice. It is sparkly and pretty and will go perfectly. Same jewellery, both weddings.

Everything is coming together and less than 9 months to go! Arrrghhh!

Creating an aisle

2011-04-06T19:21:00.000-07:00

The Groomie and his Mammy on the wedding beach

The Groomie and I were at Ikea over the weekend, originally to buy chairs for people to sit on at our beach ceremony (Aussie wedding, obvs).

The thing is, the council sets the rules for weddings held on the beach, and we are only allowed a maximum of 10 chairs anyway. We have 50 guests. There will probably not be any elderly people at the wedding. By the time of the wedding, there may be some preggo ladies, and of course if there are then we will provide seating for them. But as it stands, there is nobody that really needs to be seated for what will probably be a 15-20 minute ceremony. So, as I sat on one of the chairs in Ikea and daydreamed about following the maze through to the delicious meatballs, we decided to plan not to have seating for the moment. I also kind of like the idea of everyone standing around it- more of a community feeling.

I want to keep decorations at a minimum- no arch or any of that. We'll be on a beautiful beach with our nearest and dearest- what more do we need? We'll put up a couple of market umbrellas for shade, there will be a small table for signing, but that should be it. Which means we need something to mark an aisle.

Here is what I have found on my hunt:

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Thoughts or ideas??

Your help is needed

2011-04-05T17:41:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't normally get involved in an online fundraising-type thing, but this one is just important.

A lot of you probably read The Broke-Ass Bride- I sure do. It is a great blog, with great writers and not a whole lot of pretense.

Dana, the lady behind the blog needs our help. She has an auto-immune disease called Uveitis, which means that her immune system doggedly attacks her eyes causing inflammation, visual disturbances and blurriness. It is incurable and will cause blindness if left untreated. She also has a very rare deep-tissue form of a disease called Granuloma Annulare, causing a different type of inflammation in her foot, for which she had surgery last year. It is so rare, that she is unable to find a doctor who knows how to treat it moving forward.

Dana lives in the US, which means that she doesn't have the benefit of government funded medical care that we do here in Australia. She has huge medical bills and will have more going forward.

I have written before about my own medical issues. It sucks to deal with sometimes, but I have never been out of pocket for any treatment or testing that I have needed. In fact, I went to a couple of appointments just last week. I didn't appreciate until this morning how lucky I am that I don't have to worry about money as well as everything else. I mean, there is nothing Dana or myself could have done to prevent our auto-immune illnesses. Why should she be any worse off than me?

So, go to the Dishing for Dana website and see how you can help. This isn't just a "give us money" kind of things. There are several ways that you can help. And if you can help with the money side of things, you'll gain access to the collection of comfort food recipes that are being collected. So really, it is win-win.

Pleeeeeeeeeease, go now.

Will someone please buy this?

2011-03-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

Source

I loooove this set, but I'm not planning to wear a necklace. Somebody needs to. Go, go, go!

"Baby, try not to drop the f-bomb in Tiffany's"

2011-03-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

I've been too busy to blog lately.

It's true. It seems as though once you get under the year mark, there are a whole lot of things that just pop up. Although, I guess most people start planning their wedding with just under a year to go!

We (I) booked all of our major suppliers quite far out- we had all of that done by the 18 months to go point.

So far, I have been booking or ordering things as soon as it becomes not completely ridiculous to do so. I am so terrified of getting to the end of November and having a million things to do. That would be bad enough for one wedding, but a complete disaster for two!

After my hunt for a ring pillow, I ended up going with a ring bowl from Paloma's Nest. I figured clay goes with everything- I could just use a different coloured ribbon to tie the rings on for each wedding. I had it customised with an excerpt from one of our readings. It was despatched about 6 weeks ago and hasn't arrived yet though. I am living in hope that crazy Australian customs/quarantine is being paranoid and holding it. Every day I get hope and run straight to the letter box, hoping there is something there. A bit sad really, but I don't think I can justify another million dollars ($65 with postage) if it doesn't turn up.

I had my first (and hopefully only) wastage of money. You know, the thing you buy too soon and end up changing your mind. I can take comfort in the fact that it wasn't something expensive like my dress that I changed my mind about- just my $50 shoes. I still LOVE them, but I have finally admitted to myself that in January in Ireland, I will need to wear tights or stockings, and will therefore need closed-toed shoes. This past Saturday, the Groomie accompanied me to Benelli Shoes where I chose some custom made shoes. I'm not really a shoe girl, and the only way I justified it was by choosing a style that I will wear again, with a low heel so I can wear them all night. I am SO excited to see how they turn out.

Once I had the shoe decision made, I went looking for bridal lingerie. I completely fell in love with the Ella set from Agent Provocateur with white seam and heel stockings, but I just couldn't (no matter how hard I tried!) justify the equivalent of $350 on knickers, suspender belt and stockings. Luckily, my best friend ASOS came to the rescue and I ordered the Pleasure State Nephthys set for $50. I am compromising with myself though and getting the stockings from Agent Provocateur. But seriously, ASOS has some awesome lingerie, and it is so very reasonably priced. Free shipping too! Music to an Australian girl's ears!

And yesterday, I whispered the title quote to the Groomie as we walked upstairs to the wedding ring section of Tiffany's. Due to his wonderful mix of being Irish and being a tradie in Australia, he didn't quite manage to hold off. Is it weird that I was more concerned about him swearing in front of the beautiful rings than the salespeople? Anyway, we ordered my wedding band. My engagement ring is a Tiffany setting with a teeny tiny diamond, but I hate the matching wedding band and I hadn't found a wedding band that I liked. Turns out, platinum is expensive no matter where you buy it, so we did stick with Tiffany's. I chose a plain 1.7mm platinum band- simple and cute and exactly what I wanted. I love it and would totally wear it on it's own if I didn't love my engagement ring so much.

I can't believe I have just written list of things I have bought!

And I'm not even finished yet. I have a post three quarters finished about our second pre-marriage course appointment- I promise I'll finish it soon!

On the topic of babies

2011-03-09T23:05:00.001-08:00

Remember the scene on How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days when Kate Hudson's character pulls out the "family album"?

I just found this site, Morph Thing, that uses shots of you and your significant other to predict what your baby will look like.

It is actually the funniest thing I have ever seen.

Shan just sent me this lovely picture of our respective children together. The Groomie and I's is on the left.

Not sure how her baby got facial hair. Or why ours looks so scared.

Go do it and report back with results!

How babies are made...

2011-03-08T22:30:00.000-08:00

An enlightening conversation I had via chat with a recently married friend today:

friend: why does my mind always go to the gutter?

me: sex-deprived workaholic? BOO YA!

friend: well i am married now - sex stops after marriage ;)

me: oh of course! how could i forget that? but then how are babies made?

friend: well, there is this bird
friend: a stork i believe it is....

me: oh, i see

friend: that is how babies are made

me: but what about the cabbage patch?

friend: that is just a dirty lie parents made up

me: ohhhh! thank you
me: i am enlightened now
me: but slightly worried a stork will show up uninvited

friend: that is why you have to use a condom

me: now i am REALLY confused. i though there was no sex involved?

friend: storks are allergic to them

me: ohhhh i see. i am learning a lot today

Oprah for a day.

2011-03-03T19:43:00.000-08:00

Before I get to the big event over Christmas, my Daddy's wedding, I wanted to show you guys a little bit of what we got up to on our holiday. We were in Queensland for 12 days total. We flew into Rockhampton (where the worst of the floods hit first) and drove out as the rivers were swelling. By the time we left Queensland for home, Rocky was completely cut off.

We were incredibly lucky with weather. As we drove up the coast, the weather cleared up for when we needed it to, flooded roads re-opened, and we got a sunny day on Hamilton Island.

So, here it is, in pictures:

The Groomie sent this pic to his Mammy with the caption "About to go swimming"

My brother's birthday- "Dancing in the Dark"

The Big Mango

Hamilton Island

Hamilton Island again

Babinda Boulders

Daintree Rainforest... terrified we were lost at this point

Milaa Milaa Falls

Same sex marriage- you need to watch this

2011-03-02T23:57:00.000-08:00

Zach Wahls, aged 19. Clearly raised very well by his two mothers.

Dear Financial World,

2011-03-02T17:52:00.001-08:00

Here is your chance to give me a break. You know what I'm talking about.

Pleasepleasepleaseplease.

Feelings are delicious

2011-03-01T18:38:00.000-08:00

I am stressed beyond belief this week.

I attempted to eat my feelings this morning in the form of a breakfast burrito, and, though delicious, it did not make me feel much better. Although I am full, so at least there will be no food monster.

Part of having two weddings on opposite sides of the world is actually getting everyone to these weddings.

The Groomie's parents, sister (complete with husband and two kiddies) and aunt (complete with two children) booked their flights to Australia last week, and got an absolute bargain price.

This led me to hope that we might be as lucky. It was only fair really, when we are paying for ourselves, as well as my Mum and two younger brothers. I had everything planned out and budgeted for according to the flight prices from last year. I was confident/hopeful that we could afford it, given that we intended to fly on a budget airline.

Flights went on "sale" for our travel period yesterday. Unfortunately we need to travel in the week before Christmas, so it was already going to be more expensive. A ridiculous number of things went wrong and it turned out that we could only afford to book everyone one way. But at least we'll get there, right?

Something I learned about myself (well, it was reinforced) is that I am a planner. I am relaxed when I have a plan- nothing seems too much. My budget plan has now gone down the toilet. I try to remind myself that none of this will matter when we both have our families there for Christmas (for probably the only time) and that we purposely planned a long engagement so that we could deal with things like this when they came up, and after all it is only money BUT I am really struggling with not being in control of this situation.

I wanted to have a house deposit saved before the wedding so we could immediately start planning to move out of our tiny shithole of an apartment after the wedding... but we are so far behind now.

Tell me that it doesn't matter? Please? I need some perspective.

Pre-Marriage Course, Part 2

2011-02-22T18:42:00.000-08:00

Since we spoke last, the Groomie and I have been to the Catholic Education Service people twice.

I really did meant to write a post after the first visit, but... you know what happens.

So, the first visit. We were shown to a comfy room with squishy chairs and each given a clipboard. On the clipboard were some general forms and a FOCCUS questionnaire. The receptionist closed the door and left us to it. I for some reason thought that it would be like a real test and we would be separated to do it. Not sure why, but that wasn't the case. So, we had the booklet which had around 140 basic questions, and then different sections that were specific to your circumstances- we had to answer the section about living together before marriage. So, around 160 questions all up. We also had a sheet for our answers to each questions- we could either select agree, disagree, or uncertain. We were told that we should try not to use uncertain much, because if we do we won't get as much out of it. I didn't use it at all.

Then, it was just an hour of sitting across from each other answering questions. There were a few bursts of laughter as questions came up that highlighted different things in our relationship. The person who got to the question second, a couple of minutes later, would then say something like "Oh, hahaha, Question 42!" Generally we didn't talk though.

The questions covered most of what I thought they would: communication, families, expectations, spirituality, finances, power balance, friendship, hobbies.

I felt that we had already talked about the vast majority of what was covered, and I tried to be absolutely honest in answering. I figured- if I wasn't, what was the point? Even if there was just one little thing that would lead me to choose "agree" or "disagree", I did it.

There were some questions that were obviously "cry for help" questions- about fearing your partner, or being forced into marriage.

I thought that some of the questions might have led to a discussion that night, but they were really so "everyday" that we didn't have anything we needed to bring up.

So, we were basically left wondering what to expect from the next appointment.

And I'll tell you about that part next!

Revelation

2011-02-21T19:10:00.000-08:00

via

You know the food monster?

The one that you turn into when you wait too long to eat?

You can't be rational, you want everything and nothing at the same time, and if someone tries to get an answer out of you as to what you want to eat, you want to kill them!

No? Well Shan and I do.

I just made an irrationally angry comment to her via chat (I was joking of course... or was I?)

Just as she wrote BRIDEZILLA back to me, I wrote FOOD MONSTER (it is coming up to lunch time).

We both agreed that the food monster is worse than a bridezilla.

And then the question came to mind: What if you were wedding stressed and hungry?

Answer: That is what happens when brides diet. Bitches be crazy.

Ladies, feed yourselves.

That is all.

There's beauty in the breakdown

2011-02-16T23:23:00.000-08:00

This song always makes me feel better when things are shitty.

Yes, you're upset. Own it, surrender to it for a bit if you must, and move on.

"Let Go" by Frou Frou

Are you joking?

2011-02-15T23:51:00.000-08:00

Remember when I saw these sandals?

Well, I bought them. And I love them. Here they are on the Steve Madden website, at the lovely price of $80. And I have to say, they are way prettier in person. I am not a shoe girl, but I love them. Perfect for a beach wedding and a tall bride!

As we are all probably aware, Anthropologie opened their bridal store BHLDN on Valentines Day. As I searched through their offerings, I came across these shoes:

Literally almost exactly the same as the Steve Madden ones... except not as pretty. And more than twice the price at $200!!

Let this be a lesson to all of us to shop around!

Being grateful

2011-02-08T21:04:00.000-08:00

Claire and I at my non-surprise birthday party

Lozzy and I at Disneyland Paris

I've been getting pissed off lately. I'm not going to bitch and complain and say why (I already did that, earlier today... thanks, Lozzy!)

It made me think of something.

There are two girls in particular who are making a HUGE, GIGANTIC effort to be there for me (us) for our wedding. There are many, many people who are driving a long way, or flying across the world, or some combination of the two. And I am SO grateful to everyone for making such a huge effort. But these two in particular (and coincidentally, the only two of my friends that read my blog, that I'm aware of) are going above and beyond.

By the time the wedding rolls around, they will both be living on the other side of the country. Not only are they flying all the way over here for wedding #1, but they are also flying across the world to wedding #2 in Ireland.

This absolutely blows me away, and I'd hate to think that they don't know how much I really, really, really love them for being the greatest ~~friends~~ family ever.

Love you Claire & Lozzy.

Win a wife (!!)

2011-02-08T19:24:00.001-08:00

Are you a single dude living in New Zealand?

Do you want a wife, like right now?

Do you want to be able to choose her from an agency?

How do you feel about an expenses-paid trip to the Ukraine to make your choice??

Well, you're in luck!

Radio station The Rock in New Zealand is running a competition at the moment in which the winner will fly to the Ukraine and be given the chance to pick a bride from an agency, complete with 12 nights' accommodation and NZ$2,000 spending money.

Seriously.

I am SOOO disturbed right now.

Things I would say to someone who wore white to my wedding

2011-02-07T18:54:00.000-08:00

1. "Oh, look! Our dresses match! And to think you'd have had no way of knowing I'd be wearing white!"

2. "Good thing I'm too wrapped up in happiness to notice you're wearing white! Oh wait, I still noticed!"

3. *points at dress* "Are you joking?!"

4. "Congratulations! How does it feel to be a newlywed?!"

5. "Oh, you're a virgin too! Good luck tonight!"

6. "Do you want to borrow my veil to complete your look?"

I wouldn't say any of those things... but I just heard of someone attempting to steal the spotlight at a wedding and it annoyed me.

Identity Crisis

2011-02-06T18:30:00.000-08:00

Soooo... this whole name changing thing is really getting to me, still.

Why can't I just have one opinion and stick to it?

I love my name the way it is. I have a really strong connection to my surname. I kind of feel like my name is who I am? I don't know.

So don't change your name, I hear you say!

But the thing is, I want to change my name.

I want to change my name and I don't want to give up my name.

I'm not a fan of hyphenating either. Too complicated for me. I want to be one or the other. Maybe that is where the problem lays?

I know that changing my name doesn't change who I am, any more than not changing my name does. But words and names mean a lot to me.

A lot of people say they didn't need to be officially engaged to know that their relationship was of the long-haul variety. I did. There is nothing more that the Groomie could have done to make me feel secure, other than that. Labels mean something to me. They make it official. I want to officially be a family with the Groomie, I want us to share a name.

We are not so progressive that either one of us would consider him changing his name, or us choosing a new name together.

Is this a symptom of me dealing with contracts a lot in my usual line of work? Or did I gravitate towards that because I like being able to see things as they are? I don't know.

I am now considering getting a small tattoo. My surname, in script, somewhere not obvious- just so I know it is there. This seems strange to me. Apparently I want to literally label myself? Like having my name written on me permanently will somehow help me not forget who I am?

The Groomie has agreed that if we have a boy child, his middle name will be my surname. That is something, too.

But I feel like I am making this a whole lot more confusing than it needs to be.

I'm not looking for advice here, just having a rant.

Is anybody else out there this crazy? Or is it just me??

Quote of the Day

2011-02-01T23:40:00.000-08:00

"If my body is hungry it can EAT ITSELF!!"

- Me, pining for a snack at around 3:30pm

I decided, when reaching my self-proclaimed "scary weight" last weekend, that this will be the month that I get back in fighting trim. I was around 5kgs lighter when I ordered my dress for the Irish wedding a year ago (I was having a skinny month, damn me!)

Three days in... so far, so good. I've never actually tried to lose weight before- my body usually corrects itself somehow. Feels strange. Waiting to reach that magical month mark when it feels normal to eat less food, and healthy food... as opposed to McDonalds and brie.

Already impatient. Is that bad??

Things I would have at my (our) wedding

2011-01-31T22:06:00.000-08:00

...if I were a boy and was marrying myself.

1. White and yellow gingham bow ties.

Source

The hunt for a ring pillow...

2011-01-30T21:05:00.001-08:00

Unnecessary? Perhaps. But I'd like my cutie patootie lil brother to have something to carry when he walks the Groomie's niece down the aisle. Also, I can just see the ring pillow sitting on our bed (when we are grown up enough to make the bed every day).

Here are a few cute ones I've found:

Source

Source

Source

Source

Pre-Marriage Course, Part 1

2011-01-30T18:00:00.000-08:00

So, our legal wedding ceremony will be a civil service performed by a celebrant.

But after that, we're having a Catholic ceremony in Ireland. This means that we need to do a pre-marriage course. Far from dreading it, I am actually excited to do it. I like to think that we'll go into marriage as prepared as we can be.

I called and called, trying to get hold of someone to book us in. After a week of calling every day not having spoken to an actual person yet, I was starting to feel a bit like Charlotte in Sex and the City when she was trying to convert to Judaism.

But, persistence paid off and I eventually got through...

Catholic Education Lady: I just need to ask you a few questions. What is your husband-to-be's name?

Me: Porridge.

CEL: Uhhh.... how do I spell that?

Me: P-......

CEL: Where are you getting married?

Me: We're having a civil ceremony down south (- 1 point), but then having a Catholic ceremony in Ireland (+ 1 point).

CEL: Do you share an address? (Thought this was a v classy way of asking whether we were living in sin)

Me: Yes.... (-1 point)

The course will run over 4 evenings. On the first night (next Tuesday!), we will complete a pre-marriage inventory. Sounds romantic, right? This is apparently "an enjoyable and comprehensive way to build a realistic picture of the strengths and growth areas of your relationship. The process starts with the completion of the Inventory/questionnaire covering a wide range of relationship issues."

When I told the Groomie about this part, he was a little freaked out. He considers it a test of our relationship. He wants to get an A+++. I'm just really interested to see where we stand- what we may have overlooked discussing. I think that no matter how well we think we know each other and what we both want out of life, there are going to be some surprises.

So... I'll let you know how we go.

I feel like we are really getting married now. How exciting!

Hotness factor= 1 million

2011-01-30T17:54:00.000-08:00

via here

Just imagining that I'm Blake Lively (who in my wedding-obsessed mind is the bride) and also every single one of the bridesmaids so I can keep the dresses. Yes, please!

Don't say I never doing anything nice for you.

2011-01-25T01:56:00.000-08:00

Here it is, folks. The reason I dread crying at my wedding.

This photo was taken at my Dad's wedding over Christmas. I can't believe I am putting it on the internet.

Remember how my sissy and I were going to sing at the ceremony? For the first song, we decided to do a verse each- that was all that was needed. I started crying before I even started singing, and she had to jump in for me.

The second song, the sis hadn't learned, so I was on my own. I thought I had gotten the crying out of my system the first time around... but no. Three lines in and off I went!

And then again right here, when I hugged Dad....

Hi, my name is Miss C and I'm queen of the ugly cry. Instantly puffy. Instantly red.

It seems perfect that the first wedding I'll feature on my blog will my Dad's. Stay tuned until later in the week :)

Dress crush

2011-01-18T18:34:00.000-08:00

Can somebody having a more casualish wedding pretty pretty please wear this dress?

I'm a little bit in love with it.

Via Topshop

I am a bride.

2011-01-10T20:11:00.000-08:00

You know those moments that are kind of frozen in time? You can hear your heart beating and you know what comes next, but you're desperately hoping you're wrong?

I had one of those last night.

This is serious business.

After much deliberation and back-and-forthing with my Mum, I made a concrete decision about 6 months ago on what "our colours" were for the Australian wedding. Because "colours" are my Mum's thing- she needs to team with the theme.

Royal blue with pale yellow accents.

This way, I could have a light, clean colour to work with a bit at the reception, but I didn't doom my bridesmaids to wearing washy-outy pastels. I had a solution that my Mum was happy with. The world was a wonderful place... until last night.

We were Skyping with the Groomie's family after a successful wedding planning coffee date*, when his very excited Mammy came into view and exclaimed that she had found a dress to wear to the wedding over here. It was light, airy, fit her perfectly and all of the wonderful things an expensive dress should be.

We heard the story of how the dress came to be... and then she held it up.

It was blue.

I looked at it, hoping that the camera had somehow distorted the shade. I clung onto hope until she said "It is a lovely deep blue; I think they call it royal blue."

I could have died.

It seems ridiculous to me that this is such a big deal. I feel like such a bride right now.

But what can I do? I think I mentioned the colour to her, but if I did she obviously forgot. She was so excited that I couldn't bear to say anything. Let me also point out that I haven't bought bridesmaid dresses yet.

I don't know what to do. And why do I even care??

I can't believe I'm having a colour crisis. Who have I become??

Help.

* A Groomie-instigated coffee date. It seems that now we are in the year of the wedding, he has suddenly realised that we are having one. It is so cute.

Dear David's Bridal,

2011-01-10T20:07:00.001-08:00

I really like this bridesmaid's dress, but why oh why the bubble hem?!

Love,

Miss C

I did it.... finally.

2011-01-09T05:43:00.000-08:00

I have been looking at this candle, wanting to buy it, for close to a year. I found Orange and Blossom through Anna and the Ring, and found this candle the same day. I needed to buy unity candles for the Irish wedidng, but I just couldn't get excited about the personalised options. I wanted something that I'd be excited to display in our home afterwards.

I love this candle. I hate candles.

Another thing to tick off the list. I'm getting married this year!!

2010/2011

2011-01-05T18:48:00.000-08:00

My sister, brother, myself and Paddy jumping for joy after making our way out of the Daintree Rainforest. We were terrified that we were lost and were going to be attacked by cassowaries.

I am even happier now than I was this time last year.

This time next year we'll be on a plane back from Ireland after our second wedding. That seems insane.

I can't believe I can finally say I'm getting married this year.

We had such a fantastic holiday, and I can't wait to write about everything, including my Dad's wedding!

Stay tuned :)

Fighting

2010-12-23T19:52:00.000-08:00

I was just reading the recent post on APW about fighting.

This seems to be something that comes up every now and then. I guess it is natural to want to identify with other people and their relationships. It is nice to know that others are in the same situation.

I read through the comments and noticed something interesting- different people define "fighting" in different ways. Some people count a serious discussion in which you disagree with each other as a fight. Some people think there needs to be crying and screaming and slamming doors.

I have thought about it for us, and I think I define a fight as a time when one of us raises our voice at the other. That's it- that is when a discussion becomes a fight, for me. Usually all it takes is a "Don't raise your voice at me" for us to snap out of it and start talking properly again.

I had a discussion with some girls at work the other day about fighting. The Groomie and I generally don't fight. In fact, we realised the other week that the only time we kind-of do is when I'm sick. Yes, the only time he gets shitty with me is when I'm sick.

The first "fight" we ever had was the day we were supposed to go and see The Police in Dublin. He had bought excellent tickets and I had booked us a fancy hotel room. The night before I ate some mushroom soup (with cream in it) that had been unknowingly left out. I have seriously never been so sick in my life. From about 3am it was just torture. But I was determined to go- we had spent so much non-refundable cash on our big night and I was determined to take advantage. Every time I needed to be sick I sent the Groomie downstairs to wait on the couch.

By midday, I was still couldn't eat anything, but was determined to make the 2 hour trek to Dublin. The Groomie strongly disagreed that I should be going anywhere. He said if I ate something and wasn't sick, that we could go. So I ate a piece of toast, and as I started to feel sick I put on a bright smile and sent him home to get his stuff. Cheeky Miss C...

We got to the hotel and I was still really ill. The concert start time arrived and I got up to go. The Groomie disagreed. He raised his voice, then I did... and that was our first fight. I must have won though, because we made it, even if I couldn't walk standing upright and had to leave before the concert finished.

At around 2am I woke up and was ravenous- the Groomie got dressed straight away and went out in search of McDonalds for me, which I promptly devoured.

I guess the point of this story is that I think what is acceptable in fighting is so personal to each couple, but that a fight is healthy if the point of it is that you care about each other.

Oh no I didn't...

2010-12-22T17:35:00.000-08:00

Oh yes, I did!

Despite the fact that I would probably taunt any good friend of mine for doing this, and also despite the fact that I taunted myself before I did it, well...

I got personalised stamps. Two types, one domestic and one international.

From Australia Post

I figured, what other chance am I ever going to get to have my face on a stamp? I guess that begs the question of why, but whatevs.

The oldies will appreciate it, I'm sure. I didn't get enough for all invitations, so I might just be selective and use them for the peeps who I know will appreciate it.

Some very poor shoe photography

2010-12-22T17:28:00.001-08:00

I suddenly had the urge this morning to upload the photos from my iPhone. The great thing about this is that whenever I buy something new for the wedding, I take a picture of it to send to my Mum. I give you our wedding shoes for the Irish wedding...

DA DA DUMMMMM!

So the Groomie got his patent leather shoes. In the background, you can see the bottle of Moet some friends got us when we got engaged. Nice wedding tie in, Miss C.

I love these shoes. I kind of regret that I didn't get closed-toed shoes for the cold, but these had ruffles. And they were $50 on sale.

I'm off to Queensland in a very short while, so Merry Christmas everyone!

On back fat

2010-12-20T21:30:00.000-08:00

Back fat and I go way back. I could be teeny tiny all over and still manage to be a borderline back-fattie.

I also have broad shoulders, to the point that I refuse to swim freestyle, in case I get "man shoulders."

Of course this is all my over-critical opinion of myself.

When I chose and ordered my wedding dress for the Irish wedding, My bust measurement was borderline, but seeing as my waist and hips were the size below and I was only just off the smaller size in the bust, that is what the saleslady ordered.

I went in to the store today, knowing that I have put on around 3.5kgs since I ordered the dress a year ago. Combined with me being pretty lazy, and the fact that I had just been travelling when I ordered the dress (so was a bit lighter than usual), I knew/feared that the dress may not zip all the way up.

It didn't. It was close, but it didn't.

The dress is absolutely gorgeous, I looked gorgeous in it (if I do say so myself- from the front view), and the saleslady assured me that I could get it taken out enough to fit, but that she didn't think I would need to in the end. I agree with her. So, I was fine with everything, I paid the balance and went on my merry way.

I called my Mum on the way back to work to tell her what had happened. I had told her that I thought the dress would be a bit tight before I went there. This is the part where I ask why it is that the people closest to you, who care about you the most, manage to piss you off instantly and make you want to punch something. She screeches "Toooo smaaaaallllllll?!" The line went crappy then anyway, so I hung up and consoled myself with road rage and Taylor Swift until I got back to work.

Feeling slightly calmer now that I have had some time to gaze longingly at the dress.

Ahhhhh....

365 days.

2010-12-16T18:03:00.000-08:00

On this day next year, I'll be the Groomie's wifey :)

Just twelve pay cycles away. When I put it that way, it doesn't seem like long at all!

The weather at our wedding location today is fine and sunny, with a maximum of 23˚F (or 70˚F, for those of you playing along in the US). Perfect wedding weather. Let's hope it is exactly like this next year!

Being a year away from the wedding, we were finally able to submit our application to have our wedding ceremony on the beach. I didn't get up at midnight and send it... I barely made it up at 7am. No word yet, but I'm feeling positive! And if not, there are always other options.

I am reading this back and I sound very chilled. Has wedding zen kicked in a year early?

My "little" brother (6'6") and I on my birthday last year. Oh, and his dirty mo'.

This is a huge time of year for us. It was my birthday on Tuesday... I am now on the wrong side of 25. Eep! The Groomie had a party for me on Saturday, complete with frozen margaritas and strawberry daiquiris. I started to feel sorry for our neighbours when the blender was still going at 3am...

In less than a week, the Groomie and I, and my brother and sister get on a plane for Queensland to visit my Daddy for Christmas. This has been planned since March, but Dad only told me a couple of weeks ago that he and his fiancée of 10 years are going to be getting married the day after Christmas. My sissy and I have offered to sing at the ceremony, which I am really excited about. His only condition was that we choose the songs. We've chosen "Make You Feel My Love" by Adele, and "You and Me Song" by The Wannadies. Here's hoping we nail it!

It is going to be a small shindig of less than 30 people, on the beach with cocktails. Then drinks at the local bowling club, and a backyard barbecue using the marquees that will still be set up from Christmas Day.

Me and my littlest bro last time I was in Queensland. Such a cutie!

The day after the wedding, we (me, the Groomie, Dad, his fiancée, my bro and sis, and my littlest bro) set off on a family roadtrip up the coast for 10 days. Which is now a familymoon, I guess!

Can't leave out my lil sis. Don't know where she learned to be such a poser.

I can't wait. Hopefully this week flies by.

If I don't get back to the blog again before Christmas, I hope everyone has a fantastic and safe holiday!

PS- I have two other brothers but I can't find any decent pictures of them online :( Just thought I'd mention that, because I feel bad!

If I were to have a photobooth, Part 2

2010-12-14T23:06:00.001-08:00

Atlas Tapestry and Banner both by Urban Outfitters

Let it snow... but not next year

2010-12-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

Satellite image of snow covering Ireland and Britain

So... how about the weather Ireland is having at the moment? Snow in November. Ridiculous!

I spent a Winter in Ireland. It was cold. It was frosty. There were a few bad days, but not really until late January. We decided to have a Winter wedding in Ireland based on the weather being this way. We figured it would be cold, but when is Ireland not cold?

That decision was made two years ago. Before last January's crippling weather, which coincidentally began on January 2nd- our wedding date. It was "freak weather", and hadn't happened for something like 20 years. So even then, we hoped it was just a once-off.

After the weather they are having at the moment, I am freaking out.

Will the Groomie's family even be able to fly out here for the Aussie wedding? Will we all be able to fly back to Ireland for Christmas and the Irish wedding? Will people be able to make it out of the Groomie's town to the reception venue? Will I be a bride arriving on a tractor??

I have a whole year to stress about it!

Maybe the world is getting all of the treacherous weather out of the way this Christmas so we have an easy time of it next year??

Confession

2010-11-21T20:20:00.000-08:00

I may or may not have sat on the couch watching Sex and the City 2 in my veil and pajamas on Saturday, while the Groomie was at work.

I tell you all this because I learned something from this experience: wearing a veil instantly kicks up your level of attractiveness to at least passable, even when you have mascara under your eyes and are rocking a Minnie Mouse nighty.

It's here!

2010-11-18T21:22:00.001-08:00

My dress has arrived.

The Groomie called me at about 4 minutes to 5 yesterday afternoon to let me know there was a package waiting for me at the post office. The post office was going to close at 5. Of course my instant reaction, in the middle of the office was to yell "Leave now! Get down there! You have 4 whole minutes! Get iiiiiiit!"

He tried to reason that there was no way he'd get there in time, to which I responded something along the lines of "You call yourself a runner?! Gooooooo!" and eventually "Well you aren't going to make it now, you've wasted a minute telling me you wouldn't get there in time!"

I was so excited that I wasn't sure I'd be able to sleep last night. I had to exercise to tire myself out a bit... and to ensure that I fit into the dress I suppose...

This morning I could wait no longer, so I used my lunch break (and a little bit extra) to drive back over to our local post office and pick it up. It took so long in the Friday lunch-time traffic that I didn't even have time to look at it.

The box is currently sitting in my car, in the carpark below the office building.

I can just see it there, waiting for me to visit.

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG.

Thank you...

2010-11-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

... for all of your comments on my last wedding dress post.

I did something crazy and went ahead and bought the dress.

I weighed up the pros and cons, but in the end it came down to the fact that I really loved the dress, and it was exactly the dress I imagine myself wearing- the fact that it is pre-owned has nothing to do with it.

So far, I haven't made a point of telling people that it is pre-owned, but I'm not hiding it either.

My test was my Mum. She has pretty strong ideas about what is and isn't acceptable at a wedding. I sent her the link and she loved it straight away- no reservations. That gave me the confidence I needed to just go ahead and get it. I mean, how many dresses am I going to find that are the correct measurements and length for me? (Ps- being tall-ish is quite restrictive) Actually, I lie a bit. I think I'm an inch out on the boobies measurement, but never fear, the second I lose any weight it comes directly from there!

Can you believe I actually had to even think about this so in-depth? It is a dress. It has been worn once. Enough with the celebrity delusions- it is not like the paps are going to find a picture of the previous bride and publish it next to a picture of me, asking "Who Wore it Best?"

So... dress bought :) It is on its way from California as we speak.

I'm not sure whether to post pictures when it arrives? Yes? Or keep it a secret?

I AM SO EXCITED. HURRY UP MR. MAILMAN!

You know?

2010-11-15T19:56:00.000-08:00

Sometimes what stops me from posting is the multitude of things that are dominating my thoughts, but that I hesitate to write about on this blog in case someone that knows me is reading and I don't know about it.

It makes me wish I'd kept this blog completely anonymous.

But at the same time... I want the people who read this to be able to picture what I'm talking about.

I'm sure just about every one of you feels the same way.

I start writing about something, then get distracted by the bigger things on my mind and abandon everything. I have so many drafts I don't know what to do with them.

Would you?

2010-11-09T00:36:00.000-08:00

I'm funny about money.

Not in the way that I keep my spendings and earnings to myself, but in the way that I tell everyone exactly what I spent on something.

"Oh, nice skirt Miss C!"
"Thanks, it was $10 from Dotti"

"How's the new job, Miss C?"
"Good, I took a 10K pay cut, but I'm making it back in commission already"

A couple of girls I know are getting married in the same area as us. I sent them a full breakdown of who we hired and how much they cost.

You see where I'm going with this?

Now, here's the thing.

I'm very, very close to buying a OnceWed wedding dress. It is $500 including veil (see?! I can't help myself!)

You may remember that I am getting two wedding dresses- one for each wedding. Half because I want two dresses, and half because finding a dress that would fit with a Winter church wedding AND a Summer beach wedding would be very difficult. But I just can't justify spending what I'd need to spend to buy a dress that I like new.

Here is my question, in two parts:

a) Would you tell people if you bought a second-hand dress?
b) Would you see the dress differently if you knew it wasn't brand new (as a guest)?

I know that I can't trust myself not to say anything. I would be too proud of my bargain. But I don't want the fact that someone has worn the dress before to take anything away from it.

I have not yet told the Groomie, either.

Sadly, what has led me to ask this question is an episode of the Aussie version of Four Weddings. In the episode, they all knew the bride would have a second-hand dress. And they were all surprised when it was nice. Maybe because this isn't something people have generally done in the last decade or so?

Tell me what you think!

Dear Tiffany & Co.

2010-11-04T03:21:00.000-07:00

It is not fair.

How can my wedding band cost $315 more in Australia than it does in the US? Seriously? $550 in the US and $865 in Australia. RIDICULOUS.

Not only that, but when I get permission to order the ring from the US website and have it delivered to a friend's house, you won't accept my Australian credit card. Fraud, schmaud.

Boo.

In other news, something amazing has happened. It is suddenly only 13 months until our wedding! That means I get to seriously start looking at Save the Dates. It is getting real.

I can't believe it is November already. Where did this year go? It'll be this time next year before I know it, and I'll be freaking out.

Thanks so much for all of the supportive comments on my last post. It has been a big week. I've seen my old boss and he is doing fine, which makes me feel a lot better. I hope I get to keep my job, but even if I don't, the whole point of having a long engagement was so that we wouldn't need to stress if something like this came up. Keeping my fingers crossed anyway :)

I miss reading everyone's blogs. Things are starting to calm down again now, and the wedding stuff will start to pick up again so I PROMISE I'll be back posting and commenting more often.

Today is not a good day

2010-10-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

So, you remember that I got a new job, but stayed in the same office and kept the same boss.

Here is the thing about my boss. He is like a second father to me. Myself and another girl worked for him before we both took off overseas (separately). We both came back to work for him. She got married last weekend, and our boss was the MC.

He calls us his daughters. We call him Dad.

When I had family troubles (evil ex-stepfather-related), he was there, getting angry on behalf of my Mum who he has never met and offering anything he could to help. I believe he said "If it is about money, I'll give her $10,000, whatever she needs." But don't worry, we got that sorted on our own.

Just this past weekend, he offered to pay for a 5 day honeymoon in Bali for the Groomie and I.

We go to his place for dinner. He encourages me to take time off if I'm not feeling well. He is flying to Ireland to attend our wedding.

The point I am trying to get across here is that he is family.

But last night, there was a mutiny staged in the American head office of this company I have moved to, and they asked for his resignation.

Pretty much out of the blue.

So, now I'm not sure what to do. I had planned to make this my permanent career, because I knew he always had my back and I've never find a better workplace.

Now I'm confused. And a bit numb. And crying at work.

My fiance fell in love again...

2010-10-17T02:02:00.000-07:00

... with some black and white patent leather brogues.

We are going to a wedding next weekend, so we went into the city yesterday to get him some fancy clothes that actually fit him. He finds it hard to prioritise buying normal clothes when there are so many running shorts and singlets out there, so all of his clothes are too big.

I can say this because I love him, but the Groomie is a bit of a wanker. He'll wear anything that most people would think they couldn't get away with, and he couldn't care less if people tease him.

Yesterday, he was going to get black pants and a black waistcoat, and a new "fun" shirt and tie. Until he spotted some braces/suspenders. The waistcoat went out the window. He's going to look so cute :)

So, the point is, we were window shopping and saw some ridiculously awesome patent leather brogues. They were super expensive, so he didn't bother trying them on. Then, later in the day, we decided that he could get them if he looked after them and wore them to the Irish wedding.

He went back today while I was at a bridal shower, but was devastated to find the shop couldn't order them big enough for his monster feet (he's usually an American size 13).

I need some help. Can anyone tell me where I can buy patent black and white leather brogues?

Please?!

Also, I'm sorry I've been such a flaky blogger lately. Have started the new job and I am so so so super busy. I declined to go to India for health reasons. However, I'm off to Singapore instead in less than two weeks! I promise to catch up on blogs this week.

Love to everyone! xx

It's showtime!

2010-09-23T22:12:00.001-07:00

Today is our engage-iversary. My oh my, how I wish we were on holiday in Ireland again right now! I can't believe it has been a year already. It still feels new.

I went to see my favourite band Powderfinger in concert last night, with my Mum. They played every song I wanted to hear, including "Burn Your Name", which the Groomie has chosen as our first dance song (Aussie wedding- nobody would know it in Ireland).

As part of our newly proclaimed entertainment budget, we're heading to the Perth Royal Show on Sunday. I took the Groomie on his first year here, but obviously we were too busy getting engaged last year to make it.

There is nothing I love more than stupid hats, winning giant stuffed toys that we don't have room for, eating show food and generally walking around looking like an idiot. Luckily, the Groomie agrees.

Hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

It goes on and on and on and onnnnn!

2010-09-21T18:52:00.000-07:00

So, you guys know that the Groomie and I are having two weddings.

I feel like I could write a book on planning a wedding in Australia- there is nothing I am unsure about. I know what I have to do, what I want to do, and how much doing those things should cost.

When it comes to planning a wedding in Ireland, I'm not so confident. I have been to one wedding in Ireland- that of an Irish girl who grew up mostly in Australia but resided in Germany, and a German guy. Oh, and they were already legally married a year before the big bash. They had only 80 or so people, they had the reception in a local pub (no centrepieces, no chair covers, I don't even think there were tablecloths, though I could be wrong), and they didn't have a band (DJ only).

All of the above is what I'm used to. It didn't even occur to me at the time that they were doing things differently at all. And it was the most fun I've ever had at a wedding. One of my strongest memories is of swapping my silver shoes for my bestie's because her poor bridesmaidly feet were killing her. Then, swapping back one shoe, so we each had a comfy shoe and a painful shoe, and standing there like flamingoes on one foot all night.

Then, we got engaged in Ireland, and I got talking to people about their own weddings. Three hundred guests? Chocolate fountains? Unity candles? Compulsory pre-marriage counselling? And most of all, you mean people routinely hire an actual BAND to play at their wedding? Hang on a second, do I have to do that?

I started off reading wedding forums to get somes tips, but soon found them to be a little too much like high school. For every couple of sane, helpful posters there was someone just looking to cause an arguement. I'm sorry, planning a wedding is stressful enough.

But, through such a forum I found our wedding band. A band! Playing especially for us!

I have to say, although I did do my research (well, as much research as a person can do online for a live band), I was pretty much sold straight away on the fact that the first Goodfellas clip I saw was Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'".

The second clip I saw was "Sweet Home Alabama", which I can now only sing as "Sweet Home Graiguenamanagh" after many nights at the pub while I lived in that awesome little town. Add to all of this the 28 emails I have sent back and forth with Mick so far (with more than a year to go to wedding!) and we're pretty much set.

Here's where I let you guys in on a little secret. The Groomie has requested that I choose which song I walk down the aisle to at the Aussie wedding, and keep it a surprise from him. "Don't Stop Believin'" is somewhat of a theme song of his. So... I'm going to walk down the aisle (or beach sand, to be more accurate) to a string quartet version by Low Strung.

I can just imagine him laughing and grinning away at me while I'm walking, which I am going to need if ugly-crying is going to be prevented.

Tell me which song you used or are using! Do you have any little surprises for your own Groomie? Tellmetellmetellme!

I'm a little bit terrified

2010-09-19T22:33:00.001-07:00

The new job I posted about earlier today?

I've just been asked to go to Delhi, India at the end of next month, for a week.

I really don't want to go, but I also feel like declining a trip before I even start can't be a good thing. There are others from my office that will be going at different times this year, and some from the American office. None of them have said "no". But looking at the travel warnings, you'd have to be crazy to go.

What do I do?

Well, hello there!

2010-09-19T17:58:00.001-07:00

I've been a bit of a boring blogger the past few months.

There is a reason for this.

Since the Groomie's big race has been done, we've actually been able to hang out together and make plans for the weekends. It has been amazing. I couldn't care less about getting anything sorted for the wedding. Most days, I barely mention it. You know, apart from the occasional "I love you so much that I'm going to marry you twice."

We've decided to re-budget a little bit, too. We've done some hard saving so far this year, so we're going to relax a little bit and set ourselves an entertainment budget. Next week, we're going to do a cooking class and learn how to make gnocchi (you can bring your own wine- 'nuf said).

On Saturday we went on a bike ride to the beach and sat and ate chips and icecream here:

I feel really relaxed.

In a couple of weeks, I'm starting a new job. Same boss, same office, different company. I'm so excited for the new challenge. I'm also excited that this job gives me the opportunity to travel, as there are a few offices in Asia, an office in Ireland (yes!), and the head office is in the States.

Speaking of Ireland, we booked our tickets to go back at the end of next June for my high school BFF's wedding. It'll be a short trip, but long enough to throw her an awesome hen's night and all of the other things a MOH should do. Oh, and do all of the last minute stuff for our wedding the following January.

Ahhhhh. Life is good.

The senses: smell

2010-09-12T22:43:00.000-07:00

Things I want our wedding to smell like. I will accept these scents one at a time, so long as they're all there:

1. Salty beach air
2. Sunscreen
3. New clothes
4. Mouth-watering food
5. Eucalyptus trees
6. Sparklers

Group shots.

2010-09-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

I love a good wedding group shot. Everyone standing there all squished in together, hoping the rain holds off for another minute (or is that just in Ireland?)

KWu posted about these panoramic shots by A Beautiful Day Photography and I kind of fell in love. The people seem more real in these photographs for some reason. It looks more like a family photos, than a school class photo. And it seems to create that same feeling regardless of the size of the group. I love them.

I would love to have photographs like this hanging on my wall.

This post doesn't do them justice at all, so go and see what they should look like.

This time last year

2010-09-06T17:54:00.001-07:00

My first (and only) catch. I was the scaredy-cat of the group.

I was in New York City with Lozzy. The Groomie would be proposing in a couple of weeks.

I can't believe how much has happened in the past year.

Which leads me to think... Next year is going to be even bigger.

And the next year will be even bigger than that year.

Life is like a giant, unpredictable-but-lovely snowball.

Let me pick your brains

2010-09-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

My friend Jessie from work is getting married next month. We spend a lot of time together during the day, obviously, and have been known to have a few margaritas outside of work hours also. I also went with her when she bought her wedding dress. Her AMAZING wedding dress.

There is a little group of us at work that are pretty close, against the odds. Jess and I (childless and mid-twenties), the Texan and his wife (late forties, grown child), our boss who thinks he's our Dad (50ish, with teenagers) and Bec (early 30s, two toddlers, can drink more than anyone I've ever met... and from Kentucky). We're all staying together (except Jess, of course) in a big fancy house down where the wedding is (a 5 hour drive from the city).

Jess is going to have a Welcome BBQ at the house, the night before the wedding, because the deck area is just too lovely to ignore. And, well, who doesn't want to chill out and eat and drink and watch the kangaroos poop all over the grass?

I'll get to the point. I've offered to organise this little shindig for her. It will be a pretty relaxed affair, but I want to do a couple of little things to make it a bit special.

This is the part where you tell me your ideas! Please....

isopvniosrbnvos.

2010-08-31T18:49:00.000-07:00

There have been a few posts around lately about the pressure to have "blog worthy" or "alternative" weddings.

I'm not sure if it is just me, but I don't feel that pressure.

Sure, if you're trying to compare yourself to Style Me Pretty, or OnceWed, or Green Wedding Shoes (to name a few), you might feel that pressure.

But the photos don't necessarily reflect the wedding. They can reflect a great wedding planner, or a great photographer. It has very little to do with what the wedding actually meant, or how people experienced it on the day. Everything can look pretty with the right camera angle, do you not remember Myspace profile pictures?

I am not an "alternative" kind of person. I like what I like, and that isn't always traditional, but then a lot of the time, it is. And one person's alternative is another person's normal. This is even true in my own relationship: I have always known I'd get married on a beach, but to the Groomie this is a crazy thing to do... to him, it is "alternative". And I feel the same way about having our reception overlooking a castle in Ireland.

There are a lot of very creative, arty people in weddingblogland. These ladies aren't planning their weddings to be perceived as arty or creative. They just are arty and creative and their personality and skills come out in their planning.

If you think about it, the people blogging about weddings represent a miniscule portion of those ladies (and dudes) planning a wedding. There is something in us that compels us to write about it- maybe we like to write, or want a record of the process, or want to share ideas, or....

I guess what I want to say is that we are all different, and we need to embrace it rather than seeing it as a competition.

That is all.

Bubye Miss Moloko!

2010-08-30T18:59:00.001-07:00

Myspace pic from 2005 maybe? We were so young and fresh faced!

My urban sis and MOH, Miss Moloko, leaves tonight to travel around Europe with her cutie boyfriend until December. Then, she is moving across Australia to Melbourne. He has promised me that he'll look after her, and he'd better, because otherwise I'll poke him in the eye.

Her going away party was on Friday. It was fun. I cried like a baby and hugged her at least twice, which we never do. Sisters don't need to hug.

I'm so happy for her to start a new adventure, but I'm going to miss her ever-so-much. We're going to have to figure out another way to have "wine time". Or I could just fly to Melbs for weekends?

Love yoooooooou!

Things I would like to do in my life

2010-08-30T00:12:00.000-07:00

I will limit myself to ten for the moment.

Donate a substantial amount of money to Princess Margaret Hospital.
Travel on the Trans-Siberian Railway.
Learn all of the words to 99 Luftballons.
Complete a half marathon, but not complete a full marathon.
Learn how to use my fancy camera.
Run away and do something momentous, just the Groomie and I.
Sleep under the stars. No tent.
Have a home, where we can print and hang all of our pictures.
Road trip across Europe.
Truly, hugely surprise the Groomie with something wonderful.

Oh, Paris.

2010-08-29T19:16:00.001-07:00

Is it wrong that I am completely loving her mug shot hair? Like, seriously.

I can just see it on our wedding day...

"Oh wow, your hair looks great!"

"Thanks, it was inspired by Paris Hilton's mug shot..."

Waking up.

2010-08-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

You know that thing that everyone says in the movies:

"I can't wait to wake up next to you every day for the rest of my life."

I can't say that to the Groomie. I rarely, if ever, wake up next to him. During the week, he leaves for work before I do, so I wake up after he leaves. But he always kisses me goodbye.

On the weekends, he gets up before 5am on Saturdays to go running in the hills. On Sunday, he'll get up and maybe go for a run, or organise something (usually to do with running).

I'm kind of used to it now. But every now and then, a girl likes to spoon in the morning.

This morning, the Groomie didn't have to leave for work as early. I was supposed to get up and get myself all pretty for a lunch meeting today (it is a meeting of CEOs. I am not a CEO. I figure, if I put on some lipstick, they'll never know the difference). We stayed in bed and just cuddled. I was half asleep and he just said lovely things to me, then we got up together.

It was lovely.

It is funny how little things like that can make your day.

And I figure, what's waking up together, when you can go to sleep together every night?

*End sappiness*

Tears streaming down my face.

2010-08-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

Watch this. It is beautiful and sad and full of love.

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

Videography

2010-08-24T19:31:00.001-07:00

I am so torn as to whether or not to hire a videographer.

I didn't budget for it at all in the beginning.

There are so many great photographers in Western Australia, but, to be honest, I have found very few videographers to whom I would allocate any of our precious wedding budget money. And, by very few, I mean one. We aren't too fussed on videography for the Irish wedding, because the majority of the ceremony will be a Catholic mass, and the part we would want a record of (the "craic" at the reception) will take place after a videographer would leave.

If I wanted a cheesy, 80's look video put together that consists entirely of fading in and out between various parts of the ceremony and photoshoot, I'd get a friend to do it.

What I do want, is some record of the ceremony that we are putting so much work into, and the speeches.

But then I think, would I rather just remember the wedding the way that I experienced it, rather than through the lens of an outsider?

And then I think, if the outsider is a professional, surely they'd capture it in a meaningful way?

But then I think, won't the photographs be enough to trigger my memory?

And I then I think, a videographer will hopefully capture the things I miss...

And on it goes, like a food fight in my head.

Did you or didn't you have a videographer? Were you happy with your decision? If you're still planning, are you hiring one? Can you PLEASE tell me what to do??!!!!

SaveTheDates

2010-08-22T21:39:00.000-07:00

Life has been so very busy lately, and not much of it has been wedding-related.

I feel like I've hit a point in planning where we (I) have all of the big stuff booked, but I want to wait a while before we (I) make decisions on the nitty-gritty details.

I'm thinking about Save the Dates at the moment. And I refuse to call them STDs!

Advise me, wise ones.

We'll need to do three sets:

One set for those who are coming to both weddings and are therefore travelling across the world.
One set for those who are coming to the Aussie wedding, keeping in mind it is at the beginning of school holidays (I think) and is about a 3-3.5hr drive for most people, so accommodation will need to be sorted quite early on.
One set for those who are coming to the Irish wedding, keeping in mind that it is the day after New Year's Day, which is a holiday Monday, so there is a chance peeps might need to request the next day off (although the Groomie insists most people won't have gone back to work yet).

So, how far out should I send each of these? I'm thinking a year out for the people coming to both because of flights. These people know the dates already (in theory), but even my Dad keeps checking with me.

Also, I'm going to be a cheap-arse with our wedding stationery. Save the Dates will be printed by Vistaprint, and I'm thinking about using a template from Wedding Chicks for the actual invites. Does anybody have an other suggestions for templates or suppliers that sell printable invitations?

If I were to have a photobooth...

2010-08-18T22:14:00.000-07:00

Source

These might make the list of props.

Seriously. Show me a person who doesn't want an inflatable hair-do and I'll show you a party pooper.

Feeling accomplished.

2010-08-13T00:09:00.001-07:00

Photos by Rob Dose

Something exciting happened today. I transferred the last of the money over to Ireland! Irish wedding officially completely covered! Woooot!

One down, one to go.

We're having a little barbecue for the Groomie on Saturday evening to celebrate his birthday, after he jumps out of a plane (with a parachute of course). I am still not sure why I thought it was a good idea to buy him a skydive for his birthday. I am going to be nervous until he is safely back on the ground.

Then, I have taken Monday-Wednesday off work next week. I plan to do nothing. This may also include no blogging... we shall see :)

But before I go, I must say "Happy Wedding!" to Angie and Josh from Australia (yes, the entire country). Have fun, kids!

Oh, how I love them.

2010-08-10T22:33:00.000-07:00

He is soooooo cute!

Me: "Paddy, stop pulling my dress up! Everyone will see my knickers!"
Rob: "I'm sure they won't mind."

This one is my favourite. Spinning around is the funnest thing to do, ever. Oh crap, now I have Kylie Minogue stuck in my head.

I'm ever-so-happy with how they turned out. The trouble with this is, after this shoot plus two weddings, there isn't going to be enough space on the walls to put up all of our (my) favourites.

Photos by Rob Dose

Let's start with a little cheese, shall we?

2010-08-10T17:48:00.000-07:00

What impresses me is that there are only two pictures that fall into the "cheese" category. And really, what is an engagement shoot without a bit of cheesiness? We have to appease the parents and grandparents, after all.

I'll start you off easy. This is my Mum's favourite. I do like it. But I also know that I was struggling to find a foothold and the Groomie doesn't usually hug me up against a tree and I was worrying that my new cardigan would get dirty.

Okay, people. Get ready for this one. I know you remember when I was making fun of the couple laying in the fallen leaves. When Rob suggested it, the Groomie and I were very hesitant. We kind of looked at each other like "Oooooh I don't wanna!". But, we got on with it. I don't think Rob was going to back down either. All I can say is, at least we weren't spooning and wearing matching outfits!

That's it for the cheese, folks. I can't wait to show you my favourite ones tomorrow! Wheeeee!

Photos by Rob Dose

Engagement pics have arrived!

2010-08-10T02:09:00.000-07:00

Photo by Rob Dose

I'm about to run off and buy the Groomie a birthday card for tomorrow, but I had to put up just one! I don't look like Malibu Barbie either! More to come tomorrow...

Yay!

What is marriage?

2010-08-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

This kid and Grover have it all figured out.

Just proves that you should never be too old to watch childrens' television.

I love it!

You know what annoys me?

2010-08-08T18:05:00.000-07:00

People who make promises and don't keep them.

It is my pet hate.

In fact, the Groomie still remembers me saying this to him on the night we first kissed. Turns out he listened, because he has never let me down.

I can't say the same for a certain supplier of ours.

I don't understand why you would promise the world and then not deliver. It is only going to p*ss people (me, and in turn everyone around me) off. Whereas, if you under-promise, then over-deliver, everybody's happy and raving about how you did something faster than you said you would.

A little lesson.

Happy Friday!

2010-08-06T00:53:00.000-07:00

I am all excited for the weekend to begin (holy moly I just wrote wedding instead of weekend- how sad!)

I had a long lunch today with The Lovely Girl I Travelled the World With. She just got back from Irishland and it was sooooo good to see her again!

We've had a funny day at work today. The two most senior dudes and one of the girls went out last night and were hungover today, so everyone has spent the day laughing at each other... and sneaking to the pub at lunch time.

Going out tonight with the work girls and Miss Moloko for 2 for 1 margaritas and some karaoke. I can't wait. I'm going to bust out some Britney Spears for sure.

Then Saturday morning (probably hungover) The Lovely Girl I Travelled the World With is coming with me to try on wedding dresses. Hopefully I'm not too sick... I can just see the headlines "Bride-to-be spews on three thousand dollar dress." Ew.

Hope everyone else has a wonderful weekend! Fingers crossed I hear from the Aussie photog over the weekend about our engagement photos!

Yay weekend!

No longer freaking out

2010-08-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

So, remember when I was totally freaking out about the Groomie's running friend having their wedding on the same day in the same place as us?

I can exhale.
Ahhhhhhhhh.

The Groomie got up at his usual 5:00am to go running in the hills on Saturday morning. Not my idea of a weekend, but anyway. He had been at home for about half an hour, and I had even asked him whether he had spoken to the family of other crazy running guy, but he was on the laptop at the time and we all know how good boys are at concentrating on two things at once. So, yeah, he had a chat with other crazy running guy's Dad.

They really wanted the same reception place as us, and were considering changing the date so they could have it. But, like us, they have people coming from overseas and also may be doing the whole two wedding thing (it is all the rage these days, apparently) so their wedding has to be on that date.

So, they are having their ceremony on the same property as our reception (there is a pretty garden there), then having their reception at a different winery. We probably won't even cross paths.

Also, because both of their venues are a 25min drive from the resort we're staying at, it is very doubtful that they'd stay there. Another problem solved. Thank you so much everyone for trying to calm me.

And now, because I'm excited, please enjoy this photo of the Groomie on the verandah of our reception venue:

If I had one wish, it would be to throw out those stone-wash jeans

Woot, woot!

An experiment

2010-08-02T18:15:00.000-07:00

I had a hair and make-up trial on the weekend.

I have not had my make-up done professionally since my Year 11 ball. The scary make-up lady covered my 15 year old face in brown eyeshadow and drew on big dark eyebrows... I never quite recovered.

Did you ever do "Warm Fuzzies" at school, where you had to anonymously write down something nice about each person? One of mine was "You have invisible eyebrows". And yes, my eyebrows are fair. They have gotten a little bit darker since, but they are one of those things, beauty-wise, that I've always wanted to fix, but have been afraid to do it in case I don't look like myself anymore (damn you Year 11 ball lady).

Also, I am possibly the rosiest (read: person who looks most like a beetroot) person you will ever meet.

I don't want to have invisible eyebrows or a beetroot face at the wedding.

So, yes, back to the hair and make-up trial. I was there for about an hour and a half, although it felt like 10 minutes. She put all kinds of lotions and powders and things on my face. She filled in my eyebrows a bit. I was scared to look in the mirror, but when I did, I loved it.

I went home, so so glad that I had given in and hired a make-up artist.

The Groomie was impressed, and took me out to lunch to show me off.

I had taken a photo to show you guys (and my Mum) how it all turned out. I didn't really look at it until today though, and now I am a little worried. I could swear I didn't look like Malibu Barbie.

Also, I suppose I could have cracked a smile...

The picture tells a different story. Now I am worried that I was so high on compliments that I didn't see myself properly. Or maybe it was my crappy camera's flash. I don't know.

I felt sooooo good for that whole day though. I am confused.

One thing is for sure: I am making a booking with an excellent eyebrow stylist and getting that done. Life is too short to live with half-invisible eyebrows.

We also had our engagement shoot the same day, so I will wait to see what those photos are like, then judge my make-up.

And...uhhhh.... remember when I made fun of the couple laying in the fallen leaves...?

I have a crush on our wedding photographer

2010-07-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

But I haven't even met him yet. So, maybe the correct way to say this would be to say that I have a crush on his photographs. Like, every single one I see. I squeal with excitement every time I see there is a new blog post up. The Groomie pokes his head around the kitchen cupboards and looks at me expectantly: "What, baby?" I giggle to myself... "Ohhh... nothing... :)"

If I'm being honest, I was more concerned with finding a photographer for the Australian wedding first, entirely because the likelihood that we'll be able to be outside for photographs is that much higher in an Australian Summer than it is in an Irish Winter (or an Irish Summer, for that matter).

I wasn't too excited about the first few Irish photogs that I looked at either. Everything was very posey-posey and nobody looked like they were having fun. And I know how much fun is had at Irish weddings. And then I saw Darren's site and I started developing my little crush on his photos.

I think I love them so much because they all represent the way I want to feel on our wedding day. And the way I want our guests to feel. And the way I want to remember the day.And of course, they are really pretty.

Darren Purcell of Visionary Photography was lovely enough to let me show you all what I'm talking about.

I want to be all like "Look, ladies! This ring means I get to keep him forever!"

I want to be relaxed and comfortable enough to laugh at myself, or the Groomie.

I want to hug lovely people, a lot.

I want to have little curious people running around.

I want to be embarrassed... in a good way.

And, I want to remember the proud yet emotional look on my Dad's face at the top of the aisle.

Yesterday afternoon, just as I was about to head out to drink margaritas with some visiting Texans, a notification popped up that Darren had posted a blog post. AND MY BLOG WAS ON IT. And apparently I'm "very, very funny". When I got home much, much later and hopped up on tequila, I was telling the Groomie all about it. He was tired and not a drunkie and didn't quite get it. So, I spent the next half an hour laying next to him in bed, whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

"But baby, I'm very, very funny..." *Snoreeeeee*

*This is not a sponsored post, it is just the whole crush thing.

Three years

2010-07-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow the Groomie and I will have been together for three years. It doesn't seem like long and it feels like forever at the same time. We went to a fancy-schmancy six course degustation dinner on Saturday night to celebrate. It was amazing.

For the last couple of weeks I've been thinking back to where I was in my life three years ago. Three years and two weeks ago, I was in London, walking up and down Oxford St and spending all of the money I didn't have. Three years and one week ago, I was meeting the Groomie's sister for the first time and had just landed a job in a pub. Three years ago today, the Groomie was coming home from a debaucherous week with the lads in Greece. Judging by the shots of girls' bums that I stalked on his Bebo (the mainly Irish version of Facebook that died along with Myspace) I still don't want to know what went on that week.

And three years ago tomorrow, he and his friends set off to Shea's pub to find out who this mystery blonde was that was working there.

I was struggling behind the bar. It was loud and I didn't know the names of the drinks and I hadn't quite mastered deciphering a drunken Irish accent yet. I couldn't quite comprehend that the mixers were kept on a shelf instead of in the fridge. The pub owner's dog was getting under my feet. It pooped and I stepped in it. In other words, the perfect evening.

Guinness Brewery, 2007

Then, I spotted Paddy. He was in a group of three young guys all wearing "King of Greeze" t-shirts. His best friend says this was the only time he ever fought to buy the pints. He ordered three pints of Guinness, my first ever, and I didn't stuff it up too badly. He was good-looking, so being from Australia where people are married practically out of high school, I assumed he was taken. He had Spiderman boxers sticking out of the top of his jeans. Swoon.

I would have ignored him like everyone else who was after the new meat, but I found out that I knew his sister, so I talked to him. When I finished work, I proceeded to grill the girls I knew about him and found out that he was single. We headed over to the nightclubbiest (totally a word) place in town and he was there with his friends. We were all talking in the same group, dancing a bit, and a guy called The Bear twirled me around a bit, then stopped. He said "I'd better stop dancing with you or Paddy'll give me shit." I gave a silent "Yes!", got chatting to Porridge, as I was now calling him, and danced the night away.

I was staying with his sister's husband's brother's fiance (of course!), so Paddy bought the pizza and we headed back there. I'll be honest and say that I wasn't looking for a boyfriend, so I really only invited him back because I felt bad that I had eaten all of his pizza. I was tricked into sleeping in the same bed as him by those who were keen to set us up. He said my hair smelled nice (why are men so taken with the smell of shampoo?) and managed to sneak a kiss on the cheek. And that was it.

In the next week, he came to the pub and sat and chatted with me for half an hour on his way home. We went to see The Simpsons Movie "as friends" but he took me to a fancy restaurant first. He invited me to a hurling game. He brought two types of Australian wine to a barbecue I invited him to because he didn't know what I liked.

And that was it. I can't believe three years have passed. I remember it like it was yesterday :)

I am an impulse shopper.

2010-07-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

It is true.

I impulse bought my wedding dress (for Irish wedding).

I impulse bought my wedding shoes (for Irish wedding).

And now I have impulse bought.... a florist.

Seriously. Where do I even come from?

I will say that I was a bit jumpy, knowing that someone was looking to get married on the same day, at the same place as us. I had already done the research and had some quotes. There was one that was infinitely cheaper than the rest (and I am not blowing my whole budget on flowers).

The thing is, I was pretty sure I didn't want to hire a florist. I don't really care about flowers, so long as there are some there. But I was stressed and so I threw money at the situation.

No more throwing money, Miss C.

Crowning Glory

2010-07-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

Source

So... after the potential debacle was brought to light last week, I had a bit of a panic for a couple of hours and booked some stuff.

Hair and make-up comes first. I had a few quotes but never got around to booking anybody... mainly because, like flowers, hair and make-up wasn't a massive priority for me. The only make-up I even wear is mascara (so my eyelashes aren't blonde) and a teeny bit of foundation to cover my ridiculously rosy cheeks. Hair is easy, I'll just let the length speak for itself and get some loose curls. Easy.

So... I have booked my hair and make-up trial for the same day as our engagement photo shoot. Two birds, one stone, etc.

Now here's the thing. I was reading Robyn's post the other week about growing your hair for the wedding day, then doing the chop afterwards. I cannot wait for the chopping part!

Madrid, 2007

My hair has been at least waist-length since I was 15. THAT IS TEN YEARS. TEN YEARS!! Of course, when you have long hair, people go on about it. Not very many people are patient/lazy enough to grow it that long. And any boyfriend I've ever had has been allaboutit.

My high school boyfriend and his sister had dealt with cancer and often spent time at Camp Quality. I had always said that in my last year of university I would shave my head for the charity, and sell my hair to raise some more money. But at that point in my life, my boyfriend at the time said he would break up with me if I shaved my head. He made it seem like a joke, but one of those jokes where you just know they are serious. And I loved him blahblahblah so I didn't look into it any more. I still feel guilty.

Then, I was going to cut my hair last year. I happened to read an article about a girl who had had long hair since forever, did the chop, and her boyfriend proposed a week later. And she stressed about growing it out again for the wedding. I told the Groomie about the article and he was like "Well, maybe you shouldn't cut your hair..." And I was like "YAY!" (in my head)

So, after the wedding it goes. I don't think I could shave it, but I was thinking maybe I could cut it short enough so that I could raise some money off the hair? Can you do that?

I can't believe I just wrote so much about hair.

I am totally freaking out.

2010-07-13T20:35:00.001-07:00

As you all know, the Groomie is a crazy running guy. He also belongs to a club of crazy running guys. One of those guys got engaged a few weeks ago. They decided they might like to have their wedding in the same beautiful region as us.

I encouraged the Groomie to give the bride-to-be my email address, as I have researched all of the suppliers in the area.

They are down there at the moment, staying in the same resort we stayed in (and are going to stay in for the wedding), in front of the beach we have chosen to get married on.

The Groomie just received a phone call from other crazy running guy's Dad (who is also a crazy running guy), saying they were at our reception venue and had asked about booking it for 17 December 2011, but were told our wedding was booked in for that day. Other crazy running guy's Dad thought we were getting married this year. Obvs we are not.

So now I'm freaking out.

I know that there will be other weddings in that area on the same day as ours, but it is less freaky when you don't know the people. I have booked most of our suppliers, but I immediately got on the phone to book in a trial with the hair and make-up person I want. I think once I book in a florist, I'll have everything booked.

Except one thing: the ceremony location.

The beach is a public space and bookings are controlled by the Council. The Council does not allow bookings more than 12 months in advance. We are now 15 months out. What if they want to get married on the same beach at the same time (which is a very high likelihood if they intend to stay at the same resort as us)? What if I try to book the ceremony space and have been beaten to it? All I can think of is sitting there with my booking form attached to an email, waiting for the clock to click over to 12:00am on 17 December. And I probably will.

At this point though, I'm hoping they love the reception place so much that they change their date for it.

Another problem would be accomodation. It seems like they'll be having a bigger wedding than us, and all of those people will be wanting to stay in the same resort as us. AND the resort won't allow us to block off rooms because it is the most popular time of year for them. Luckily, because we're only having fifty or so people at the wedding, I know all of them well enough to encourage them to book their rooms as soon as they become available.

Oh dear, I have been so overly organised the whole way through so far, and now I'm terrified that we won't get what we've planned for.

Deep breaths.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

He is so handsome.

2010-07-12T22:36:00.001-07:00

Christmas 2008

I wish he was exactly this scruffy all of the time.

Do you think I can ask him not to shave for the wedding, and not to cut his hair for 6 months before it? And to also maybe wear that hat?

That is all. I apologise for filling your blog reader with this nonsense.

Anna is a genius.

2010-07-11T20:01:00.000-07:00

So, I had a pretty shitty week last week. I was sick of everything and stressed and... blah, blah, blah. The Groomie was feeling much the same way.

Then, the lovely Anna suggested camping out in the living room. This is the part where I get all thankful for blogland.

On Saturday afternoon, we got ourselves ready for our big adventure. We went shopping for barbecue stuff and marshmallows, and picked up some scary movies (this was a treat for the Groomie, as I never watch scary movies). I sent him out to pick up some cider, and by the time he got back our living room was transformed. I hung a sheet from various hooks and blinds, and pulled out a mattress and doonas (or duvets for the uninitiated).

Then, we settled in for the night. We snuggled up and stuffed our faces with comfort food, the Groomie watched the scariest movie while I hit under the covers for most of it with my fingers blocking my ears, and opened the door to the balcony and roasted marshmallows on the barbecue. A perfect Winter's night.

We didn't talk about the wedding at all, except when we were whinging about how cold it was with the door open. Australian Winter has nothing on Irish Winter, and we've resigned ourselves to the fact that we'll probably be sniffling our way down the aisle. Whatevs.

We had such fun on our little adventure; it was just what we both needed.

Ahhhh :)

The birds and the bees

2010-07-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

My little sister has been having some boy trouble. The boy she likes has been doing the whole hot and cold thing with her (and... presto! I have Katy Perry stuck in my head)

He told her the other night that he is a virgin. I can write this on the internet because there is little to no chance that a 20 year old single-ish guy would be reading a wedding blog.

My sister works with me at the moment, and I was telling the Groomie about the conversation, like this:

Me: Oh! Lil sis's boys troubles make sense! He told her he was a virgin last night! And then he brushed her hair out of her eyes and told her she was pretty.

Groomie: Yep, he's definitely a virgin. And hah! If she's his first he'll be under her spell forever! Go lil sis!

Me: I wish I was the first one to bang you.

Groomie: You were... (this is the part where we pretend we were young innocents when we met)

Me: I was the first one to bang your heart

Groomie: *laughs*

Yet another romantic tale from the lives of Miss C and the Groomie.

What do these two images have in common?

2010-07-07T21:34:00.000-07:00

Source & Source

Who knew there was a Pantone colour called Blue Steel?!

For some reason I think this is amazing. It kind of made my day.

Meh

2010-07-06T22:19:00.000-07:00

I am in a shitty mood today.

I am sick of the wedding being the "most important" thing in my life.

I am sick of not having any money because we're saving it all for the wedding.

I am in a very bad mood with the wedding today. If it doesn't watch itself, it'll be out on the street.

I want to go on a holiday with the Groomie and spend all of our hard-earned money on whatever we like, and not feel the slightest bit guilty.

I feel like I should stop ranting because I have nothing else to complain about, but I am still shitty.

Rah!

Okay, done.