I do - my wedding blog

I'm going dress shopping - well, trying - on Saturday with my mum and sister. I'm really looking forward to it as I love all the dresses there. Having been before I know what to expect, but this time I'm much more excited. At least this time it's actually planned! Things are coming together, apart from the photographer, which we are struggling with a bit. We are not exactly sure what we want and whether we can get something a bit more relaxed than the majority seem to be. We took my MIL to the venue yesterday (which is all booked up now!) and it made us all really excited!

Pretty jewellery and one of my favourite animals - in one post? Turtle Love Committee have been doing the blog rounds and I'm so glad I checked it out as I found a great ring which I think is so pretty and is also an absolute bargain! I had put a bit more in the budget aside for my ring, but I would rather have something so nice like this one. It is called Cambolasse and the description says it is perfect for people looking for a simple wedding band that has some character - sounds like me! I just need to work out what my american size is Image from Turtle Love Committee

I am going to start a regime of sit-ups every day. I'm not going overboard with diets etc pre-wedding, but I could do with a little toning so this seems like a good place to start. It's not all I'm doing - I've been going swimming each week, and the netball season is in full swing. I'm going to try to keep this up, and may well try to track my progress. I thought that by announcing my intentions on here would encourage me to do it, but given my progress on my new year resolutions posted on my other blog I'm not so sure! image from stock.xchng user hortongrou

So I don't think I'd have the patience to do this on however many chairs we might have, but it looks so pretty! Via Style me pretty

Since my original inspiration , I've spent a lot of time pulling out photos I like, some of which you have seen before. The result is this... Sources: (right, here goes) from top left to bottom right Bridesmaids , Horniman conservatory , Johanna Hehir dress , St Barnabas Church , invite, edible centrepiece , flowers by me, Underground table plan , centrepiece flowers (can't remember where from sorry), suit , cheese cake , Horniman conservatory , London bus , chair , shoes , hurricane lamp , croquembouche , peach bellini , hair , Horniman conservatory

We went to Ikea on Friday night - I know, wild! It was quite enjoyable (unusual for Ikea) probably because it was Friday night and REALLY quiet, but also because we were only shopping for odds and ends. Anyway, I did spot these potted sunflowers for less than £2.50 each! I think they would make a nice start for centrepieces - so less than £2o for all of them! I would probably need to buy them now while they have them but knowing how bad I am at keeping plants alive I think I'd have to get my mum to look after them. Image from Ikea

I have been a bridesmaid 4 times, twice as a child and twice now I'm a bit more grown up. From these and other weddings I have attended plus others which I have heard about, I have learned a few things about hosting one: Timing seems to be crucial but don't panic if it starts slipping - as long as your guests are happy it's fine Keep the champagne (or cheaper alternative) flowing at the drinks reception, especially if it is going on for a while. One glass will not keep them going Keep going with the day even if it is not exactly to your plan, chances are no-one else is noticing Book vendors based on recommendations Make sure your photographer knows which pictures are most important to you Enjoy yourself I'm going to try and add to this list, I know there must be more...

I enjoy crafting (as done my mum) and this led to our decision to DIY quite a few bits. We also worked out how much money this might save us (particularly the dress). That said I was starting to realise that, especially at the moment, we might be doing some good people out of work. I especially admire people who make invitations, but I just can't justify pretty pretty letterpress....

I'm not a particularly visual person in terms of pictures - I know what I like but I can't really use it to make decisions. I've realised after spending months doing this exact thing. I am visual in terms of diagrams however, and thought that this instead would be the way to help me with making decisions. I realised that my problem was I didn't know which decision to make first. The best way to represent this was a mind map as I could interlink everything. I did this one on bubbl.us . You'll probably have to click on it to see the detail. Now I'm obviously not claiming that this is exhaustive, but it gave me a good start point. I've now managed to fill in a lot of the boxes with actual ideas and this highlighted where there were still decisions to make. I also created more detailed ones for some of the areas like my outfit.

Can I have some of these please? You can create your own colourways on the Converse website . What do you think of these ones I designed? Image from Kate Headley and from Converse

I'm rubbish at decision making, I am just the most indecisive person ever. I've spent the last 11 months looking at pretty pictures and not really making any decisions at all. Well that's what I thought. When I sat down and worked through all the possible things I had to think about, a lot more is decided than I had realised. We know the church (booked), reception venue (to be booked this week), and bridal party. So the important things are done. I also have ideas about my dress, bridesmaid dresses, hen do, flowers, invites, The only major things to decide are the menu and the table/venue decor. The other things are all (relatively) minor, although some of these are decided too. So that makes me feel a lot better. We just have to keep up the good work.