I do - my wedding blog

I now realise why so many wedding blogs disappear so soon after the wedding. Suddenly my time and inclination seemed to vanish, not exactly sure why. Anyway, getting back to putting together my day for you, I get to my outfit. My dress was made by my mum, which was so special. It meant that it was completely unique and exactly what I wanted. We had had it specially designed by a friend of a friend who was studying fashion design. This, for me, was the most fun part. I had been to try on other dresses ( 1 , 2 , 3 ) so I had a good idea what I was looking for. We then had the drawing made into a pattern by a professional pattern cutter - this bit wasn't cheap. If we had been a bit clever we could probably have utilised an existing pattern as I wasn't having anything that out of the ordinary. Once we had the finished toile and pattern we set about chopping up the actual fabric and lining etc. I helped cut out some bits, but I left most of this to my mum who is much more ex...

I just wanted to post a pic of the present J got me on our wedding day Image from Rob Ryan

It has been nearly a month, I'm stuck right back into work, my name is changed on some things, but people are still talking about the wedding when they see us. Back to the story... As the evening guests started to arrive and we has our coffee and homemade tablet , the men did the speeches. Starting with my dad, who can be a bit of a loose cannon when it comes to public speaking, especially I thought, when he was a bit emotional. But it was suitably funny, soppy and full of advice (lists was the key thing). He managed to embarrass me by mentioning my secret shame from when I was 11 (I failed my cycling proficiency test!) while also make me feel like his special little girl. J's speech was very funny, and I have the scrap of paper he made his notes on in my box of wedding bits. But it was also poignant as he raised a glass to absent friends. The best men did a double act which worked perfectly with one doing the funny stuff and the other playing the straight man. They eve...

After our mad bus trip from the church to the venue - which got a lot of waves and a few bus geek photographers (who knows how they found out about it!)  - we arrived to a round of applause from museum patrons, and were handed yummy peach bellinis. We then got the photos out of the way, largely painless, and even had a group photo of everyone. The photographer made everyone shout "sex!" instead of cheese. My shock will probably be evident on my face in the photo. J and I were then taken off for a few minutes to do some shots of us, including by the walrus and the totem pole. The sun was shining and the drinks were flowing. I was pleased with my mingling skills! We had canapes (kudos to the staff who always made sure J and I got them first). Everyone was then invited to sit for dinner by our toastmaster aka one of our friends from Uni. On our way to our seats we cut our croquembouche using the toastmaster's Sgian Dubh. I had been so looking forward to our food s...

I have read a lot of magazines, websites and particularly blogs as I have gone through these last 20 or so months. Some of the blogs have come and gone, but some I have stuck with. I thought I would share: A Practical Wedding - if you want straight talking this is where to go. Keeps everything in perspective. This one is staying in my Google reader for the future. Craft my bride - this is the blog of a soon to be bride who is diying her wedding. Rock My Wedding - It is great to see a British wedding blog flourishing like this one. Temple of Groom - a groom's blog With this ring - pretty stuff and good ideas. Always quick to link to interesting things! Project wedding blog - whole host of diy stuff Ruffled - nice vintage weddings iDIY - more diy snippet and ink - inspiring inspiration boards Wiley Valentine - invites and pretty stuff 100 Layer Cake - more pretties Lucky me - inspiration boards and pretty stuff Once Wed blog - a good mixture of different type...

We arrived at the church slightly early so parked up the road a bit and Dad jumped out to go and check everything was hunky-dory. This was the first moment when I was really nervous, and as always when I'm nervous I needed the loo. The same had happened on Friday evening as we pulled up to the church so my bridesmaids had thought it was very funny to buy me some incontinence pads. Anyway, everything was fine, and the men were told to go and take their seats in the front row. We pulled the bus forward, and had a couple of minutes to grab some photos with the buses, like a traditional father-daughter photo plus one of me on the back of the Routemaster (one of the key ones on my list for the day). Then it was time to go. Mum said a quick prayer before we walked up towards the church to be met by the vicar,and then she headed inside. I had managed to get my shoe stuck between paving slabs on the path but this was a minor hitch, it did relieve my nerves somewhat as we all laughed. ...

Last Saturday all went wonderfully. I could put that down to perfect planning from us, but I think in fact it was a combination of planning, good suppliers, help from friends and family and a bit of good luck. Firstly, the weather was lovely. After it was rather cold and overcast all week, the day was almost completely dry (apart from 2 minutes when leaving my flat) and despite a few clouds it was relatively sunny, perfect for hanging around outside as planned. I didn't put my cardi on until I was leaving at 11pm. Next, nothing went noticeable wrong, or at all really. So, a bit about the day. I'll start from the beginning... We had had a busy week, with various people staying and enjoying our week off. There was some organising to do but mainly we filled the time catching up with friends, going to gigs and collecting people from stations. There were a couple of minor issues (like family illness causing a couple of late drop outs), hence the post but generally there was ...

I realise the post I put up last week was less than happy. Apart from a couple of short episodes the preparation week was good fun, with friends and relatives around us, a couple of gigs and even time for a manicure*. The day itself went wonderfully, and our few days away have been the most relaxing ever. I'll post more as I have time. *BTW a week on, and my nails still look great, that's what comes of going to Nails Inc , courtesy of a birthday present from my friends. I went for a pastel pink called Birdcage Walk (although I can't find that one on the website)

Right now, I'm getting married! Image from Ryan Feerer

Feeling slightly stressed today. The 'everything's ok' facade has fallen. This has the feeling of a runaway train, which I am not at all in control of. But chief BM had words of wisdom to calm me down.

A week to go. At exactly 2pm I just happened to be driving past the church, which was really exciting. Well, I've finished work and have just made my final to-do list. It now fits on one page and has everything allocated to a day and person. The more complicated bit seems to be working out who is where at what time, and who is staying at our flat. I think we have different people each night. I might try and make it like a sleepover in the lounge to save on changing the beds!

I think I had underestimated how excited I would be, at just over a week to go. I did however have a wobble (my first proper one) earlier in the week, but I think that was a mixture of feeling generally emotional and wedding worries. My to do list is not that long, and tomorrow is my last day at work. So feeling happy! Also, feeling much better about my tiara after my hair appointment today

I didn't realise I had gone quiet. It's not  that I've been run off my feet busy or anything...I just forgot to write. So, 2 weeks to go, and we're feeling quite organised. I keep getting packages in  the post containing interesting and useful things for the big day. Yesterday it was peach puree for the drinks reception bellinis,and today my special etsy necklaces for the girls. We're not really feeling stressed - but this seems to be what everyone expects from me! I guess I'm just chilled out about it, focussed on the bigger picture and super organised. Today, we went to scope out the reception venue again to check where we fancy having our photos done. It was quite sunny and it seemed so lovely. They were just setting up for another wedding which made it seem even more real. We picked up our rings last weekend, and J wore his home just to make sure he was going to get used to it. My dress is so close to being ready. Plus my veil and tiara arrived tod...

I just spotted this and thought I would reblog it here Find the original here : " No: 1. My perfect day 2. A fairy-tale wedding 3. Best of all 4. Better than anything 5. The best day of my life 6. The best ever Yes: 1. Fun 2. Personal 3. Meaningful 4. Sweet 5. Celebratory 6. Us " I completely agree!

Only one month to go, and I'm feeling chilled and relaxed (yes, both). I had a meeting with the caterer yesterday, so I'm happy that all those bits are in order. I'm just going to have a bash at a table plan The little things left can be done, or not, I don't think it matters now Big things left: pick up rings finalise ceremony wording/ prayers shoes for J pick up veil etc get flowers organised

I went down today with bms in tow so they could try their dresses. Man, do they look great! The colour is excellent, such a springlike shade, but nice and bold, and suits them both so well. Once they have had a few final adjustments, they will be done While we were at the shop (because they are so helpful) I thought I'd have a look at veils and hair pieces. It's all very well trawling the internet for these things but it is very difficult to imagine what they might feel like on, as they are not things I am used to wearing. I tried about 10 veils, all different lengths and with different edges and detailing. I have gone for a wrist length ivory veil with pearls through it. I didn't go for one with a heavy edge as it would distract from the dress, and it appeared to blend in better rather than be the feature in itself. The pearls just add a bit of 'special' without being too blingy. Plus they will go with my great-grandma's pearls I am borrowing from my mum fo...

Our gift list is now open and it is J who is obsessively checking it. I'm still finding it weird that people are buying us gifts; like I don't deserve them. I am happy to say though that it is some of the items I added (cake stand, sewing box) which my friends have gone for early on :-)

The RSVP deadline has passed and we have now (almost) got official numbers for the wedding breakfast (why is it breakfast? I usually don't eat lamb and profiteroles for brekkie!). But some people haven't replied, so need tactful chasing Other tasks for this week include finalising flowers and sorting out the delivery of the croquembouche. We also need to order DJ equipment and I have a busy day on Saturday planned with my bridesmaids.

My sister got me a box full of presents at my hen do, each one had a label on: For tomorrow morning - hangover teabags Because I know you will need them - tissues Maltese wedding favours - Malteasers For that Bridezilla  moment - chocolate chill pill Something old to stick with tradition - sixpence Your wish is our command - magic wand We'll treat you like a princess - tiara Something to help you relax before the big day - bath bomb To help you survive the big day - blister plasters and party feet Something to have a giggle over - Victorian marriage advice book A money saving idea...grow your own bouquet - sunflower seeds Courtesy of the Horniman Museum - wind up snail (I HATE snails) Something blue - Rangers garter This last one was the best and will be a lovely surprise on the day I was also given some rude bits from my friends, to make me feed uncomfortable Plus, when I got home one of my friends had sent me some flowers (from the lovely Jane Packer )

I'm just writing this as I print my evening invite inserts. I've just spent the last 3 hours making the invites themselves. Now it's double sided time - what a nightmare! I've already gone through this once with the full invites, I should have learned Update - I think I have finally cracked it. Little did I know that printers are not built to print centrally on pages and have a trailing edge which is larger. This means you have to print off centre. How stupid is that These WILL go out tomorrow (well, the work ones anyway)

On Saturday it was my hen do, organised brilliantly by my bridesmaids. My pals (including my mum and J's mum) all managed to keep quiet and the day's entertainment was a complete surprise to me. I was just told to be at the tube station at a particular time dressed smartly, and I'd be taken along to the first venue. The first venue was the Connaught hotel , where we had afternoon tea. So delicious, especially as I've not been eating treats through Lent. Starting off with champagne, then moving on to unending tea (my choice a white tea called silver needle) with sandwiches, scones (apricot ones - great idea) and homemade jam, and plenty of cakes. So filling! Afterwards the staff brought me a plate which said congratulations in chocolate sauce and a choccie on the side - yum. My sister had put together a box of presents for me, including a tiara and magic wand to wear for the day, as well as useful bits for the day like blister plasters, a sixpence and hangover tea. M...

Seems this blog is coming down to weekly summaries of what I've been up to, now that it's getting closer. This is partly because I have to be more focussed and cannot get distracted by all the other weddings/ inspiration out there, and second, I don't have any more time. Anyway, this week has entailed another dress fitting - it's nearly there, having doubts about the sash now as the waistband as it is doesn't really give itself to having one, a meeting with the vicar to sort out ceremony details like wording, readings etc, a trip to Ikea to buy candle holders for the reception venue, tried on mum's Grandmother's pearls, which I am borrowing for the wedding. They are so pretty. decided against using mum's veil - it's too white for my dress started cutting out lots of circles of fabric for the jam lids got a second florists quote, slightly more expensive but includes hire of vases for centrepieces, and I suspect a little more artistic flair t...

Another dress fitting, with shoes this time. I got these ones - the same as I had last year for being a bridesmaid. Boring, perhaps but they were comfy and comfort is key. I went shopping as well today with little sis AKA bridesmaid. We managed to get her some shoes, pashminas for both bridesmaids, a hairband for the other bridesmaid and ribbon for the bunting and favours. In addition, I have priced up candles/ vases/ holders in the bargain basement that is Asda home. I'll be able to do a comparison after a trip to Ikea next weekend. J's away on his stag as we speak, which makes me slightly nervous - it always seemed a long way in the future! Image from Pink

I don't know what the plan is for my hen do. I know who is on the guest list and I know where I need to meet everyone. I also know I need to dress up. I saw this dress ages ago in the wonderful new Anthropologie store in London, but it was just too expensive to buy for no reason. It then vanished from their website, around the time I started looking for something to wear for the do - typical! Having dreamed about it for the last week or so, and having checked with my sis that it looked suitable, I spent ages looking for it online, and managed to find out there were a couple left but in American sizes. I have no idea what size I would be. I went along to the store tonight to see if it was about. Hoping against hope that it would be on a sale rail. It wasn't, it was still on the main shop floor - boo! I tried it on (I know, dangerous!) and it was lovely, although was getting quite worked up in the fitting room, with one of those dress-stuck-with-arms-in-the-air moments u...

We went to John Lewis last week to select items for our gift list. It is as fun as everyone tells you, like you are on a spree! But I flitted between emotions feeling at one minute like I was actually going to walk out with everything we selected to the next when I realised we were actually going to leave the shop empty handed...for now. We were quite organised and had made a list of what we were looking for before we went. This was just as well as I could tell that otherwise we would have scanned everything. A couple of days later we added more stuff online. I can tell it is going to be quite addictive watching as people buy items and we have to keep an eye on what is left for others. Thinking about what people might buy/ spend is an intriguing part, especially as some of our friends are not married yet and are likely to think of this as an indicator of what they might expect in return (not that our friends are that mercenary!). Although I sometimes feel it is a bit weird that...

Finally got some movement on flowers, after being fobbed off by 2 florists - one didn't call me when they said they would after not keeping an appointment (unreliable!) and the other kept telling me to come back 'after Valentines', 'after Mother's day'... but then they tell me they won't deliver as far as the venue. Pah! But I have managed to visit two great florists this week who have been enthusiastic and helpful. I'm just waiting for a final quote from one before I have to make a decision on which to use. So, we've decided on a mixture of mini sunflowers, lilies, and gerberas, with some white tiny daisy things (not sure what they're called). I also like black eyed susan if the gerberas aren't the right colours. Centre pieces will look a bit like this, but with the candle in a hurricane vase

We have decided to do mini jars of marmalade as favours. They will also double as our table place names, sitting on the place setting. Here's some inspiration: I've already got some fabric for the tops, which I will also use for bunting, but I'll have to get some more. Four boxes of jam jars are ready and waiting at my parents' house, and we're planning to make the marmalade over Easter weekend - should be fun! Images from the knot, once wed, and Design sponge

I completely missed the 100 days to go, the 3 months to go and any other significant days from which I could count down. And now we are in the final weeks, I'm glad I had a productive weekend to stave off any worries! We managed to get our banns organised at our parish church (major legal requirement!) and I went for a dress fitting with my mum. My dad says he has all the transport organised, so we can check that off the list. Some slight concerns about no-one having had any info about my hen night which is in 3 weeks, but there's little I can do as it's all a surprise for me. My sister is on it, so I guess I don't need to worry. This week will involve: evening invite making visiting florists buying shoes

Finally got our Croquembouche ordered after one cancelled order. We went to where we should have gone to start with, Patisserie Valerie , as that is where we saw them in the window. They like to hide the fact they do delivery of wedding cakes. It'll be like this minus the fruit. Looking forward to it - yum! Just need to sort out the sword for lopping off the top It's a traditional French wedding cake, and usually the bride and groom smash the top while the bridesmaids hold the tablecloth to catch the pieces. Struggling to find a picture of people actually doing that though!

I forgot to post about our wedding rings We bought them at a little independent shop in my home town. It's just one guy who makes them all there. They were cheaper than we had seen in London. Our choices are a bit like these: This is James' (although in yellow gold) And mine

We went for our tasting yesterday, with 2 bottles of wine in hand (which went wonderfully!) and it was all so good. Which is really good news. I wasn't concerned that it wouldn't be, but there's always a niggle when you're paying so much. Can't wait to eat it all again! We also asked about our cheese table, which will be the 'evening food'. We wanted to check it wasn't just going to be a hunk of cheddar. As soon as he said the cheese is going to come from Neal's Yard I relaxed.

The first invites have arrived with people this week and we've had some really good feedback. One friend we saw said 'they must have cost you a pretty penny', to which I replied 'well, two weekends work and a computer printer', and let's just say she was surprised they weren't professionally produced. That's a compliment!

We finished all the invites yesterday and they were posted off today. Kudos to all the family who dug in to help out (even if it was just cups of tea). This was them all ready to go.  And below is what they look like when they are opened. On the front we have the wedding date in Roman numerals, to go with the sundial theme (because of the collection of sundials at the museum). The pockets were hand made out of ivory card, and the edges touched with a blue ink pad. The pockets were stuck closed with removable glue dots. The inserts and invite text were printed on ivory paper. Then there was an RSVP card in the pack too. The names and envelopes were handwritten, and we added record cover stamps . I can't wait for the responses to start rolling in. photos from my mobile

I updated the bridesmaid dress picture so it is the right colour. It'll have an ivory sash, but I'm not that good on photoshop! Also, do you ever have a day where you just search for a picture but you can't remember where you saw it!? Irritating...

I so want to look like this on the day... Image by Nancy Jagelka from (via A Practical Wedding)

This was a big weekend, with plenty of stuff getting crossed off the big to-do list: got final pattern and fabric etc for my dress discussed transport and logistics with my parents - we will definitely have a bus to transport people to the church and to/from the reception got them and my grandparents booked into a hotel decided on favours and bought some bits to go towards these (more soon) got started on invites (why are printers so irritating, why do they never print things the size you want and only run out of ink when you are doing something important?!) bought bridesmaid dresses (big yay!) This is it: From Hilary Morgan Not in this colour though, it will be blue with an ivory sash (so the opposite way round to mine). It was not too stressful getting the dresses, despite my concerns with both bridesmaids telling me they are not the easiest when it comes to clothes. I thought I was going to have some major self esteem issues on my hands. But, both girls, independent...

I wasn't planning on spending this much on shoes, but these from Rachel Simpson are lovely. Needs some more thought... Image from Rachel Simpson via Rock my wedding

Very helpfully, our church runs a wedding prep day in January each year. This lets us sort out all the paperwork, meet the vicar (which wasn't so useful for us as we already know them, but for some people who don't usually attend this is very important), meet the musical director and have a bit of a marriage preparation session. It was also great to meet other couples from the local area who are getting married in the next few months. We even met the couple who are getting married right before us (i.e. at 12:30 on the same day) at our church. This means we can share the flowers in the church with them. Although we didn't actually sort out much, we came away feeling much more prepared - so the day fulfilled its purpose

It may appear that I have been thinking a lot and not actually doing anything - which is partly true! But I also have a 3 page to do list stuck on the back of the kitchen door, where I will see it everyday, telling me what I still have to do. We have managed to sort out quite a bit in the last couple of weeks though: favours - home made marmalade bridesmaid dress shopping - next weekend wedding prep day at church done - more about that shortly dress toile tried on (it's really getting there!) music and hymns for ceremony decided readers and readings decided meeting with vicar booked discussed my hair with hairdressers (so glad it is simple) organised date for tasting The main things left are making my dress, getting bridesmaids kitted out and getting all the guys to get theirs booked, plus the cake/ croquembouche, making the invites and flowers. So not that much?!!??!

I popped to the shops today to look round the sales, as I hadn't yet - waste of time. I should have known, as there was nothing good before Christmas. Nevertheless, it was slightly productive. I went to Debenhams to check out the colour of tie the boys are having. I didn't trust the colour in the brouchure to be realistic. But how to check the colour?! I took some paint swatches I had picked up a while back (for crafting) and luckily one matched. So this is it - not a bad match to reality. On left is catalogue colour and on right the paint chip.

My mum battled through the snow yesterday to come and see me and help to fit the toile of my wedding dress - the mockup which is key to making the pattern. It is already looking just like I imagined, even while it is made out of thin cotton and doesn't do up at the back. We got a bit over excited and I put on the hairband I had when a bridesmaid last year (which I might still use) plus mum's veil, which I'm planning on using.  It's a bit long and I'm sure I'll trip over it, but we got the idea. It all seems even more real now. I would post a picture, but I'm not ready to flash my underwear on the internet just yet!