Well, I've started this blog to initially share my wedding planning with my awesome bridesmaids if they care to read it. If any other randoms choose to follow (which I doubt), hello, nice to see you and all that. :) Once the wedding is over I may use this as a blog to vent about the trials of IVF, as my wonderful FH and I will be wanting to start a family as soon as we can, and due to MFI we're going to have to take the hard road.
Anyway, that's all in the future. Right now I've got a wedding to plan, which is happening in ten months and four days on April 14th 2012. I like this date because when I was at high school, in a rather boring human biology class, my friend and I were doing silly predictions for each other, and she predicted I would get married on April 14th 2002. I wasn't even 21 by that date, and hadn't even had a serious boyfriend. But a few years down the track I did some research and discovered that the same date ten years later fell on a Saturday. So even though I was single, I earmarked it as the day of my "hypothetical wedding".
Hypothetical no longer. :)
I also like it because it's one hundred years since the night Titanic sank. A weird thing to like, I suppose, and it could set up for some lame anniversary jokes in the future. But I've always been fascinated with Titanic, and the whole poshness and manners of the people at the time I find oddly romantic.
Anyway, that was a much longer spiel about the date-choosing than I anticipated, sorry.
So onto the plans so far...
We have paid a deposit last night, courtesy of Daddy's credit card, to secure our date for a ceremony and reception at The Rydges hotel in the heart of Perth. One may ask why we chose such a generic and uninspiring place for the most significant day of our relationship so far. Well, my fiance actually suggested it as a venue because we got engaged there, in room 711, so it means more to us than some pretty-as-a-picture garden wedding in the Swan Valley or whatever. We went and viewed the reception rooms and the weatherproof terrace where our ceremony will be last week. I was a little disappointed after the pictures I'd seen online, but the function rooms were set up for a conference so it was hardly the best presentation. However, I still liked it well enough, I am just crossing my fingers that Hay St below will stay quiet during our ceremony, and I can come up with an inexpensive and simple way to decorate the area where we'll be standing... does anyone know someone who owns a couple of free-standing, wrought-iron candleabras??
I've been set on a dark, hunter green and gold colour theme for a few years now, but in the space of one night I've changed my mind, and I'm going to go with deep red/blood/wine/burgundy and gold. It's my favourite colour and probably easier to find candles etc. to match. Plus I was too concerned with my green and gold theme ending up looking like a posh Australia Day function.
So, what's been organised so far:
- Ceremony/reception: Rydges Hotel, deposit paid and date secured.
- Bridal party: FH's brother and his best friend are groomsmen, my two older female cousins are bridesmaids, and my two younger female cousins are junior bridesmaids. I haven't actually spoken to the juniors myself yet, but their dad says they'll be delighted, so I'll take that as a yes for now!
- Photographer: My wonderful uncle (the above dad of the JBMs) has very kindly agreed to snap some piccys for us.
- Band: The wonderful boys of the Wesley Goodlet Jamboree Scouts have my date pencilled in.
- Centrepiece idea (yes, let's do the important stuff first, lol): round mirrors with three different sized vases from IKEA, with two red floating candles and one gold, and some gold acrylic crystal table scatters. Simple, small, understated, and probably dwarfed by the huge ten-seater round tables, but meh. My fiance reckons decorations aren't important anyway. Plus there'll be more splashes of colour on the table with the bonbonniere bags. Which reminds me...
- Bonbonniere idea: a red paper or organza or satin bag, containing five lollies which represent each of the blessings traditionally associated with the old "five sugared almonds" thing: health (banana lolly?), wealth (choc coin), fertility (jelly baby), happiness (chuppa-chup, skittles?), and long life (gobstopper). We've also talked about getting some personalised dice made uo so that people also have a non-edible keepsake.
Anyway, I've crapped on for far too long for someone who has ten months of this stuff ahead, so if you read this far, thanks!
So I haven't finished reading your entry yet, but TITANIC theme!!! I don't mean doomed nautical paraphernalia, but how about an old-timey, vintage glamour theme?!
ReplyDeleteOkay now I'll shut up and keep reading. There is every possibility you will have fired me and found a new, less take-the-reins, less over-the-top bridesmaid by the end of next week...
Okay, I need to preface this comment (and the same goes for all others too) with a HUGE "I don't ever mean to come across as condescending or patronizing". I'm not assuming you're clueless about any of this at all, but I do recognise that sometimes I come across as both of the above and I really don't mean to. So ignore that tone if it starts to creep into my typing.
ReplyDeleteOh I love love love your ideas!
Good job with the photog - he's seriously the best I've seen for wedding pics and I'm not just saying that because he's family/did our wedding for free.
I'm super glad you're going for a band rather than a DJ. I loathe DJs. Especially at weddings. And the Wesgoods - yay!
Centrepieces: I definitely don't think that will be too small on the tables. I mean, I haven't seen it, but if anything I might drop the mirror and the table scatters, because the table will already be full with cutlery and glasses and whatnot. Love the floating candle idea - easy and pretty cheap. The antiquey/secondhandy side of me would love to see different vases on every table. I also don't think you'll need to tie the colours into it too much either (if you have trouble getting stuff in red and gold) - just a splash of colour with the bonbonniere and chair sashes/covers or whatever.
Bonbonniere: LOVE. IT. That is such a sweet idea. Would you have a little note tied to each one to explain the idea behind it?
Hel, you're so deliciously into this - it's great! But tell me tell me tell me about the style of dress you want! Unless you want to keep it a surprise.....
Jane, I thought exactly the same thing re Titanic (old,vintage glamour) theme! Then I thought it would probably blow everybody's budget out of the water...well, I'd want to dress with the theme.
ReplyDeleteHel, I'm 100% with Jane on loving your ideas. Especially the band over a DJ. Some DJs play good stuff but it just isn't the same as a band...and a band commands more respect, no interruptions during songs, etc.
Also, very pleased with Ken as your photographer. I think he takes amazing photos and he also takes great candid ones which I think are more important than some of the set up ones.
So far, I'm loving this blog. And I'm super proud I get to be a part of it. I may have a solution to the candelabra problem too so hold the phone. :)
Looking forward to more and also interested to hear if your dress idea is the same as it was a few years ago.
WOOT! Power is back on!
Aw, thanks so much for your comments guys! I'm finding writing all this down is useful for me too, so I think I will be posting fairly often while the enthusiasm lasts.
ReplyDeleteVintage glamour theme would be awesome, but I think it really would be too expensive, unless you can think of a clever, cheap way to do it? Red and gold stuff is pretty easy to find, the only problem I might have is that the reds for each item are probably going to be varying in shade, but I don't think that should matter.
Speaking of which, I made my first wedding purchase today at Spotlight; I got six red cracked glass tealight holders for the bridal table. :D The bridal table will be very simply decorated with our bouquets in a formation in the middle, then three tealights in these holders along both sides in front of each attendant. They are exactly my fave colour, so I will want to use them at home afterwards too. Only $24!
Oh, and Kate, if I can find two big branched pedestal candle holders to use for the ceremony (and possibly move them to either end of the bridal table at the reception), that would be so grand. There was someone on gumtree advertising exactly what I wanted for about $100, but they lived south of Armadale and the ad was nearly two months old.
Yahoo for first purchase! That's exciting! And Spotlight is the greatest.
ReplyDeleteThroughout all of this don't discount anything because you think it is too expensive. Mostly there will be a cheaper alternative. I'm not talking just the decs. Dress, shoes, flowers, everything!