3 months to go

Yes, already we are more than 2/3rds of the way through our engagement and I can't quite believe how time is flying. The planning has now hit the business stage and as such I thought with this post I would look forward to what the forthcoming month has in store. 

1) invitations. As of today the first of the invitations is hitting the post box so expect yours any time soon. They're being sent in batches of 10 as my mum has time to complete them and as yet she only has my half of the guest list so don't panic if you know James and your invite doesn't arrive soon. 

2) the dress. My actual dress is due to arrive in the shop in early July and I have a dress fitting on the 14th July. 

3) the hen. Yes, the time of the hen do is almost upon us and in just a few weeks time my closest female friends will be converging on Stratford upon Avon for a weekend of I don't know what but I am very excited! 

4) the bills. The next installment is due to the hotel within the first couple of weeks of July - definitely no backing out now then! 

Invariably there will also be other bits of planning that take place and I will document these as and when they occur. With any luck I'll be able to start arranging my leave - I don't even want to think about what I'll do if I run in to difficulty on that front! 

3 months and counting ...

Wedmin

Today was devoted to wedministration and a few other bits related to our house move. In essence we are now at the business end of the planning. Deposits having been paid we're now reaching the point where second installments/ balances are needing to be settled. Naturally I have lost track of the various suppliers and deadlines that are needing to be met and thus today I have had to scour inboxes to find out who needs what by when. This information has then been transcribed into my wedding diary which contains all the relevant dates and contact numbers.

It was also D-day when it came to deciding on who gets invites and for what part of the day the invitations are offered. Surprisingly I found I didn't hit my maximum in terms of numbers for day and evening invites combined. I am allowed up to 75 guests in total for the evening but I only reached 70. That said my maximum for the day is ideally 50 but I am issuing 60 invites for the day to people who may realistically attend. I am also issuing 12 euphemistically termed 'courtesy invites' - these are day invitations that I am sending to people, mostly abroad, who have already advised us that they are unable/ unlikely to attend. Of course if any of them change their mind my numbers are completely blown but it's a chance I feel I have to take.

Today I have also been in touch with the two vicars concerned regarding the reading of the banns. The one who will be conducting the service has already arranged for them to be read in his parish the first three sundays of august. The one in the parish in which I now live is not being quite as helpful but I'm hoping will be of more assistance when I can speak to him on his return from holiday.

I have arranged my trial appointment with the hairdresser for my hair and make-up and I have agreed with my Mum to attend the appointment to offer a second opinion. I am very excited about this and for reasons that I am unable to elaborate on I need to have my trial a fair bit in advance of the wedding. The date has thus been set for 2nd August - exciting!!!!

Finally I have completed and sent to print the information insert for the invitations and supplied my Mum with about 95% of the addresses she needs - the others I have sent out requests for. The printers had completed the job within minutes of me sending the document over so watch this space for the invites coming out in the next week or so - if you're one of my guests that is!

91 days to go...

Food glorious food

Yesterday we had the tasting session to help us decide upon the menu for the wedding breakfast. We arrived at Wyck hill for 12.30 and had an hour with Amy, our wedding planner, discussing some further details. Amongst the topics that arose were the colour of the chair sashes. James and I made our decision in approximately 15 seconds. We were told that the organza sashes were included in the package and that the other materials cost and extra 50p per chair. Thus we immediately whittled out the purple organza shades and decided between the two obvious choices almost instantly. It would be fair to say that Amy was speechless. We were slightly confused as to why so she went on to explain that she's previously sat with couples for upwards of half an hour as they've deliberated over the colour choice. I mean seriously?!?!? Maybe I'm not such a bridezilla after all! 

After the fun session we waited in the bar to be called through for our tasting. As we waited we enjoyed complimentary drinks and a chat with the bar manger who now knows us by sight and even knew exactly how long it was until our wedding. Shortly before 1330 we were called through to the conservatory restaurant where we were seated at a beautifully adorned table and offered glasses of wine (a small white for me as I was driving). James gallantly sampled the house red and had my second glass of white. Both I have to say we're rather tasty and I particularly enjoyed the white, even though it was dry and I tend to favour sweeter flavours. 

We were offered the opportunity to sample two dishes from the starter, main and dessert menus. We forewent the two options for the starter in favour of a custom made creation that is something of an homage to Scotland. Any guesses?

When it came to the mains I had a clear favourite prior to them being served. We were choosing from a red meat and a white meat based dish. I was very surprised to find that I actually preferred James' dish in terms of flavour, composition and cooking and so our first decision was made. Between courses we were visited by the restaurant manger who invited our opinion and feedback on the dishes. He was delighted by our uniformly positive feedback and unsurprised by the choices that we made. 

When it came to dessert we hit an immediate stumbling block when it transpired that one of our choices contained eggs, a complete no no for James. Thus we already had a winner but when it came to the taste of the two dishes this was confirmed. We could not have been happier about this and again our decision did not surprise the restaurant manager. Throughout the meal we could not fault the treatment we received, so much so I felt like royalty. Had there been any doubt in our mind about the choice of wedding venue it would have been assuaged. Fortunately there hasn't been any such moment of doubt and we are now even happier that we have made the right decision. Invitations are set to go out imminently - once we've both fully finalised our guest lists and the big day is drawing ever closer... 

93 days and counting. 

100 days

Yes that's really all it is. It seems now that the fun stuff is all out the way and now it's down to the details which all need to be pinned down and circulated as soon as possible. 

Invitations are set to go out imminently which means that the guest list needs finalising. Thus far we've only sent save the dates to those likely to get whole day invitations but my list will certainly be tweaked before the invites go out. 

Mum is keen for me to sort out the order of service. This is a job that falls entirely to me as James has no interest in 'the legal bit'. To him the church is just the building we will do the paperwork in. To me it is much more than that and thus the working out of the religious aspects of the ceremony including hymns and the bible reading fall to me to decide. While I am keen to get on with this there's been quite a lot else to contend with recently. 

Thus for now it's back to the unpacking (only a mound on the floor to go now!) and maybe tomorrow I'll get round to the order of service. Or Friday....

Slipping through my fingers

Tonight mamma Mia was on one of the lesser itv channels. The film has been a firm favourite of mine and my mums since it's release six years ago. The basic premise is of a girl preparing for her wedding. As the film reaches it's climax there is a scene in which meryl Streep and Amanda seyfried, playing mother and daughter, get ready for the ceremony to the soundtrack of the ABBA song Slipping through my fingers. The first time I saw the film my mum was a blubbering wreck beside me. The same scenario has played out every single time we've seen the film since (trust me that's a large number of times). 

As my own wedding draws nearer by the day though, I'm starting to see that my mockery has been a little harsh. Given the high likelihood that come 26th September I will be a blubbering wreck I don't think coming good on my threat to play that song as I get ready will in fact be conducive to me or mum getting to church with our mascara still intact! 

The reality and enormity of getting married is starting to hit home. I've been mentally preparing for a wedding my whole life but as for actually being married, well that's a different kettle of fish. Even though James and I have already bought a house together and been living together for almost 2 years it's still an enormous step to take. I'll admit that it's one I'd pushed fairly hard for but I'm only now realising implications of marriage. 

Marriage is for life, not just for Christmas. James drives me crazy. He winds me up, he teases me, he's possessive, he's grumpy and he's stubborn. He's also highly unlikely to change. I know all this. And yet I'm still planning on saying I do. There are a number of people who've questioned why. Normally jokingly enough. The answer is simple. Despite all his faults I love him. I love his cooking and his cuddles. I love his sense of humour (yes I know it's terrible). I love his family values and his love of dogs. I admire his intelligence and his bitingly sharp wit, even when it is directed at me. However I definitely can't promise not to bawl my eyes out when I marry him! 

102 days...

A fascinating development

Yes that's right. Despite my previous post relating to headwear for the mothers of the bride and groom (I seem to remember referring the fascinators as resembling kamikaze birds) my mother has caved in and purchased a fascinator. This is not because she wanted one, nor because I thought she should have one (I didn't), but simply because of the weight of expectation she imposed upon herself as mother of the bride. She felt that other guests might wear one and that surely it was inexcusable should she turn up bare-headed - I suppose birds of a feather must stick together. 

Thus on a shopping trip last week she purchased a pink structured flower type fascinators which I will grudgingly admit is really quite nice. I did spend most of the time in the shop rather rudely doubled up with giggles, and at times completely incapable of speech for fear of what I might twitter. 

The most important thing is that she seemed satisfied and hopefully it will put to bed her pecking over the subject once and for all. 

Squawk. 

Surprise surprise

I'm aware I haven't blogged for a while. The primary reason for this is that we've been slightly preoccupied by moving into our first home. The move is however now complete and almost all of the boxes are unpacked. Thus thoughts can turn once again to the wedding. 

I have no idea where our engagement is disappearing to. Time is literally flying by and there's only a little over three months now before 'I do'. 

Besides organising my leave (which I'm still not able to do) I envisage the hardest thing is going to be keeping my mouth shut between now and then about all the things we have up our sleeves. 

We're being quite open about the majority of things that will happen at the wedding but as things stand there are a number of closely guarded secrets, which I am simply bursting to divulge. 

There are details regarding the flavour of the cake and aspects of its decoration, the degree of involvement of the piper in the day and certain elements of my attire that remain a mystery to all but myself and James. This is not to mention the closely guarded secret of our first dance, the welcome drinks and the menu. The latter is yet to be decided in its entirety but with the tasting looking next week that will shortly be rectified. 

I met up with school friends in London this week, one of whom is my chief bridesmaid and it was only with the greatest difficulty that I bit my tongue and kept my lips sealed about one of the secrets. All I can say is that time will tell. 

103 days and counting. 

The best man for the job

This weekend we had the pleasure of seeing James' chosen best man. Ross, a university friend of James' who has been a stalwart of his for the last decade, has this dubious honour. I was delighted to find out that he is relishing it though. 

In my absence (I was at work on Saturday), Ross and James seemed to have been discussing all kinds of things about the wedding, to the extent that when I got home it seemed I had nothing new to add. 

Ross seems to be relishing the opportunity to write a speech, and is endearingly keen to avoid causing offence. As I pointed out he has the get out of jail free card of not being intimately acquainted with all the guests and thus being able to avoid any repercussions. I understand that he intends to approach various sources for inspiration and to devote a couple of days to the task - that's a couple more than I anticipate James will! 

Ross is also very enthusiastic about attending the wedding rehearsal, on the Wednesday evening prior to the ceremony. He was more than happy for me to entrust the wedding contact list to him on the day itself and to assume the role of chasing suppliers, should that prove necessary. I cannot imagine a more capable pair of hands, particularly when supported by his team of ushers, who number amongst them a civil servant, army officer, insurance broker and accountant - trust me they're not quite as straight laced as their job descriptions might suggest, but I am sure they will be brilliant at ushering! 

There were mentions of the stag. I have managed to ascertain that 'save the dates' have been sent out for the stag and have been assured that James will be returned to me in one piece. I'm rather hopeful that this will be the case. 

On the whole it was a delightful weekend, capped off by the engagement photos, which left me feeling happy and confident that we have a super best man, who is not only good company, but also fully committed to ensuring that our day is fab-u-lous. Our loss is New Zealand's gain, Ross! 

115 days and counting 

Ps. Girls he is single and comes equipped with a kilt! 

The engagement shoot

Today was a day we had both been looking forward to for a number of months - the day of our engagement photo shoot. Although there are many pictures of us together over the almost four years our relationship has spanned there are few that are timeless classics. The majority are happy snaps at various events and a number of ubiquitous selfies. Today though we had a rate opportunity to get some photos of us that we will treasure forever. 

As I previously mentioned we chose the grounds of Blenheim palace for the photos because the place has always been a favourite of ours and the beauty of the grounds is breathtaking. We planned to meet our photographer there and hopefully her sausage dog too. 

As it happened we ended up following her into the grounds and were thus able to start proceedings slightly earlier than we'd planned. The slight hurdle that the place was not as dog friendly as it advertised itself was easily overcome by inventive use of contours and lighting slightly further from the palace.

Helen is great company and really gets our sense if humour. This made shooting the photos great fun. James is naturally self conscious but even he seemed to relax and enjoy the experience. As my confidence is being boosted by my recent weight loss I too was more than happy to cavort in front of the camera. While there were some posed photos there was a lot of improvisation and spontaneity too. 

As soon as we saw a preview of the first photo I knew without a shadow of a doubt that we had exactly the right person for the job. From what we've glimpsed so far I think we are going to have a selection of beautiful, natural shots to choose from and can't wait to see the gallery when it goes online. 

Amidst the photos we also enjoyed lots of strolling around the grounds and enjoying the stunning weather. We couldn't have hoped for better and if we get such a nice day in September we will have been truly blessed. 

We had a drinks break at one point where we started hashing out some of the details, including the schedule of the day, the desired group shots, and the rehearsal arrangements. My mood has been restored slightly over the last few days and I was more than happy to agree with all Helen's suggestions. 

Our plans from here are to view the reception venue with Helen the evening of the rehearsal and then see her on the big day itself. After we return from honeymoon we will arrange to meet and view the edited gallery and choose our album shots, before the gallery, with its canine related password goes live at the end of October. It was very strange to be making post wedding plans as I suddenly realised that my thoughts are all revolving around September 26th and the run up to it. 

In summary we had a fabulous day. We got to meet the gorgeous Mash and have cuddles with him and we had a really good laugh. Roll on September!

116 days and counting. 

Ps. Helen doesn't think I'm a bridezilla and doesn't think I have the potential to turn into one. So there James!