Ps. Good news

As things stand right now wheelchair bound granny will be coming after all!

Wedding whirlwind

From yesterday morning there has been nothing but wedding mania in my household. The animals have been safely delivered for their holidays, family are starting to converge on the hotel and yesterday evening we went to the venue and the church for a rehearsal and to show the photographer round. This was followed by a family meal. 

This morning I had my shellac wedding manicure and pedicure and had such fun. I have a french polish on my fingernails and fantastic tango - the wedding purple shade - on my toes. I feel all glamorous. I am now snatching a few moment peace before we ferry most of my house across to the hotel for the big set up. This evening James stays at the hotel while I stay at home and we are each gathering our friends and family for pub dinners this evening. 

Tomorrow is D-day and from 0630 people will be arriving at my house to beautify me and my party before we set off. Being called away now. 

23 hours to go. Xx

Socially no media

This morning I politely requested via the medium of Facebook that those guests coming tomorrow refrain during the course of the day from 'checking in' at the venues and tagging themselves in selfies. I want my guests to be focussing on me and James and our day and not focussing on publicising it to the world. Given this blog and my own regular use of Facebook some may see this as hypocritical but it's my day and this is what James and I both want. 

The wedding in numbers

Age 26 years, 3 months and 6 days

Together for 3 years, 10 months and 26 days. 

Engaged for 9 months and 5 days. 

93 guests for the wedding day. 

102 guests for the evening. 

28 pounds weight loss since we got engaged. 

17 miles between church and venue

3 bridesmaids

1 flower girl

4 ushers

1 page boy

1 best man. 

Over 12,000 miles travelled by some guests to be here. 

Roughly £30000 on wedding and honeymoon. 

14134 page views since January. 

Less than 24 hours to go. 

This is Miss leonard posting for the very last time. 

Bad news

When you know someone well you can tell from the first word they say that there's a problem. When you know them really well you can even have a stab at how big that problem is. So this morning from the choked 'hello' I knew we were in trouble. The only comfort I have is that noone's died. The devastating news for me though is that with just 48 hours left before the wedding my 93 year old granny is being admitted to a nursing home and won't be able to make it. This is upsetting for so many reasons. It's the acceptance at last that after months of struggling things have finally gone too far and in all likelihood will never be the same again. 

In terms of the wedding I'm upset for myself and for her for so many reasons. She's the last survivor of her generation but more than that she and granddad and the many fond memories I have of tredington are the reason I wanted to go back there to be married. I'd been in touch with the friends granny still had there to invite them to the ceremony and I know she would have loved to have seen them. More than that she would have loved to watch her granddaughter get married and adopt the surname Reid, her own maiden name. My scottish granny would have loved all the nods to her and James' shared homeland that we have in store. She would have loved to be at the centre of the family one last time. 

Thus with this mornings news the happy, smiley bride to be is just a little more fragile. A small part of the magic has been erased, a little bit of the shine tarnished. Just goes to show that no matter how meticulously you plan you can't control everything and that at the end of the day nothing is more important than your family and their health. 

Wrong

There is no other way to describe the farce that debenhams have made of our suit order for the wedding. From the wrong delivery store to the wrong length trousers, the wrong type of cravat to the wrong number on our order and finally the wrong size of jacket and orders being issued incomplete. 

Are we really the first people to request self-tie cravats?

Are we really the first people to have ushers based around the country?

Are we really the first people to require extra cravats for ushers wearing their own kilts?

I cannot comprehend that the answer to any of the above is yes. And yet somehow debenhams have managed to make such a catalogue of errors that it beggars belief. Not only have they got almost everything wrong - and we have receipts to prove it - but the manner in which they have dealt with the multiple issues we have had to raise has been uniformly surly and defensive. 

Safe to say if debenhams think they will be getting our custom in the future they are frankly... Wrong!

The last labour of love

Today, as I recover from my cold, I have devoted myself to a last push on the craft front. Another bouquet of silk roses has been made up. Ten pew ends have been made. Three more pots of silk roses have been assembled. Lastly the presents for the bridal party have all be wrapped. This represents hours of work at the end of many months of beavering away in the evenings. I can't believe it all seems to have come together. Yes there's plenty of ribbon left over but who knows when and how that might come in handy...

6 days left... 

Sick bed

In a way I'm relived that the cold has struck me today and not this time next week. However they're never fun, particularly not when being juggled with nights shifts. I have no idea whether I'm coming or going at the moment. Lemsips are definitely the order of the day. 

I've also just found out that the page boy has broken his arm. I don't fundamentally see this as a problem. His duties won't involve too much arm work and besides it showing up in the photos I can't see it will have an impact. He wouldn't be him if he were completely unscathed on the wedding day! 

For now I'm just going to concentrate on getting through my night shift tonight and getting better as soon as possible. I didn't sleep brilliantly, although the kitten I'm sharing the bed with looks like he did! 

Once tonight is over I only have two more shifts until the wedding which is only a week tomorrow!!! 

So close!!!

Today I've been tying up loose ends. I've emailed out to most of the suppliers the timetable for today. I've also sent a copy to the bridesmaids and best man - I'm assured it will come back to haunt me in his speech. 

Suddenly the reality of everything is starting to hit me. I've never before asked so many family and friends to come together for any reason and I've certainly never spent as much money on any one day of my life before. The thought of being centre stage and walking down the aisle now seems very daunting. I cant believe that the day I've waited for all my life is now next week!

I have it on good authority that my groom is also displaying signs of nerves - although he hasn't admitted this to me. 

Over the course of the last few weeks I've been stashing cash away to pay suppliers on the day and I've amassed enough. On the day all payments will be entrusted to the best man. 

Today I've confirmed the transport pick up times and locations. The last thing I want is to be stranded at the house with no means of getting to the church. 

There are only a handful of things left to be done. I have to make another bouquet of roses. I have to make the pew ends. Besides that I just have to sit back and relax. The night before the wedding my family are coming to my local area for a meal and the day before I've arranged to have a manicure and pedicure. The animals holiday arrangements have been made and they will be delivered on Wednesday, the same day my dress is collected. 

On Friday I try the dress for one last time before the big day. I'll be going straight from a night shift so I hope I manage to enjoy it - and stay awake! 

I can't believe that the wedding is only just over a week away!!!!

Health matters

It seems that in the run up to the wedding we have both been hit by a severe case of hyperchondriasis. A sneeze is not just a sneeze. Now it is either the start of an anaphylactic reaction or the begins of the worst super cold ever. When I trapped my ring finger in the bars of a cage that wasn't just sore but it was guaranteed to bruise and I was going I lose the nail from the finger that would be in all the pictures. This morning James woke with a one sided sore throat. Naturally he immediately diagnosed tonsillitis. I'm sure you're getting the idea.

We are both so focused on being well for this one day that our kitchen Worktop currently seems better stocked than most of the supplement aisles in a high street chemist. As I swallow a large pink pill purporting to improve ones hair and nails James chimps down vitamin tablets that claim to stave off colds.

It's not just supplements though. My skincare regime had been overhauled. Never before has my face been so well cleansed and moisturised. Never before have my hands been smothered in so much cream. I'm sure on the day I'll be the only one to notice but as long as I do that's all that really matters. 

12 days...

The table plan

Having *finally* received all the RSVPs the last 48 hours has been a battle with the table plan. We now know that there will be 89 adults, one child (my godson) having adult portions, three other children and one baby. 

We are having tables of eight. The easiest to seat was the top table. We've broken slightly with tradition in the order of the seating. We've chosen not to mix up the parents and instead have them seated next to their own partners. We're also having my bridesmaid with my parents and she knows them and vice versa with James' best man. 

That was the easy bit. Next came the other 11 tables. There will be five of James' family and friends and six of mine. Broadly speaking we've tried to sit people next to those they already know or those with whom we can see them having a common interest. 

The other ploy we are using is seating young siblings on either side of their parents. This is to try and minimise the natural bickering that we've personally witnessed between the sets of siblings. 

In actual fact it's been quite straightforward to organise the seating. There were many natural combinations meaning that the seating plan naturally slotted into place and was far less hassle than I had envisaged. 

Only 17 days to go!

The wedding scent

Over the past 9 months I've gorged on wedding magazines despite the fact that all the planning was accomplished within 6 weeks of our engagement. However I have picked up a few ideas for smaller touches as I've gone along. 

One idea which really appealed to me related to perfume. While I can definitely see the appeal of wearing the tried and tested old favourite, in my case Daisy by Marc Jacobs, the idea of wearing an entirely new perfume on the day so that the smell would always evoke the memories seemed like a great idea. 

Thus a couple of weeks ago James and I went to boots to together pick out a new scent. The first one I tried, and instantly fell for, was 'honey' by Marc Jacobs. Although we tried another 20 or so perfumes that one stood out by far. A bottle has since been purchased and that will be my wedding scent! 

Wedding favours

Our wedding favours are being lovingly handmade at the moment. James Is making the traditional Scottish product that is going to fill them. I am wrapping them with a little assistance from the kitten! For every bit of ribbon unmolested there seems to be another dragged under the table. Not to mention that he also like to try and eat the product! Fear not though dear guests. Only those that survive unscathed will be making it to the wedding tables. 

Two weeks tomorrow!!!

Wedding dress refitted

Saturday saw me back at the beautiful brides of Winchester to try on my gorgeous dress once more. Thankfully this time I was in a much better mood than last time and was also on time! The appointment started a little late but mum and I happily whiles away the waiting time. Then it was mums turn in the spotlight as she helped me in to the dress, as she will on the day. 

Then the accusations started flying. It seemed I've lost even more weight in the month since I was last fitted. This is an assertion that I strenuously denied as I hadn't weighted myself in a week and had been gorging fairly determinedly. However there was no doubt that the dress, which has already been sinched in by 4 inches, was hanging loose and a further inch was pinned out of it. I can't say I was disappointed. 

It was an appointment full of giggles and smiles, not to mention a tear or two from mum when the veil went on to complete the look. I dread to think what she, or I, will be like on the day itself. Even thinking about it right now brings a tear to my eye, or possibly that's just the kitten digging his claws in! 

18 days. That's all!

3 weeks!!!

Its really getting real now. In just three weeks time I'll be walking down the aisle. This week I've been stocking up on cash to pay various suppliers on the day. I'm sure there will be someone I forget although as ever I've made a list which I will add to as people spring to mind. As of today the majority of the bills, or at least all the major ones have been paid. 

The points that have been accomplished this week are:

The cake topper is finished and photographs have been seen

There are only 6 rsvps still outstanding

The dance floor is all set to go

The venue has a timetable for the day

Most excitingly for me I finally managed to contact my flute teacher who, to my delight, will be able to play for us while we're signing the register. I didn't know what I wanted her to play so asked for suggestions and the piece she suggested is my favourite bit of music, but I didn't know the name of it so couldn't ask for it. I think it was meant to be! Elgar's salut d'amour is the piece of choice.