Welcome to my blog, hope you enjoy reading :)
RSS
Showing posts with label planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label planning. Show all posts

Monday, January 24, 2011

Counting down..

So tomorrow I hit the 11 week mark. Only 11 weeks left until I become Mrs Ziph! Only 11 weeks left to get my act into gear and get everything I need to do done. It's starting to make me feel a bit antsy. I started to make a list of things I still need to do (and other things I want to try to do), but I got distracted and ended up blogging here instead! So here are the things I still need to do:

* Wedding programs/place cards/table numbers - I need to get onto Ziph about helping me design what is in my head. My inspiration for the herb pictures is drawn from the image shown (but also with mint, rose geranium and/or other herbs that are being used in the bouquets), but in black & white/shades of grey/outline.. as a background image maybe with text (eg table number?) over the top, or as a main image with text underneath. I need to see what magic Ziph can bring (he's amazing with graphic design)..

* Suits - Ziph and I need to get our act into gear and go down to get him fitted for a suit & pick the style etc for the groomsmen. We've already got ties made for the boys, so we need to be able to co-ordinate their waistcoats and accessories. Then they can all go back together and get fitted and do whatever boys do when they got for a suit fitting.

* Finalise the bible readings for the ceremony (and who is doing the readings). I have a list of ~half a dozen that I'm thinking over, but I think I need to cut and paste them all onto one page because it's so hard to keep flipping back and forth and keep it all sorted in my head. I'm thinking of having my Nonna (grandmother) do one of the readings, but I'm not sure who should do the second reading.. I'd suggest someone from Ziph's side, but I know my MIL is not keen on public speaking (she doesn't want to do a speech either), and neither of his brothers are particularly religious so they might not be keen either. Could get Best Man's mum to do a reading (she's a celebrant, too as it happens.. not that it's relevant!).. need to check what Ziph thinks.

* Finalise wedding music selections. Once again I have a list of songs that I'm thinking of using, but nothing that I'm definite on. I think the problem is that I had always planned to walk down the aisle to Pachebel's Canon in D, but after having watched so many wedding reality shows I just can't do it. It's so common, and I think I need something that doesn't make me think of other peoples' weddings. But contenders are (not just for the aisle walk, but also for the waltz and the recessional/signing of the registry):
- Only Hope, Mandy Moore
- I Wanna Get Married, Nellie McKay
- Kiss Me Again, Jessica Lee Mayfield
- Our Love is Easy, Melody Gardot
- Maybe I'm Amazed, Jem
- For Sentimental Reasons, Nat King Cole
- Somebody, Depeche Mode
- If I Had the Stars, Melody Gardot
- Chapel of Love

But I wonder if none of them seem right because I just haven't found the right song yet. Will I know the right song when I hear it?

* Sign up for Biggest Loser (again) at the gym. Still want to lose a few more kilos.

* Bridesmaid's survival kits - I've started collecting bits & pieces, but I need to make a list of exactly what I want to include and what I still need to get.

* Bathroom baskets - Again, write list & work out what's missing.

* Tears of Joy packets - I bought the tissues today, now I need to get my hands on some glassine envelopes and design some labels (hopefully Ziph can do those while he's sorting out the design for my programs etc.)

* Bridal shower - some of my Clayton's bridesmaids (you know, those girlfriends who are pretty much honorary bridesmaids, but not officially) have offered to host the bridal shower (as opposed to the hen's night which my actual bridesmaids are organising) but I haven't had a chance to catch up with them since before Christmas, so I don't think there's anything planned yet. I need to find out if they're still keen, or if I need to pass that over to my official team.

And then there's the list of things I *want* to do.. but I think I need a whole new post for that!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

On the hunt..

So I'm back from my quick (5 day) jaunt up to Geraldton. Ziph wasn't able to make it in the end, so the Mama Bear and I took the kids on our own.

I got to spend two days with Matron-of-Honour Mrs McD, going through my ideas file, looking at things I'd found on the internet and sharing all the background work she'd been doing finding local recommendations for photographers/hairdressers/florists/reception venues etc and then on the second day I took her to see St George's, where the ceremony is being held and we hunted around for reception venues and got pricing/requested quotes. Mrs McD certainly proved herself to be invaluable and an excellent choice of bridesmaid!

Because our wedding guest list is so small, we ended up ruling out a couple of the 'popular' reception venues because they were too big - more suited to ~100+ guests, not 40-60.. nobody wants to feel like they're sitting in a drafty barn!

So the two suitable options are Tides of Geraldton (restaurant) and Casa Blanca Function Centre. Casa Blanca requires a separate caterer, and the venue hire fee is quite high (although it does include some decoration) so it might not be cost effective given our small budget (especially once you add on the extra cost of the caterer).. Tides tends to tick all the boxes (including having a killer 180 degree view of the ocean/harbour etc), but possibly has a minimum of 60 guests. The prospectus *does* have a set menu option with a minimum of 30 guests, but when I spoke to them they didn't "suggest" that it might be a better option if I only have 40 people!

I *did* get some great (easy, effective) decorating ideas from looking through Casa Blanca's photo book though.. simple things like coloured napkins in the wine glasses to add a significant splash of colour to the room!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Wedding Expo

There's a wedding expo on this weekend, and I've convinced Ziph that if he comes to this one, I won't make him go to the next one in August (different expo).. I really want to go today, so that we can get it done, and then he can spend the rest of his weekend doing what he wants. I just know that if we wait until tomorrow, time will get away from us (no, I really mean him) and it'll be 4pm (and it finishes at 5pm) before we get there, and I'll be stressed and cranky and he'll decide the whole going to an expo together thing was clearly a bad idea.
But the whole point of going together is so that I can get an idea of what *he* likes, and so he can get an idea of how much effort goes into planning a wedding, AND that it's NOT OK to wait until 2 weeks before the wedding to book things. Seriously. I know the wedding is still 10 months away, and that seems like forever (to him! I feel like time is slipping away already!) but the more we book *now* (while I'm cool, calm and collected ;) ), the less we have to worry about closer to the time (when my stress levels are astronomical!).