*November 2011 Brides and Grooms* Time to Chat!

Bluespirit

They're gorgeous dresses Chrissy, and really good that they all looked good in it. Good luck with the jewellery search. Do you know what you're looking for? I need to start looking for some too, and wanting quite sparkly stuff for them to match my mega-sparkle theme! The cake sounds beautiful too, and brilliant that it came under budget!

I've found my BM dresses on line here: http://www.dzage.co.uk/collection-bridesmaid.html They're the 5th one along that's dark blue - mine will be in red. The 2 adults will wear the main one in the middle, and the junior BM will wear the one on the right that's identical except for the straps.

We were kilt searching for OH yesterday, as he wants to buy one since he can't hire his tartan, and given the number of weddings we've got over the next few years will probably work out cheaper in the long run. It was the third shop we've tried and the most expensive! So we've now decided on the shop we're using as they were giving him a free jacket as he's buying the full outfit, which makes it almost £200 cheaper than everywhere else, with a bigger choice of accessories! Hopefully we'll get it ordered next weekend.

Chrissy1981

Wow, those BM dresses look stunning! They'll look gorgeous in red, the light will catch on the folds, beautiful.

Yowser, kilt outfits sound expensive!

I was thinking sparkly jewellery for BM's too as I've got lots of sparkles going on as well! Will probably just get a little diamante set from M&S or Next or somewhere. Thought I'd go shopping with my mum for that as there haven't been many things that we've done for the wedding, just the two of us.

Not sure how I'm going to start the gift list yet as I've seen recent threads that say it can't be activated until so many weeks beforehand in case things are discontinued. Not sure if it's worth going in store to just set it up or do it online? It's a bit out of my way to go to the store but I'd rather deal with a person than risk mucking it up online!

Ooh, I've decided to hold a Shoe Party for my BM's! Getting the three of them together (plus me and my mum) on a Saturday to trawl through all the shoe shops in Lakeside on a Saturday sounds like my idea of hell. The 3 of them can be a bit awkward with each other at the best of times and I can't be dealing with squabbling over heels in Barratts. So I've found 12 pairs of sparkly sandals online and am going to email them all the links. They'll need to tell me which ones they want to try and in what sizes and I'll order them all on the credit card and get them delivered to my work. I will then hold a Shoe Party with wine and nibbles on a Fri or Sat night where they can try them on and practice walking in them. Once they've decided, I'll return all the others. They don't all have to have the same style and they are more than welcome to offer other styles for me to order. Hopefully this will work! Am quite looking forward to it actually!

Nothing else to report yet, although I've signed off that my flat will go on the market on Monday!

Bluespirit

The shoe party sounds a good idea Chrissy. I hope they all manage to get something they're satisfied with. Good luck with the flat sale - mine should be going on the market in May, once we've done a bit of sprucing up with a new lick of paint!

It was a productive weekend for us. My junior BM tried on the dress at the weekend, and it looked great on her too, so thats the D'Zage bridesmaid dresses ordered, and as a complete surprise my mum said she wanted to pay for them for us. I was really surprised, but it is very generous of her. OH and I took her out for lunch afterwards as a thank you. I also bought myself a wedding bag on Saturday - I hate not having a bag, and would hate the thought of having to give my stuff to someone else to carry on the big day. The shop that sold the BM dresses had some lovely bags, and I found a perfect little ivory one that was covered in diamante stones, thats just the right size for a few essentials!

We also bought OH's kilt yesterday, and all the bits and pieces to go with it. He should get it in about 6 - 8 weeks, and I can't wait to see him all dressed up in it! I ended up paying for his kilt pin and cuflinks in his own crest and this will be part of his wedding present from me. He's going to pay for my wedding jewellery so it means we'll both be wearing something from each other on the day.

We've also started buying a few bits and pieces for our honeymoon to spread the cost out. I have bought the cheesiest flipflops possible for us both - they say just married on the straps, and the soles have 'just married' cut out on them so that they will imprint in the sand as we walk along the beach!!

Lucyh81

Hi everyone

I got engaged to my other half of two years on 27th Feb and we've already booked our day for 12th Nov this year.

Congratulations to all of you November brides and grooms too! I think November is a great month to get married and pull in some bargains with it being off season.

Our whole day is at a local hotel and we managed to negotiate a Saturday wedding for their Friday price and get free rooms for the parents (x3) thrown in too.

So far we've sorted venue, my dress, a band, the registrars and we're nearly there on a photographer. Going to meet a guy whose work we really like on Sunday. We started off thinking we just wanted a cheap photography package to get a few of the ceremony and a few portraits of us and family after but this evolved into having someone for the whole day up to our first dance. He's offering two photographers for 7/8 hours and all photos on disc for our own use for £800. Does this sound reasonable?

I've been reading the MSE forum for a few weeks now but only just found this thread. It'll be really nice to see what you're all up to and share the countdown to our big days. Not long til we all start to approach T-6 months!

I'm so excited and have loved all the organising so far. I'm sure there are stressful times to come but we'll get through, I'm sure

Just out of interest, when are you all sending invites? As we don't have a very long engagement, we're not sending save the date cards but have let everyone know to keep the 12th free. I was thinking of sending them in May but from reading other posts, I may be a little early?

Bluespirit

Hi Lucy - welcome to the thread and congratulations on your engagement. That's now 4 of us getting married on 12th November :beer:

It sounds like you're getting on well with the planning. The photographer sounds like a good deal to me if you like his work. We're paying double that for an hour and half before the ceremony to the first dance, although that includes albums and DVDs as well. Although ours is really expensive, we wanted to make sure we had a photographer we loved, and the best photos we could get since they will be one of the main lasting things after the day.

We're probably sending invites about 3 months before - just the day ones first, then anyone who says no means an evening guest will get a day invite without them knowing they were an upgrade!

Chrissy1981

Congratulations Lucy! We only got engaged at the beginning of this year but still sent save the date cards as our wedding is on a Friday. I think we'll be sending out the day invitations at the beginning of August and holding onto the evening invites like Bluespirit for another month.

Sounds like you're well on your way with your planning and have got some good deals!

Bluespirit - I've seen those flip flops and I love them! Don't know if I'm brave enough to sneak them into OH's case but I don't want to wear them on my own if he refuses! That was lovely of your mum to pay for the BM dresses. I want a little sparkly bag as well for the day but don't know what I'll do with it for most of the day? Definitely is something to solve as I'll need to have lipstick/tissues/keys?! I don't know! Feel like I need a bag though! What's your bag like? Have you got a link?

Lucyh81

Thanks Chrissy and Bluespirit

Think I might leave the invites for a few months yet then. Everyone knows when it is anyway as I'm talking about it constantly

I picked up some bridesmaids from BHS which I ordered online. It's their teal ones and they're lovely. Just hope they fit the girls ok. We could always have some alterations done I guess.

Enchantica

Hello again all I'm just back from New York so getting back into the wedding planning again after a holiday.

Bluespirit - that's great that you have got your dress! Yay! That's always one of the most exciting parts to get. And you got a good deal on it too I see, even better. I hope the workouts are going well. Keep saying 'dress dress dress!' That's so cute that your niece is looking forward to wearing her outfit, must be lovely. I wish I had a niece or nephew but don't think my brother is going to go down that route. We have OH's little brother though who is 6 (half brother) so that will be nice. Your BM dresses look lovely, and red will be divine. Grr @ interfering MIL. It's not her wedding, it's yours and your OH's! She shouldn't be poking her nose into it all. You should keep planning what you want and have a listen to what she's saying but go with your choice anyway. She can't change it on the day! Good news about the kilt, the men's outfits are so expensive aren't they, we are looking to buy a full kilt outfit for OH too. LOVE the flip flops by the way! It's lovely that you are buying each other's wedding accessories as gifts to each other

Chrissy1981 - you were asking about my wooden roses, you may have seen them before if you live in the city because there tend to be stalls around the place selling them (well they do in Edinburgh anyway) I was thinking of getting these ones: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FLOWERS-WHOLESALE-JOBLOT-100-WOODEN-ROSES-BLUE-SET-4-/180651557841?pt=UK_WSJL_Wholesale_GL&hash=item2a0fac03d1 and mixing them and making bouquets for me and my BMs. Cheaper way of doing bouqets for 5 BMs. Sounds like you are getting nice and organised with booking things. Well done! Your wedding ring sounds gorgeous. I know what you mean about involving other people in the wedding, I don't want many people involved in mine! Kinda like having control of it. Yay for ordering BM dresses! They look lovely.

Swinstie73 - looks like you have all the important things in your list there. Are you having cameras on tables? I'm not sure whether to or not. The venue is lit by candles and some wall lights mainly so it's quite dark! Still deciding.

Losingpatience - Mmm cake sounds delicious! £50 is quite steep for delivery and set up. I think we are being charged £20 for delivery, set up and hire of the stand.

Lucyh81 - Congratulations on your engagement and welcome to the board Lots of us getting married on the 12th now. Sounds like you managed to get a good deal with your venue, well done! The photography does sounds reasonable I think, not completely sure as we are using a family member and think he will be giving us a discount. I'm thinking of sending invites at the start of August and getting everyone to RSVP by 12th September so I have 4 weeks to collate the replies and send out any extra invites and then give the numbers to the venue on 12th October. I don't think it matters too much when you send them, better early than late though I think. So people have time to put in for holidays at work if they need to, and arrange child care etc.

Since I've been on holiday I haven't done too much lately. We have decided to change our favours though, we are now doing charity favours. Just a folded piece of card stating that the money went to Cancer Research and it will have a lapel pin on it for each person. May still give the kids a toy or something though since there will only be a couple of them. Cake is sorted, BMs are sorting themselves with dresses (can't wait to see what they all pick), still need to get OH sorted with a full kilt outfit. May look online as they are so expensive! I'm going home to my mum and dad's this weekend so may try on my outfit again (I love wearing it!). Mum is adjusting the dress to make it into a skirt and will do that in the summer when I go there for a week so she can get it sorted out properly depending on my weight. Not planning on losing weight but you never know. Always been a bit heavy but that's ok

Got my hair trial in August as well. My boss is paying for that as a wedding present, she's really nice. It's her daughter in law who will be doing it for me. Not told OH, he thinks I will be doing my hair myself so it won't look all fancy. Little does he know I'm planning a half up half down curly hair style.

Thinking of printing out the invites soon as I'm doing them myself (not sending until start of Aug though). The guest list is set so shouldn't be too many changes over the coming months. Although one girl has recently broken up with her on/off boyfriend so that invite and a couple of others may change closer to the day. But the majority should be fine to print.

Sorry, that's another essay I've wrote lol.

Bluespirit

Chrissy - I can't find my bag online at all. Its by Amanda Wyatt, but the online ones that I've seen aren't quite the same. As for the flip flips - I just bought them without telling OH until they arrived, but you could always pop a pair in his suitcase anyway!

Enchantica - that's great about your dress alterations and hair trial. You're in Edinburgh too aren't you? The best deal we found on the kilt was at Romane and Patersons on Princes Street, as they are giving away the jacket free when you buy the kilt outfit. They also had a range of different priced sporrans, shoes, etc. and weren't pushy about the more expensive options so possibly if you told them your budget they would work with you to get appropriately priced accessories.

I got my wedding shoes at the weekend. Shoes are always a bit of a nightmare for me, as I hardly ever wear heels as my feet blister very easily. I pretty much live in either boots, trainers or flip flops! Shoes themselves almost always rub, so I decided that despite the cold, I would go for sandals. I found a lovely silver pair, with just a tiny kitten heel, and a few glass stones on them in Next. They felt comfy on in the shop, and were only £30!

I also found some lovely little red fascinators in M&S which are an exact colour match for the BM dresses, so going to get my BMs to wear them, and have potentially found them some jewellery in M&S too, which is going to be their thank you gift from us.

Our wedding venue is having an open evening on Thursday for couples to try their food, see the room decorated for a wedding and see the honeymoon suites so really looking forward to that too.

Enchantica

Losingpatience - Will do a longer reply later on but just wanted to say WOOHOO for metal hour!!! I think ours is extending to an hour and a half to fit all our favourite metal songs in... 7pm-11.30pm will be rock/pop/soft metal and then it's ON. What kinds of bands do you like? We are mostly nu metal. Korn, Slipknot, Lamb of God and the like, with some old skool Slayer in there too.

Bluespirit - just realised we are both in Edinburgh and both getting married the same day. Might see you