May 2012 Brides (and Grooms) + Diary of a 2012 Bride

ohara09

Hello :wave: I'm a May 2012 bride too! Although reading this thread, I am feeling way behind on the planning than all of you :undecided

We've got the venue booked (May 6th), and caterers, registrar, and band, sent out save the date cards and I've bought the bridesmaid dresses (summer sale, whoop), but that's it... got a feeling I should be a bit more prepared by now!!

Are you all enjoying the planning? I am in parts, but I'm also in charge of the budget - and my OH keeps on saying we should 'treat ourselves' and not compromise things, so I just feel like a real prison wardan by saying no to everything, and finding it quite stressful trying to find areas where we can cut back to keep everything in budget

x

dylly

and I'm another newby! OH proposed on 14 June. We have a reception venue but haven't booked anything else but that yet. We have a lot of catching up to do. Refusing to spend too much money but looking at bits and bobs its easy to see how it mounts up!

Our date is 05 May! We have had a few problems finding a venue we like which is available to actually do the legal bit! Waiting to hear back from our local church.

eek!!! :beer:

ruthybabs

welcome ladies! (or at least I presume you are ladies!) congratulations on your engagements and setting the date!

Ohara sounds like you're pretty organised to be honest, all the big thing sorted. Where in the country are you doing it, what colour are your dresses? We love all these little details!

Dylly-you have a lot of date twins (think you're sextuplets now lol!) If you have the main things sorted, the rest is just window dressing! It will come together, Any ideas on colours etc?

Msshopper love all your dresses-your girls will look so sophisticated!

Olokia

Updated the list above with the 2 new people. Welcome.

About to book my band. Just have to choose between a 3 piece band for £350 or a 5 piece band for £500.

The 3 piece band has a better singer but the playlist seems to be mostly recent songs and a lot of our guests are aged 40+.

The 5 piece band has an ok singer but their playlist has a lot of older songs (maybe too much) and they are willing to learn a song for us.

I think I might go for the 3 piece band.

MsShopper

Either way, they're great prices Olokia! I'd probably go with the better singer too. If they're good, they'll get people up dancing anyway.

Our band is a three-piece, for £750. They are exactly what I was looking for, as they do a mix of Irish and mainstream music (my half of the wedding is mainly Irish, while H2B's family is English). However, they changed their lead vocalist recently, so I'm just hoping they still sound as good!

dylly

thanks Ruthybabs. You are good with your assumptions - I am indeed a lady!!

So we have our reception venue sorted - a small barn at a farm which has lovely beams and is affordable with no real restrictions except finish music by 11:30pm. Also has a camp site and if it isn't too wet I'm thinking we could stay there on our wedding night. We're big into outdoors stuff.

We've been having problems finding somewhere to do the legal bit. We wrongly assumed that it wouldn't be difficult especially as we're happy with a reg office do, but when we made the enquiries the only time they had free on the 5th was 10:45am which is too early! Made enquiries at local hotels but they are all booked up on our date so although it was bottom of our list we've approached our local church, which will make my dad very happy. Although he keeps saying we must do what makes us happy, I know tradition is important to him so if he's mega happy it can only make me happier! Seems the church could be cheaper than a hotel anyway... if that option fails - I think it will be a quickie at the reg office a few weeks earlier and then a humanist ceremony at the farm... which would be our prefered choice but the risk of bad weather and thought of family arguments is a bit too much for my head to deal with right now. the church is pretty, and within walking distance.

The only other things we know are - we want good live music - amazing photos to cherish forever (looking around these seem pretty expensive) - and to keep the rest as chilled and simply and DIY as possible. Band is provisionally booked subject to us measuring the barn. No ideas on colours yet but I keep thinking about bluebells so maybe something blue.

Don't want to spend a fortune on my dress but haven't a clue where to start really. Not really too sure about going into a bridal shop. I'm not a centre of attention or dress or tradition type of girl. I know I want to look amazing, but the thought of white and a big dress scare me! Anyone got any hints about where to get more ideas about a dress. Happy with simple, or classic or second hand/vintage... Keep finding nicish dresses online via blogs but they are often only available in usa so I would have to have them shipped over. Bit scared about buying a dress without trying it on. Guess I've got to get braver!

so fingers crossed the reception venue, ceremony venue, music and photographer will all be sorted out very soon subject to a bit more effort and phone calls/emails etc, still so much to do... it is al going to fall into place isn't it? think once these bits are more sorted i will calm down, but then we will try to sort out the catering... not looking forward to that...

sorry for ranting. my brain is slowly becoming wedding mush. eloping sometimes seems such a good idea but we do want to share our day with our families and close friends. xx

clairus

Hello everyone, feels like I have been away from the thread for ages (we have had a big handover in work so have been in work weekends and evenings) but I am caught up again now.

MsShopper, I love the green dress!

So for our update:
-wedding rings picked and deposit paid, they will be ready in a couple of weeks but once we have checked the size, the jewellers will be looking after them. Got them in the same shop we got my engagement ring as they had a 20% off wedding rings promotion on over the bank holiday weekend. Made me realise how quickly the months are going as it didn't seem that long ago we were picking my ring (was actually 8 months ago...)
-600 paper cranes now folded, *only* 400 left to do...
-my sister helped me make a start on the bridesmaid bouquets (also brooch bouquets), but there is still a fair bit of work to do on them

Next big jobs are:
Band or DJ-our preferred option is a band but need to actually put some effort into finding one, not living where our wedding is taking place is going to make it a bit harder to find one we like...should probably start a thread for help
Bridesmaid dresses-grown up bridesmaids all live about 200 miles away so we can't just nip down the shops together, I have one dress in mind
but need to look around at other options incase they don't like them/don't suit them.

Then I have my flower girls to sort out, one will be 6 and the other 1 1/2 (so not sure whether she will actually be able to do anything...) so was planning on leaving them till nearer the time so I know how big they are.

Hair and make up-need to have a think about this

And finally, table centres/decoration-sweetie buffet bowl collecting is coming on nicely but We still haven't decided on table centres, my two suggestions are:
-bowls full of Lego in the centre of each table so the guests can play (I am an engineer so it is my toy of choice)

-travel themed, as we have had some wonderful holidays together, tables named after cities we have visited (thought about having a photo of us at each place, but thought that may be 'showy offy'), maybe a landmark, guide books, post cards etc in the middle in mini pretend suitcase...

Sorry if this post has ended up super long, have had loads of questions I wanted to ask but have had to save them up til today! Any advice on the above would be appreciated.

Thanks

clairus

spurs_gal

Thought I would drop by and say Hello! And congratulations to everyone! I love coming on and reading everyones progress heres mine:
So far we have booked and given our notice at the registry office, put deposit down for our reception, bought my dress, found our photographer, decided on rings and delegated jobs! My Dad is paying for my hair and make up to be done, BIL-to-be has paid for my wedding car and my little sister is making our cupcakes :j My auntie has knitted us some 'Mr & Mrs' bunting for the reception too!
We've managed to stay well under budget as we're having a very informal day, no sit down meal just drinks, mingling and disco afterwards And after a having a little squinny about the cost of a photographer Ive found someone who will do 1.5 hours and disk for £75! Very chuffed!
The next thing on my to-do list is to find a white suit for my hubby to be that we both like! He decided that he wanted to change our colour scheme from black and white to green and black so he can wear a green suit :eek: Cue slight Bridzilla moment and lots of reassurance that he will look like James Bond in his white suit and we are back on track! lol. Also hoping to try to do my own button bouquet but with no creative bone in my body this may be a challenge! Good job we have 8 months :rotfl:

Irina_OE

Hello Looks like I'm also getting married some time in May!
And oh dear, everybody here sounds like they totally know what they're doing and what comes after what... Makes me even more nervous, it's all so very new to me and I don't want to screw it up! I have been proposed to a week ago (very happy about it!), but got no idea what to do now I bought two bridal magazines so far, and a wedding organiser (with a hideously cheesy cover, yay!). Have carefully cut out a couple of nice pictures out of those magazines and glued them into the organiser. What's next?!
...Have been trying to think of the wedding itself and the honeymoon all day today... Well, I'd love to see myself wearing that gorgeous Benjamin Roberts dress (2263) from his 2012 collection (unfortunately, the dress seems to be either priceless or imaginary as cannot find a price for it anywhere)... Also have no problems visualising myself getting married in a castle - they look soooo gorgeous and the atmosphere must be really magic there (but the quotes I came across on the internet seem to be absolutely crazy..! Do cheap castles exist at all in the West Midlands? Has anybody got married in one before and could maybe recommend it? Coming back to reality, it does not have to be a castle wedding, but a hall or a manor house, or sth similar would be lovely). Oh yeah, and a honeymoon in Maldives would be superb too - have been googling it for days now, looks absolutely stunning (and I've never been outside Europe, so am now mentally preparing myself to start saving for that, need probably around £3,000 - £3,500. Except they do not really recommend flying there after April due to the rainy season... But I really want to..!).
Also asked my 5 friends to be my bridesmaids, all agreed, I'm happy No idea about their dresses or anything (3 girls live outside the UK - eBay?), but I think I'll go for the royal blue colour (my fiance will be wearing a kilt, and it's blue with green, so at least that was easy to decide on!).

But it all seems to be just thoughts, nothing practical has been done yet. Scary, as only 8 months left

Olokia

Irina_OE wrote: »

Also have no problems visualising myself getting married in a castle - they look soooo gorgeous and the atmosphere must be really magic there (but the quotes I came across on the internet seem to be absolutely crazy..! Do cheap castles exist at all in the West Midlands? Has anybody got married in one before and could maybe recommend it? Coming back to reality, it does not have to be a castle wedding, but a hall or a manor house, or sth similar would be lovely).

Oh yeah, and a honeymoon in Maldives would be superb too - have been googling it for days now, looks absolutely stunning (and I've never been outside Europe, so am now mentally preparing myself to start saving for that, need probably around £3,000 - £3,500. Except they do not really recommend flying there after April due to the rainy season... But I really want to..!).

Welcome

I am not sure where in the West Midlands you are but someone mentioned a castle on here recently that was near there
http://www.countryhouseweddings.co.uk/clearwell-castle/

And in Worcestershire is where I am getting married:
http://www.dumbletonhall.co.uk/

I have heard lots of good things about Dumbleton Hall and it is quite cheap especially if you go for a week day wedding as they have 20% off. Not sure if they have any weekend dates for May left though as they are popular.

For the honeymoon. I had the same problem because I was looking at Thailand, Maldives and settled on Dominican Republic. All of them are starting their wet season around April but I have been told that the rain usually lasts only 1/2 hour - 1 hour everyday. But you can get unlucky and it can be worse. I decided a little bit of rain won't spoil the honeymoon and it will be warm rain anyway so probably would stay in the swimming pool where I'd be wet anyway.