July 2013 Brides and Grooms

lisajane8482

Hi everyone, how’s the planning going.

I never answered your question about the 30 day shred Laura, I’ve only been doing it every 2 days and doing the crunches on the DVD on the days I have off otherwise I’m in agony. I’ve managed to lose 4lb in 3 weeks and can now fit into some trousers that haven’t fit me since October so that’s a good sign. I am going to step it up now and do it every day.

Aww no justengaged that’s awful news, I hope you manage to find somewhere just as lovely.

Well things are looking up, OH is managing to give me more money than he thought he could so we may be able add some people back on to the list. I’ve started amending the day time invites, we decided in the end to use inserts to cover up the old information (I’ll post some pics later in the week) and I also printed off the evening invites.

We got most of the sweets for the favours, we’re having personalised love hearts (79p for a bag of 12/13 from home bargains with some labels I bought off eBay over a year ago) and for the kids we’re making a party bag each. These will have maoam chews, double lollies, mini chupa chup lollies, mini bags of harribo and love hearts in and for the toddlers we’re doing a milky way, milky bar, white buttons and magic stars (although we’re not buying the chocolate until closer to the day).

We’ve also got all of the ladies gifts now, we’ve got:

my mum: hematite bracelet to wear on the day and an engraved wine glass with a nice bottle of wine
OH mum: watch to wear on the day and an engraved glass plaque saying thank you for your love and support
My nana: a frame with an we owe you a picture, we’re going to get her a canvas after the wedding of my cousins, my daughter and me as she doesn’t have a photo of us all.
My Gran: a wooden heart plaque saying thank you for your love and support
Maid of Honour (sister): a Swarovski heart necklace and earring set to wear on the day and an engraved wine glass
Bridesmaids (niece and 2 cousins): a Swarovski heart necklace each to wear on the day and engraved compact mirrors
Junior bridesmaids (mine and OH daughters): Silver diamond necklace to wear on the day and a shambala bracelet each (one blue and one pink, fav colours)
Flower girl (cousin): A silver heart pendant and a Daisy Italian charm bracelet and 3 charms (one with her name, one saying bridesmaid and one with her birth stone on)

We’ve managed to find a coach to take the guests from the ceremony to the reception for £140 which is a lot cheaper than the original quotes we were getting plus we don’t have to pay the money until the week before so that means it will come out of my pay at the end of June which is a bonus as it means we can afford it now.

I have my hair and makeup trial on Saturday, I’m having it early as I may need to grow my hair as I have it layered and the top layers are quite short. I am going to ask if she will cut my hair between now and the wedding as she will obviously know how it needs to be plus my hair dresser sometimes cuts it a little too short which usually doesn’t matter but if it’s the few weeks before the wedding I would be devastated. I am a little excited and nervous, the only thing I’ve ever had done with my hair is a cut and blow dry and I have never had my makeup done by anyone else since my mum used to do it when i was little.

On Wednesday it will be exactly 5 months until my wedding day, and I got a little excited earlier when looking at valentines cards as I can now buy one that says can’t wait until he’s my husband. I also got a little excited that next year I’ll be able to buy a husband card. I think at the moment the realisation that OH does actually want to get married has made me super excited about pretty much everything

laura_hoggle

Ah Lisa, really pleased to hear that you are getting excited about everything! Good news about the coach and OH being able to put more money aside. That's so good about the Shred, I've not been able to do it as much as hoped as I haven't been well for the last couple of weeks Antibiotics are finished now and I feel like I've got a bit more energy back so am going to try and start again today. I also have this week off work so hopefully will have chance to to a bit of exercise!!

We have just got back from a weekend in Devon with my future in laws to celebrate a 50th birthday. MIL to be got a bit tipsy one night and wouldn't stop hugging me and telling me how much she loved me as she has never seen her son so happy! Followed by the usual threat of 'if you hurt him, I'll kill you'!! Was quite funny though!

I think most of OH's friends and family from Manchester have booked their hotel for the wedding now, which is good as I was starting to get worried as a lot of places are already booked up. Got a good deal at a Travelodge, it's about 3 miles away from the venue but as they are all staying there it will be easier to share taxis etc. MIL to be has asked me to find a hairdresser for her, her mum and daughter to use the day of the wedding, so have that to add to my list of things to do!

Our evening invites arrived last week, and we are really happy with them. Just have to wait for the day ones to arrive now, they were on a slower delivery with Vistaprint so might be a couple of weeks yet. I'm quite eager to start writing and posting them!

I bought some underwear last week for the wedding, but not 100% sure if it will be OK or not. It was a bit of a panic buy in M&S, had been to Debenhams but got so annoyed with their customer service (or lack of!) that I decided I didn't want to spend my money there! Plus I was hungry which made me a bit cranky!

I've been buying more gifts as well, got some bargain wine glasses in Clinton cards - £6.99 reduced to 79p each in store - it was these http://www.clintoncards.co.uk/i-d-rather-be-out-with-the-girls-wine-glass.html so they will go in the bridesmaids bags. So far the bridesmaids have a cotton bag, pen, mug, wine glass, compact mirror, pearl earrings and clutch bag which matches the dresses. Mum thinks that's plenty but I really wanted to get them a necklace each, and although it seems like they have a lot, I've only spent about £15-20 on each of them. I think I will also get them a photo frame each with an IOU in it (I saw some really nice ones in the Works last week which looked nice and quite cheap) and see if I can find some nice jewellery for not too much.

So far we have cufflinks for all the men in the bridal party which we got from eBay, it's these ones: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/280802971446
I want to get them all socks as well, so will order them soon. Not sure what else to get them - I suggested hip flasks but OH said he knows they've all got one. The best man is definitely getting a glass of some sort, hopefully one from the venue as he appreciates 'a glass with a bit of weight'.

I really have no idea what to buy the parents. I have ordered a few bits off Vistaprint, including personalised mugs for everyone who will be getting ready at my parents on the day. I'd love a photo of us all drinking tea from them! We have photo albums as part of out package for both sets of parents, but would really like something else to give to them. Thinking caps on!

I also have to think of what to get OH for a present. He already has a smart watch and a casual one, so that's out. I was thinking of trying to get a letter from a football club and a band so will have to get the ball rolling on that one!

x.nukke.x

Hi all!!

Just found this thread! I'm getting married on the 5th July 2013 (and I'm bricking it because I feel like I've still got so much to do!)

So far I have:

• My dress
• My shoes
• Bridesmaid Dress
• Bridesmaid shoes
• Venues booked
• Photographer booked (and paid!)

and....that's about it! EEK! I'm getting a package deal with a resort I live near so the band, DJ, food, drinks, flowers and car are provided. Still need to talk to those people though and organise what we want.

My major concern are my invites. I was planning on designing and printing them myself but I have had objections from a family member (even though I am good with these kind of things!). Feel like going ahead and doing them myself and telling him I got them printed elsewhere but he has that spidey sense and knows when I'm lying lol .

I noticed that there were a few of you organising buses...my ceremony is about 20 miles from the reception. Would you recommend a bus?

Hope you are all getting on really well and not panicking like me!

Pinzy

Crikey, lots of ups and downs since I last posted! I know it's terribly remiss of me not to remember the names of all the ups and downs, but it's way past my bedtime! Glad things seem to be getting sorted though. I can't believe a double-booked ! Clearly they're not organised enough to be doing weddings!

Welcome nukke, I'm sure we'll all be panicking about something at some point! Have just picked my dress but it won't arrive till the end of June so I'll be fretting a lot then! Ideally I'd like to drop some weight, but I've found a dress that looks nice, and I guess the overweight me is more normal me anyway

We've started buying more things today, I realised that we know most of what we want so we should just get it, then there's less to do later.
We've designed our own invites (I'm not sure why people think you can't do things yourself - it's more personal!) They're simple, but look nice, and reflect us.

Flippin venue - had a brilliant wedding co-ordinator, who's now left, and been replace with someone who doesn't seem nearly as good.
I'd had a chat to the manager on the phone, and he'd said yes to serving bacon rolls in the evening, so I budgeted £260 for that (100 people), now the price on their menu has gone up to £3.60, I emailed to ask for confirmation that I'd be charged the old price, and was told "the info. does say that prices are subject to change". :mad: That's an extra £100! I'll be asking again, I may try and speak to the manager, I wonder if they'd rather do it at £260 than not at all. I can't afford unexpected hikes like that.
(OH just laughed when I explained I'm not sleeping yet because I'm ranting on wedding boards about bacon rolls. :rotfl:)

Found a photographer whose photos I love, went to see her, and she just wasn't.. overly enthusiastic. I had to do the talking, it may be just that she's less experienced. Do love her pics though and the price is the most reasonable I've found.
I've been getting the impression that photographers aren't that fussed because they know I'm looking at the very lower end of their price packages.

The dress shop - when I went there the first time they said they'd give me 10% off if I ordered on the day, which I didn't, because it was expensive and the first shop I'd been too. I've ended up going back to them (with financial contributions from family), and asked if there was any chance I could have the 10% off, and it was a flat no. I understand they don't have to, but it'd be nice! They also don't have to because they're the only plus size specialist within over an hours drive radius. After I'd paid the deposit my Aunt was looking at other bits, and they were very much like "well you can always come back once you've got your outfit" "you can always come back another time" (there was nobody else waiting in or outside the shop), and as we left I had a hand on my shoulder almost guiding me out the door. It really felt like "we've got your money now, bye then".

I'm enjoying planning the wedding, and the "wow, it's real" feeling when we're buying things. I'm very looking forward to marrying my lovely OH. The only thing that's killing my buzz is the wedding suppliers! It seems that the things we fall in love with are provided by the least interested people.

Rant over, apologies for the length. I know there are people with much bigger issues, and I am thankful that mine are smaller. Overall, we're planning our wedding day, and we'll look lovely, and will be marrying our dearest sweethearts.

wendz86

Hi all,

Hope we are all ok.

Seems like it is creeping up on us now, 5 months tomorrow for me!

Nukke - you should make your invites if you want to, I have made mine. a bus sounds like it would probably be a good idea too but only if its in your budget.

Pinzy - that is annoying about the prices going up. Some of ours have gone up too by about 50p but they did warn us to be fair.

The wedding dress shop people sound so rude too! Think the fact mine were so nice is probably half the reason i bought my dress there!

We are hoping to send invites out in the next couple of weeks. They are all made and written but need OH to get the addresses for all his friends.

Here is my list of what I have done need to do:

Done
Venue Booked
Food choices picked
Chair covers ordered
Registrar booked
Florist booked
DJ booked
Dress bought
Shoes and underwear bought
Bridesmaid dresses bought
Invitations made
Honeymoon booked
Wedding night hotel booked
Car booked
Photographer booked

Need to do
Buy wedding rings
Sort out OH's, best me and Dads suits
Buy the flowergirl dresses and shoes
Buy wedding jewellary
Book hair and make up trials (found people to do it just need to book trial)
Make post box
Make 'guest book'
Make table plan
Choose readings
Make order of day?
Make bunting
Get dress altered
Book taxi for mum and bridesmaids
Order cake
Make bags for kids

Probably missed something off there!

laura_hoggle

Hi everyone, hope everything is going well for people!

Nukke - I agree with Wendz, if you want to do your invites, do them! That way you know that they will be how you want them. I'd have liked to have done ours but I'm really not very arty so ordered them off Vistaprint instead! Also, with a distance of 20miles, a bus might be helpful if it is within budget - why not ask a few close guests and see what they think? You may find that people are expecting to make their own way.

Pinzy - that's so annoying about the venue! Did you ever sign anything to say that's what you would be charged, or have any emails between yourself and the old wedding co-ordinator? If you do, it might be worth printing them out and if possible taking them to show the manager. They will probably use the 'prices are subject to change', but sometimes people don't write that every quote they give you....

Ok, so what have we been up to.....

My maid of honour told me a couple of weeks ago that she is pregnant, and baby is due in September, so she will be 7 months at the wedding. She offered to step down, but I honestly can't imagine my day without her next to me. I very much doubt any of the dresses I bought for the BM's would fit a bump, so we have been looking at alternatives. I bought too many dresses (all BHS ones, some new, some used on eBay) to make sure all sizes were covered, so there will be 2 spare so the material is there if we want to get one altered. We have also both been looking at alternative dresses, but until the time don't know how big bump will be! Her (nearly) 2 year old daughter is also going to be a flower girl (hopefully!) and I got her a dress, and she looks so pretty in it. It's a bit big at the moment, but has growing room and can easily be altered nearer the time if necessary. She also has a little flower wand which she did not want to let go of!

My dress is being altered, luckily it is just the length, and is a lot cheaper than mum and I expected - we were both thinking it would cost around £100 but were quoted £50. While we were there mum is having her outfit altered, and I found a veil, which I love. SIL to be did lend me hers, but it's too long for me (she is taller than me!) and I wanted something with a bit of sparkle as the dress is sparkly. As I was wearing my dress while the lady was pinning it, one veil in particular caught my eye, as it has the exact same beading and diamante type design as my dress. I tried it on and it goes perfectly, I couldn't have had a custom made one which would suit better. I held my breath while the lady was finding out the price, only to find it was only £31! Mum had been looking at some which were £60+ and had thought they were reasonable, but we were so pleased. So that's another thing ticked off!

We have sent out most of our invites now, after a couple of issues with our evening invites (spelling mistake first off which was our fault, then a quality issue which Vistaprint very quickly rectified at their cost) and have had a couple of RSVP's already.

We are having our pre wedding photoshoot with our photographer in a couple of weeks, and going round our venue with him, so we can get an idea of where we want photos taken on the day etc.

We are still yet to decide on a string quartet! The original (more expensive) group we saw are now booked, and the other one is available, but we are not able to see them play at all before the day. They have very good reviews on other wedding websites, but would still like to see them!

This is a list of what we have done and what's left, more for me to see than anything!!

Done:
Ceremony & reception venues booked, deposits paid
Registrar booked, needs payment in April
Photographer booked
Florist booked
Cars booked
Dress bought & being altered
Veil, tiara, underwear & shoes bought
Wedding night hotel booked
Honeymoon booked
DJ booked
All glass and most sweets for buffet bought
Wedding rings bought
Sent out most invites
Readings chosen
Booked mens suits
Bought gifts for BM's

Still to do
Decide on string quartet!!!!
Choose menus
Book chair covers
Book airport hotel for night before honeymoon
Send out remaining invites
Buy make up
Practise hair & make up with my cousin
Buy gifts for men & parents
Sort out jewellery
Order cake
Make table plan once have RSVP's

Think that's mostly everything, oh yeh then PAY FOR IT ALL!!! :rotfl:

wendz86

Sounds like you are doing well Laura!

That's good you have managed to find some dress options for your pregnant friend.

Great news on the veil too.

I forgot the paying for it part....

yimmie

Spam. Reported......

Poppycat

Post 139 :spam:

wendz86

Hows everyone doing?

Sent out my invites end of last week and have had my first proper RSVP, exciting! OH still needs to get me addresses for half his invites!