Well, i spoke about my dress 'wobbles' a few weeks ago, and about how i had realized it was simply a case of comparing the one i had with the several million others also available-'too many dishes on the menu'-you might say (and yes, i experience the same difficulty when trying to decide what to order in a restaurant).
I thought i had it sorted, had stopped thinking about it, after all i am 'chilled out bride' no need to get stressed! Then my wobble turned into an all out body-shake when i saw a dress in a bridal magazine (these things are a huge mistake if you have already planned any part of your wedding-be warned!) and it screamed out of the pages at me 'I AM YOUR DRESS, BUY ME!'
Suddenly, and at last, i had seen a dress i REALLY loved and realised that i just 'sort of liked' the one i had. From that moment i just couldn't feel the same about it. And so, to cut what is an excruciatingly long and complicated story down to the bare bones, i now have a new dress-not as it turns out, the particular one which caused the damage and screamed at me, but a different dress all the same. AND I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now i'm excited! I wake up extra early each morning and my first thought is my dress! And so is the MoB who had never seen her little girl look like such a 'girl' in all these years. I think she was almost as excited as me when she saw me in it, a reaction neither of us experienced with dress number one and one i am glad neither of us had to miss. So in a way i can justify the ridiculous expense and waste....!
Yes girls, take my advice, try on dresses, lots of dresses, before you decide which wedding dress you think you want. Don't limit yourself with the 'style' you think you will suit, or 'theme' you want to create, because once you put on the dress you are meant to get the inner 5 year old that has been trapped inside since you were, well...5 years old will find her way to the surface and decide for you! You see, it isn't really up to you which dress you choose, the dress itself will do the deciding for you and believe me girls no matter how hard and fast you run, you cannot get away from it, it will hunt you down and make you wear it!!!! But it'll be worth it in the end. Now, anybody want to buy an un-worn wedding dress...?
And speaking of wedding dresses, anyone seen Denise Van Outen's dress from her secret marriage to the gorgeous Lee Mead? It's stunning! She looks beautiful. It's a dress i would have loved myself had i Denise's long legs and slender hips! But she looks so relaxed and happy i think she would have been gorgeous in a bin bag!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
16th April 2009-the ladies love to shop!
The day out shopping for outfits for the two 'mothers' went brilliantly and, much like i did when i went to choose a wedding dress, both women got 'sorted' in record time! Hurrah!
Thankfully we got gorgeous weather for our jaunt to the 'big' city and all of us were in the mood for a girlie day together! I'm grateful that my mother and MIL2B get on very well (probably comes from the fact that HWSRN and i have been together forever by now!) and we are all very comfortable and relaxed in each others company. This will also help no-end i'm certain when we all head off for a week in Italy together!
Both ladies had vague ideas in their heads of what they did or did not want. This being a 'destination' wedding in a warm country, everyone invited seems a bit panicked about what is 'suitable'-as if it should be different from what you might wear to a wedding here on a hot day? - they knew they wanted dressy but cool and comfortable. And nothing too over-the-top.
In the very first shop we tried MIL2B saw something she liked. It caught her eye immediately and she couldn't wait to try it on! We looked around for alternatives (it was a big shop) but nothing seemed as nice. So try it on she did, and it was lovely on her! All three of us agreed that the colour and style were perfect for her and that was that! 'No need to look any further', she declared, 'this is the one'. So within minutes MIL2B had her outfit wrapped and bagged and was pleased as punch with her purchase! She is not a woman to mess around!
Although my mother wasn't quite as easy (this is, after all , her one and only time being mother-of-the-bride and she wanted to get it right) she too made her purchase in record time after trying several dresses several times, and picked something fabulous which i can't wait to borrow! She has gone for a beautiful, bold colour which will look stunning against the sunny back-drop, and looks gorgeous on her, and being a proper girl she is all excited now about picking out matching accessories!
Both women chose lovely outfits and i can't wait to see them all dressed up on the day-i just hope they don't outshine the bride!
More importantly than the outfits the three of us enjoyed a really nice day. Having gotten the shopping over with rather quickly and painlessly we enjoyed a long lunch and some wine before strolling around having a look at shoes etc. Then, before heading home again, we stopped at a lovely hotel and chatted about the big day over another glass of wine (well, there is lots to discuss you know!) plenty of practise for Italy!
During the day i also collected my wedding ring which i really love! I tried it on again when i got home and didn't want to take it off...and there was i thinking it would be difficult to get used to!It's very simple and not all that expensive but unusual and pretty and perfect with my engagement ring! Another thing ticked off the list too!
So all in all a great weekend. I also had a friend visit on Good Friday who listened to me go on and on about honeymoons and hair-do's without complaint! She is excited as i am about going to Italy! Yippee!
This week i have been researching hair and make-up for the day. I plan to start practising both so i will know exactly what i am doing. My hair is being trimmed this weekend in preparation for the big cut and colour-it won't know what's happening to it when it see's the scissors coming towards it as i have been growing it for what seems, at this moment, like forever! Roll on the day it gets properly coloured and styled, i have been waiting for so long! I hope it will be worth it.
Still no honeymoon news! But i remain stress-free! Did i mention i shall board my flight to Italy in only 9 weeks......?
Thankfully we got gorgeous weather for our jaunt to the 'big' city and all of us were in the mood for a girlie day together! I'm grateful that my mother and MIL2B get on very well (probably comes from the fact that HWSRN and i have been together forever by now!) and we are all very comfortable and relaxed in each others company. This will also help no-end i'm certain when we all head off for a week in Italy together!
Both ladies had vague ideas in their heads of what they did or did not want. This being a 'destination' wedding in a warm country, everyone invited seems a bit panicked about what is 'suitable'-as if it should be different from what you might wear to a wedding here on a hot day? - they knew they wanted dressy but cool and comfortable. And nothing too over-the-top.
In the very first shop we tried MIL2B saw something she liked. It caught her eye immediately and she couldn't wait to try it on! We looked around for alternatives (it was a big shop) but nothing seemed as nice. So try it on she did, and it was lovely on her! All three of us agreed that the colour and style were perfect for her and that was that! 'No need to look any further', she declared, 'this is the one'. So within minutes MIL2B had her outfit wrapped and bagged and was pleased as punch with her purchase! She is not a woman to mess around!
Although my mother wasn't quite as easy (this is, after all , her one and only time being mother-of-the-bride and she wanted to get it right) she too made her purchase in record time after trying several dresses several times, and picked something fabulous which i can't wait to borrow! She has gone for a beautiful, bold colour which will look stunning against the sunny back-drop, and looks gorgeous on her, and being a proper girl she is all excited now about picking out matching accessories!
Both women chose lovely outfits and i can't wait to see them all dressed up on the day-i just hope they don't outshine the bride!
More importantly than the outfits the three of us enjoyed a really nice day. Having gotten the shopping over with rather quickly and painlessly we enjoyed a long lunch and some wine before strolling around having a look at shoes etc. Then, before heading home again, we stopped at a lovely hotel and chatted about the big day over another glass of wine (well, there is lots to discuss you know!) plenty of practise for Italy!
During the day i also collected my wedding ring which i really love! I tried it on again when i got home and didn't want to take it off...and there was i thinking it would be difficult to get used to!It's very simple and not all that expensive but unusual and pretty and perfect with my engagement ring! Another thing ticked off the list too!
So all in all a great weekend. I also had a friend visit on Good Friday who listened to me go on and on about honeymoons and hair-do's without complaint! She is excited as i am about going to Italy! Yippee!
This week i have been researching hair and make-up for the day. I plan to start practising both so i will know exactly what i am doing. My hair is being trimmed this weekend in preparation for the big cut and colour-it won't know what's happening to it when it see's the scissors coming towards it as i have been growing it for what seems, at this moment, like forever! Roll on the day it gets properly coloured and styled, i have been waiting for so long! I hope it will be worth it.
Still no honeymoon news! But i remain stress-free! Did i mention i shall board my flight to Italy in only 9 weeks......?
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Thursday 9th April-Tragedy in Italy on our minds.
It's only 10 weeks tomorrow until we fly to our wedding destination and i'm getting SO excited! In one sense it still seems such a long time away, but when you say '10 weeks' out loud it sounds like nothing and i know it will be here in the blink of an eye!! Before i know it i will have a new name and will be considered an 'old married woman', I can't wait!
The more i think about the wedding the more i imagine what it will be like-a small, relaxed, private affair is how i see it, celebrating with those closest to us, and a day we can both enjoy and remember forever. Never once have we regretted our choice not to have a big wedding, or a wedding here at home, in fact the more i think about it the more terrifying a prospect that would be!
I've nothing against the traditional big, white wedding. I can see why people would want that, after all it is the bride and grooms one day to be centre of attention and why not make the most of that? I like the idea of all the little things you can plan and choose for a big day of that sort-there would be much more scope for getting the details right and having things in a particular sort of way, colour-schemes, themes, extra little touches. Things that i haven't really put much thought into because Italy has done it all on my behalf!
Mind you, there is also plenty of scope to stress yourself out! As i've talked about in an earlier post-you can decide to stress as much or as little as you want to! But i suppose i feel that kind of wedding just wouldn't suit us-much as i love to be the centre of attention! I do prefer a smaller audience when all comes to all! And HWSRN would most certainly hate it!
At this point i feel so chilled out that i worry i am missing some massively important detail! I am telling myself that i was just ultra-organised from the beginning and in fairness i did get everything done pretty early with a view to being stress-free when the time came. Of course the list of things to do seems to get bigger each time i visualise it but nothing sitting on it is life-threatening so i refuse to worry!
Last week HWSRN and i spent a night away together to get away from all the plans and the stress and saving (any excuse!) and had a lovely time. We looked at wedding rings (i have chosen mine, it's quite simple but a little bit unusual) and he decided he actually quite liked the weight of it and might even wear one! We'll see! We talked to some travel agents about honeymoon ideas although we still didn't decide anything! We looked at some shirts to see what might look good with his suit and we enjoyed the whole thing. This weekend i am spending a day shopping with the two mother's. Again we plan to take it easy and relax. Have a girlie day trying on dresses and stopping to reflect over a glass of wine...or three! All these things are what make the build-up to the wedding an exciting time! And with all the organising done by internet it's nice to have ways of involving others in the 'big day'.
While away for our 'romantic' weekend we ate lunch in 'Carluccio's' Italian cafe (i am a big fan! He's a grandfather-like Italian celebrity chef who opened a place in Dublin last year) and eveything was soooooo Italian it made me even more excited about going back there for the third year in a row! The coffee's we're a touch stronger, the olive oil on the pasta deliciously aromatic and even the relaxed atmosphere induced my such good food and wine made me long for my second home (one day!!!here's hoping). It really got me thinking more about Italy! If that's possible i hear you cry!
Another reason i've been thinking about Italy this week is the terrible earthquake which struck L'Aquila on Monday! I have been watching those poor people on the news all week and my heart goes out to them all. So many are now homeless and have lost their families and neighbours-it makes you wonder how small villages like Onna,-which has lost a fifth of it's residents,-will ever get over such a thing, and seems especially hard to believe because it has occurred in such a beautiful part of the world, and so close to us. My thoughts are with them all.
The more i think about the wedding the more i imagine what it will be like-a small, relaxed, private affair is how i see it, celebrating with those closest to us, and a day we can both enjoy and remember forever. Never once have we regretted our choice not to have a big wedding, or a wedding here at home, in fact the more i think about it the more terrifying a prospect that would be!
I've nothing against the traditional big, white wedding. I can see why people would want that, after all it is the bride and grooms one day to be centre of attention and why not make the most of that? I like the idea of all the little things you can plan and choose for a big day of that sort-there would be much more scope for getting the details right and having things in a particular sort of way, colour-schemes, themes, extra little touches. Things that i haven't really put much thought into because Italy has done it all on my behalf!
Mind you, there is also plenty of scope to stress yourself out! As i've talked about in an earlier post-you can decide to stress as much or as little as you want to! But i suppose i feel that kind of wedding just wouldn't suit us-much as i love to be the centre of attention! I do prefer a smaller audience when all comes to all! And HWSRN would most certainly hate it!
At this point i feel so chilled out that i worry i am missing some massively important detail! I am telling myself that i was just ultra-organised from the beginning and in fairness i did get everything done pretty early with a view to being stress-free when the time came. Of course the list of things to do seems to get bigger each time i visualise it but nothing sitting on it is life-threatening so i refuse to worry!
Last week HWSRN and i spent a night away together to get away from all the plans and the stress and saving (any excuse!) and had a lovely time. We looked at wedding rings (i have chosen mine, it's quite simple but a little bit unusual) and he decided he actually quite liked the weight of it and might even wear one! We'll see! We talked to some travel agents about honeymoon ideas although we still didn't decide anything! We looked at some shirts to see what might look good with his suit and we enjoyed the whole thing. This weekend i am spending a day shopping with the two mother's. Again we plan to take it easy and relax. Have a girlie day trying on dresses and stopping to reflect over a glass of wine...or three! All these things are what make the build-up to the wedding an exciting time! And with all the organising done by internet it's nice to have ways of involving others in the 'big day'.
While away for our 'romantic' weekend we ate lunch in 'Carluccio's' Italian cafe (i am a big fan! He's a grandfather-like Italian celebrity chef who opened a place in Dublin last year) and eveything was soooooo Italian it made me even more excited about going back there for the third year in a row! The coffee's we're a touch stronger, the olive oil on the pasta deliciously aromatic and even the relaxed atmosphere induced my such good food and wine made me long for my second home (one day!!!here's hoping). It really got me thinking more about Italy! If that's possible i hear you cry!
Another reason i've been thinking about Italy this week is the terrible earthquake which struck L'Aquila on Monday! I have been watching those poor people on the news all week and my heart goes out to them all. So many are now homeless and have lost their families and neighbours-it makes you wonder how small villages like Onna,-which has lost a fifth of it's residents,-will ever get over such a thing, and seems especially hard to believe because it has occurred in such a beautiful part of the world, and so close to us. My thoughts are with them all.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
2nd April 2009-No road? No worries!
Well, we are actually under the twelve week mark which is pretty exciting!!! Given that it was six months to go on Christmas eve, and that it seemed scarily close then, having less than three months to go now is just weird!
I must admit that i am more excited now than anything. The sun is out, the days are longer and brighter and it seeems that we are finally getting there. It's a great feeling. For now, any stress i had seems to have dissipated, and we are both just looking forward to a lovely holiday and getting married to boot!
I know i am stress free (for now anyway) because i heard news this week that the road we will use to travel between our wedding ceremony and the reception is currently under-going some major works and is closed for the majority of the day (every day)! This work is expected to go on until August. Perhaps it is because there still seems to be quite a long time to go (even though there isn't) but my heart barely skipped a beat as i imagined us and our smartly dressed wedding guests tramping along the side of one of the busiest and most nerve-wracking roads in the world. Well that, or sitting impatiently in traffic for hours on end, desperate for a cool and much-deserved glass of champagne.
It was a tough enough decision when we decided to travel between the towns of Positano and Ravello on our wedding day, adding about an hour on a mini-bus to the proceedings. But we chose the venues for the ceremony and reception because we love them and just didn't want to make do with what was more convenient. Besides, i understand that the 'Amalfi Drive' is quite spectacular and many people pay to be taken along it on their trips to this part of the world, so we thought it might be nice if our guests got a 'mini-trip' included in the day! The views will be something for us all to remember-providing we don't have to sit in the one spot for too long! Maybe we could have some speeces then, save time later?
So, 'It's out of my control' i thought to myself-'no point worrying'.
Anyone who knows me will understand that this is not the usual and expected response. I did the sensible thing, emailed a few people in the know, told myself 'what will be will be' and stayed calm. 'Don't worry about it' they tell me in Italy 'It will be sorted sooner than expected, all will be well', and i am reassured by their lack of concern. It's part of the reason i love the place, this relaxed attitude and refusal to get stressed about the unimportant stuff! They have their priorities in the right order. What's the worst that can happen? It's not as if Italy is going to run out of food, or wine, or worse still, sunshine, when we are there, so i am certain all will be well.
There are always hitches, i am led to believe, with any wedding, so it is comforting to think that something as simple as this might be mine. Don't worry, i am touching wood again and not fool enough to believe that might be true!
We are still on the honeymoon trail. A new option rears it's head daily but still no decision has been made. It had been on the back-burner while the actual wedding took precedence for so long that it is hard now to cocentrate! Going to Italy was always more important.
We are also deciding what to do about a party back home. Should we? or shouldn't we? Our major problem is where? This is why we wanted to get married in Italy in the first place, we couldn't find anywhere here that would be as special for us! But as i said, no stressing, we will decide in time. It seems we will never be finished making these decisions...
There will be loads to do over the coming weeks and life is busy, busy, busy! But it's fun and exciting too and as long as i remember that i 'don't do' stress anymore i'm sure i'll handle it just fine!
I must admit that i am more excited now than anything. The sun is out, the days are longer and brighter and it seeems that we are finally getting there. It's a great feeling. For now, any stress i had seems to have dissipated, and we are both just looking forward to a lovely holiday and getting married to boot!
I know i am stress free (for now anyway) because i heard news this week that the road we will use to travel between our wedding ceremony and the reception is currently under-going some major works and is closed for the majority of the day (every day)! This work is expected to go on until August. Perhaps it is because there still seems to be quite a long time to go (even though there isn't) but my heart barely skipped a beat as i imagined us and our smartly dressed wedding guests tramping along the side of one of the busiest and most nerve-wracking roads in the world. Well that, or sitting impatiently in traffic for hours on end, desperate for a cool and much-deserved glass of champagne.
It was a tough enough decision when we decided to travel between the towns of Positano and Ravello on our wedding day, adding about an hour on a mini-bus to the proceedings. But we chose the venues for the ceremony and reception because we love them and just didn't want to make do with what was more convenient. Besides, i understand that the 'Amalfi Drive' is quite spectacular and many people pay to be taken along it on their trips to this part of the world, so we thought it might be nice if our guests got a 'mini-trip' included in the day! The views will be something for us all to remember-providing we don't have to sit in the one spot for too long! Maybe we could have some speeces then, save time later?
So, 'It's out of my control' i thought to myself-'no point worrying'.
Anyone who knows me will understand that this is not the usual and expected response. I did the sensible thing, emailed a few people in the know, told myself 'what will be will be' and stayed calm. 'Don't worry about it' they tell me in Italy 'It will be sorted sooner than expected, all will be well', and i am reassured by their lack of concern. It's part of the reason i love the place, this relaxed attitude and refusal to get stressed about the unimportant stuff! They have their priorities in the right order. What's the worst that can happen? It's not as if Italy is going to run out of food, or wine, or worse still, sunshine, when we are there, so i am certain all will be well.
There are always hitches, i am led to believe, with any wedding, so it is comforting to think that something as simple as this might be mine. Don't worry, i am touching wood again and not fool enough to believe that might be true!
We are still on the honeymoon trail. A new option rears it's head daily but still no decision has been made. It had been on the back-burner while the actual wedding took precedence for so long that it is hard now to cocentrate! Going to Italy was always more important.
We are also deciding what to do about a party back home. Should we? or shouldn't we? Our major problem is where? This is why we wanted to get married in Italy in the first place, we couldn't find anywhere here that would be as special for us! But as i said, no stressing, we will decide in time. It seems we will never be finished making these decisions...
There will be loads to do over the coming weeks and life is busy, busy, busy! But it's fun and exciting too and as long as i remember that i 'don't do' stress anymore i'm sure i'll handle it just fine!
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