# My 2013 Wedding Journal!! Picture heavy <3



## AmandaBaby

Hi Everyone : )
My names Amanda and i'm unofficially engaged!!
My engagement ring and wedding band have been on order for the last two and a half months, however we will be able to pick them up in about two to three weeks!! Then the other half just needs to propose. He's promised to propose this year! : )

*Here's a bit of background*
My other half and I met in 2006 (I was fifteen and he was sixteen), he had just moved states and started at my school. Within a month we were dating : ) After what seemed like a lifetime, we finally moved out together in April/May this year. we're now living in a nice, three bedroom townhouse and are trying to conceive our first after a recent miscarriage. 

Anyway, I just thought that I would introduce myself. I will update soon (probably tonight!) with what I have in mind so far!

*2011 =* engaged and hopefully pregnant!
*2012 =* married and hopefully with a baby!

*UPDATE!*
I'm ENGAGED!!
My Fiance ( :cloud9: ) proposed on the 24th September 2011. One day after our 4 year, 10 month anniversary : )

This journal is basically going to have all of my ideas in mind (whether they go to plan or not) as well as any useful tutorials, etc that I think will be useful later on or useful to anyone else's planning!! I'll also include photos of inspiration that I find in my planning-travels!!


Xx​


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## AmandaBaby

So here is a picture of my engagement ring and wedding band.

https://i52.tinypic.com/2wehx6g.png https://i51.tinypic.com/33o4lev.png

The first is a generic picture from the jewellers website and the second picture is when I went into the store to try it on (the size is all wrong!)

I never really wear rings so I don't feel like this one suits me. Please tell me otherwise!! I do love it though : )

x


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## AmandaBaby

And this is my wedding dress!!

https://i55.tinypic.com/2yod742.png

I can't wait to get engaged haha so my mum, sister and I are going to go to the store tomorrow so that I can try it on! I am so excited, i'm absolutely in love with it. I love princess dresses and I like the fact that this one isn't too long, because I would probably trip over it! : | The tulle layer on top is amazing as well : ) 

Fingers crossed it suits me !! xx


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## bornthiswayxo

Congrats hun, and good luck <3


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## AmandaBaby

Thank you :) x


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## AmandaBaby

First things first, Engagement Party!!

So I figure, if OH proposes in either October or November (he better not wait until December!) Then January will be appropriate for an Engagement Party. When I was laying in bed last night I also realised that if we do have it in January and I do fall pregnant this month (fingers crossed) then by January we would be able to find out if we were having a boy or a girl. Now I really want all of this to go to plan because I would love to be able to announce to everyone what we were having : )

I found a golf club/functions centre last night, it's just outside of the City. They have about 7 different function rooms to choose from and the OH liked this the most : ) Which I will admit, it's quite beautiful! I emailed them last night to find out a price (I really don't think I wanna know!) And i'm hoping that they get back to me soon.

We're hoping to have about 50 guests in a cocktail setting. Instead of it being really formal though, i'm just hoping to organise quite a few food platters to tie people over and get a beverage package. I think the room also has a dance floor :)

You can hire someone to decorate the room/tables, etc for you but I think they will be quite expensive so i've asked to decorate it myself, because I quite like doing all of that stuff. Fingers crossed they let me.

https://i53.tinypic.com/bvrj9.png https://i55.tinypic.com/2eyw7jq.png

https://i53.tinypic.com/25517c3.png https://i54.tinypic.com/35a4s29.png

https://i52.tinypic.com/2dtf82.png https://i55.tinypic.com/15owj9d.png

For all you girls decorating your own table settings for your engagement party or wedding, I found this picture from one of the other rooms. They've got a big glass jar on each table with white marshmallows inside. How brilliant!!

https://i53.tinypic.com/29nb80w.png

I really actually love this room but there's no dance floor and I thought people might get bored, although I don't know if everyones going to dance anyway :| ...

Well, that's all for now.
I'm going to try on that dress later today ^^
xx


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## AmandaBaby

UPDATE!!

Just got a call from the jewellers to say my ring is ready! :D
I'm ecstatic, going to pick it up today.
Then I have to part with it until OH proposes :(

x


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## AmandaBaby

So I got this idea from a show called Better Homes and Gardens and I would love to re-create it for our table settings. However, I might use white lights :)

https://i51.tinypic.com/10e3dbp.png https://i54.tinypic.com/1rexzb.png

Here's the video if anyway wants to watch. They also show some other ways to use fairy lights. Quite creative : )
https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/better-homes-gardens/tv/watch/-/9657886/fairy-lights-101/


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## AmandaBaby

Wow, so yesterday was quite a good day.
We went to try on the above dress, and it was beautiful!! I am in love.
I think it's $1500 with a free veil. Although, when I originally emailed them it was only $1220 without the veil..

Anyway, i'm going to keep looking and if I don't find anything soon then I think I wanna get it. The lady told me that they switch designs in January however because the dresses are made in America sometimes they can stop making them sooner. I would hate to miss out on this dress should it be 'the one!'

After looking at dresses I went and picked up the ring. It's beautiful, I tried it on for size and I didn't want to take it off. I nearly made OH propose as soon as we got home however I stopped myself haha. I think he's going to wait until next weekend. Which, I guess I can wait :|

I also received an email yesterday from the place we were hoping to have our engagement party. It's just a tad expensive! Minimum spend of $5000. I would consider paying that for a wedding but not an Engagement party so I think i've found another venue. I haven't seen photos of the function room but i've been to the place before, i'm going to go and have a look at it next week :) Here's hoping. The room hire is free when you order platters so we could just order 4-5 platters and it would come to about $400 and I believe I can decorate the room myself which is brilliant!

That's all for now :) x


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## comotion89

wow sounds amazing, and sorry for your loss. Im engaged to be engaged however oh told me hed propose before December 2012 lol so it could happen anytime ! however I did the ring thing differently we went ring shopping an I tried on loads and gave him 4 that I liked so its up to him to pick the one!! :D which is exciting as I don't know what he's gunna get :D


just wondering have u set a date for the wedding?? and couldn't you have a smaller get together so you have more money for your big day???


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## AmandaBaby

Thank you,
Awe how exciting! How long have you and your OH been together? I'm so excited to get my ring, I want it now haha. 
We haven't set an actual date but i'm hoping for November 2012 :)
Yeah we're only gonna spend about $500 on the engagement party and then save up for the wedding, if we have the engagement party in January then it gives us about 10 months to save for it, which fingers crossed will be enough, might start saving from now on too. My dads buying my wedding dress and I think OH's uncle is doing the photos for us, he's a photographer so that cuts out a few expenses :)
xx


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## AmandaBaby

So, my OH proposed on the 24th September and, obviously I said YES!! : )
I'M OFFICIALLY ENGAGED : D
x


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## comotion89

woo congratsb


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## KittyPaws

Aww, I'm just like you. Engaged to be engaged (he's gonna do it within the next three weeks!) and as soon as we get engaged we're going to start trying for a baby. Good luck and congrats!!


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## AmandaBaby

Thank you both!!
Awe KittyPaws, how exciting!! PRE-CONGRATULATIONS : D !! And fingers crossed you get preggers fast!! I've just gotten my first AF since my MC so i'm hoping it happens for us next month :) Good luck !! x


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## AmandaBaby

I feel a rather long post coming on. If I prattle on a bit, i'm sorry! :D
So I went and had a look at a golf and country club today for the ceremony/reception (first one i've looked out) and i'm in love! It's beautiful and exactly what i've been searching for!! It's very modern which is what i've wanted. They also offer fire works at an extra cost!!

Anyway, before I really get into things, now that i'm engaged, I thought maybe I should share a little about what we're after and our price range..
I was ideally after a cocktail kind of setting with platters etc, however for the right price, I would consider a one or two course sit down meal. Our budget is around AU$5000 (this is going to get out of hand, and FAST!) My dad is buying my wedding dress so I don't have to worry about paying for that (thank gosh) and my partners uncle is a photographer so I think he is going to do the wedding photography (I really hope!!) For the colour theme, I was thinking maybe a black/white/silver and maybe a bit of dark purple, almost plum, I guess (although I don't know about the plum..) I'm hoping that by the time we get married, we will have had a baby, if so, I really would like to have our baby be the flower girl or page boy and have my mum walk down the aisle with them :) Oh, bridesmaids. I was thinking of having my sister and 2 of my friends and I think my Fiance cloud9:) is just going to have his brother..

OK! Moving on..
Here's my estimated price list.
You'll see from this just how fast the prices are getting out of hand!! This is just the estimate though, i'm looking at re-tweaking it to hopefully get the amounts down some more!!

Underline - Already paid/Not including in actual budget.

*Ceremony - *$500.00
*Reception -* $5000.00
*Fireworks - *$1600.00
*Celebrant -* $500.00
*Photographer -*_ $1000.00 (Finance's Uncle)_
*Flowers -* $500.00
*Wedding Cake - *_$500.00 (Mums Buying)__
*Honeymoon - *$1000.00

*Wedding Dress -* $1500.00 (Dads Buying)_
*My Shoes - *$70.00
*Bridesmaid Dresses -*_ $50.00 each x3 (Bridesmaids to Buy)_
*Bridesmaid Shoes - *_$40.00 each x3 (Bridesmaids to Buy)_
*Flower Girl/Page Boy -* $30.00
*My Hair/Airbrush Make-Up - *$150.00
*My Hair/Airbrush Make-Up TRIAL -* $150.00
*Bridesmaids/Mum/MIL Hair/Normal Make-Up -* $100.00 each (x5)

*Grooms Suit - *UNSURE ON $$
*Grooms Shoes -* UNSURE ON $$
*Groomsmen Suits -* UNSURE ON $$ (Groomsmen to Buy)
*Groomsmen Shoes - *UNSURE ON $$ (Groomsmen to Buy)

*TOTAL SO FAR =* $10,000 Approx. 

A big FML at that :|
Argh!! Any advice on how we can cut down on costs? 
Hoping to at least get it to $8000.00!

xx


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## AmandaBaby

Here's a few pictures of where we are hoping to have both the ceremony and reception. It's a golf and country club : )

https://i52.tinypic.com/okvmnc.png

https://i56.tinypic.com/judems.png

https://i55.tinypic.com/1053ygj.png
Various pictures.


https://i56.tinypic.com/2i1mqef.png
Reception Venue, opens up onto the deck which looks out over the golf course.

https://i55.tinypic.com/o52ath.png
Ceremony in the gardens/on the deck, also looks out over golf course. 
Going to see if we can have rose petals as the aisle instead of a carpet.
There is also the option to have the aisle horizontal to the deck, leading up to the hedges (if that makes sense) so it's all on the grass. Not sure which I prefer. 

https://i51.tinypic.com/n4cfb4.png

https://i55.tinypic.com/k54wzq.png

https://i56.tinypic.com/346nzh0.png
Various pictures throughout the golf club. 
They also do fireworks for an extra $1600.00!! 
So expensive but I think it would be amazing to have. 
Hoping that we can get them but keep it a surprise for the guests :)


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## AmandaBaby

I'm really keen to have a lolly buffet at our reception however i'm not sure if the venue would allow it. I'm going to try and sell it to them as it being a bit of a 'party favour' for guests. So I could get little noodle boxes or something for people to fill up and take home. There's a confectionary warehouse about a half an hour drive from where we live so we could get a lot of the lollies from there, even maybe supermarkets, etc if they have any specials :)

While I was searching for a bit of inspiration, I came across this website, it's amazing and thought it might give you all a bit of inspiration as well :)

https://www.polkadotbride.com/2008/03/abc-of-weddings-l-is-for-lolly-buffet/

https://i56.tinypic.com/2pzwu2a.png

​


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## AmandaBaby

I LOVE THIS IDEA :)
Wish I was getting married NOW so I could organise this.

https://www.polkadotbride.com/2011/07/diy-bridal-shower/

https://i52.tinypic.com/fyikgk.jpg​


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## AmandaBaby

So here's just a few ideas that I had for our lolly buffet! : )

https://i54.tinypic.com/15z4741.png
*Cupcake Stand*
I really want to get a cake stand like this. I think i've seen one at K-Mart for about $12! I'd love to fill each bit with an empty cake mould and then fill with small lollies. However I don't know how this would work with people getting the lollies out, might be a bit fiddely. If I don't put lollies in them, I thought maybe I could put tea light candles in each cake mould.. Maybe that might make for a nice effect.. What do you all think?

https://i52.tinypic.com/280qp2v.png https://i52.tinypic.com/25rnjf9.png
*Milkshake Glasses*
I have some milkshake glasses at home and would love to fill them with long bits of liquorice! Although, this all depends on the theme of the wedding/cake table. 

https://i55.tinypic.com/2s0fkgk.png https://i55.tinypic.com/alj2op.png https://i56.tinypic.com/15gtaut.png
*Ice-Cream Glasses*
I also have these glasses at home as well : ) I'm not 100% sure what I would fill them with though. Again, depending on colours, but maybe jaffas or something else small in size. Maybe even those little wrapped starburst chew lollies..

https://i52.tinypic.com/23w2y36.png https://i51.tinypic.com/2hdmxr8.png https://i53.tinypic.com/wks7k1.png 
*Various Sized Jars with Lids*
I LOVE THESE JARS! I hope to buy a few, all different sizes. I've seen them on ebay however including postage, they all come to at least $30-$40. I'm hoping to find some a little bit cheaper! I was thinking I could fill the jars with marshmallows, al-foil wrapped heart lollies, and various bits and pieces.

https://i55.tinypic.com/ok6c7.png

https://i55.tinypic.com/2e0nsp4.png

https://i51.tinypic.com/iw0pav.png
*Wording*
I would love to get some wording like this made for our bridal table at the reception as well as the lolly buffet. Most likely "sweet love" or something similar for the lolly buffet and either "Mr and Mrs" or our names for the bridal table.

https://i52.tinypic.com/1076kib.png
*Noodle Boxes*
This is what the guests will be using to put their lollies in : ) I'm hoping that i'll have enough time and patience to decorate each of them similar to the picture!

And... Here's just a bit of my inspiration!! <3

https://i52.tinypic.com/34z0yfb.png

https://i55.tinypic.com/adyybq.png 

https://i56.tinypic.com/r1k8hw.png​


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## AmandaBaby

Hmmm, my wedding doesn't look that bad does it?
No one seems to be commenting/leaving feedback....

xx


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## AmandaBaby

I just thought that I would write down a few of the themes I had in mind for our lolly buffet!! 

- Light Pastel Colours (orange, yellow, white, pink, etc)
- All Purple
- All Black & White
- Rainbow

Just so I don't forget, I guess : )

xx​


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## LittleAurora

looks good so far! Are you still ttc? casue altho that dress is fab! it wont lok good witha belly! lol


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## AmandaBaby

Thank you LittleAurora.
Yes we are still TTC, we've not planned to get married though under about April 2013 so i'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll get pregnant in the next few months (next month would be great, haha) and then i'll have a few months to lose the "baby-weight." That's the plan anyway haha :)


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## AmandaBaby

I'm a little bit stumped when it comes to what my bridesmaids are paying for. Actually the whole bridesmaids thing in general is kind of stressful. Firstly, i've got about 7 people who want to be my bridesmaids!! However, i'm only choosing 3. There's my sister, my half sister, my SIL to be, and 4 friends.
I've chosen to have my sister as my made of honour, and 2 of my friends as my bridesmaids. I haven't chosen my half sister or my SIL to be because they are both quite young, one is 12 and the other is 14, so neither of them would be able to come out for my hens night, they can't drive if I need them to and really i'm just not as close with them. The 2 friends i've chosen, one has been one of my best friends for the last 4-5 years and the other I have known for a little under a year however she became a REALLY good friend when we worked together, we get along really well, she's helpful, supportive and I just couldn't imagine NOT having her as a bridesmaid I haven't officially told the girls that they will be my bridesmaids (except for my sister) because the wedding isn't for another year and a half, so just in case something came up/went wrong, etc etc...

ANYWAY, moving on to the money side of things, what are your bridesmaids paying for? Ideally, I would love to have the girls paying for their dress/shoes ($50 each) and their hair/make-up (approx. $50 each). So thats a total of about $200 per bridesmaid, is that too much to ask for? I want us all to have nice nails so i'm willing to pay for them and I thought I could buy all of the jewellery as a present for them. Does this sound reasonable. I would love to pay for it all but the costs are adding up quickly, especially because we're having a sit down meal at $100 per person, so that's added up to about $4000!!

Opinions are appreciated!!


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## YoungOptimist

Eeeek! That much for a dinner?? Would it be possible to cut down for that?
And as for your bridesmaids, there are several options for saving money. One would be to have their dresses and shoes actually just rented, another would to have them wear their favorite heals from home, and then on their hair & makeup they could do it at home. I'm going to be a bridesmaid in June and I'm buying my own dress but I want to use my own sandals and do makeup/hair/nails at home, I wouldn't expect anyone to get close and study the bridesmaids to death. :haha:
It's really up to you and you could always ask them for ideas on everything.


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## AmandaBaby

I think we've gotten the cost of the reception down to about $4500 all up, which is about $100 per adult and $37 per child. That includes the main meal, a 4 hour drink package (beer, wine, soft drinks and juice) and room hire, including: centrepieces, wishing well, gift table, chairs (covered and sashed), etc : )


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## AmandaBaby

On to more exciting news...
I BOUGHT MY DRESS TODAY!!!
Well, I layby'd it! :D

I had looked at some today, ranging between $1800 - $2500 WITHOUT a veil.
My mum, sister and I then decided to go to one of the dress shops' outlet store which is basically where all their discontinued dresses are. It was $1100 with a veil!! Absolutely beautiful. Originally, I would have had to of bought the dress that I tried on (floor stock) but it turned out that they had one in the warehouse, brand new, never tried on so they gave me that one. SO EXCITED!! Going to get it made in to a sweetheart neckline and they said that if I put on weight due to pregnancy, etc, then I can get the lace up back added to add a bit of 'give.'

I will see if I can upload a picture later!! :D​


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