Baby Bells Wedding Journal

[Baby Bell]

Hi I'm so excited to have gotten engaged to the most fantastic man! Please follow me as I stress, panic, over spend and enjoy my journey on the way to becoming Mrs Bell


Suppose I better start at the beginning my names Aileen and my OH Ali ( alastair), we have been together 3 and half years. We had been part of the same group of friend for years, but then I had my graduation and his birthday as a joint night out, on the same night I broke up with my ex.........OH comforted me and one thing led to another

Anyway we have two children, Eoin who was born sleeping and would've been 2, and Lewis who has just turned 1! Oh and I have discussed getting married for a long time.......and he finally proposed on the 27th Dec 2013

We don't have much money and after the initial excitement I did have a blip panicking how we would afford a wedding, but oh calmed me down and we did a proper budget and he has told me to get excited and start this journal because we think we will be able to afford our perfect wee wedding in January 2016

Here's picture of oh and I, and LO
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=611777085526711&set=t.633548823&type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...548823.-2207520000.1389385129.&type=3&theater

And my ring
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...548823.-2207520000.1389385129.&type=3&theater

 

[LittleLady04]

Congratulations hun! Love your ring, it's beautiful.

Have you thought about a theme or the colour you'll have for your big day?

xxx

 

[Baby Bell]

Thank you! We've not really thought about themes but thinking a sky blue for colour, kinda like man city blue.........oh English team is Man city so he happily agreed to it

Here's the venue we are looking at......it does a good deal for January, which makes it affordable for us.......the provide flowers, but I would rather have twinkling lights and tea lights centre type pieces, the venue said they could change it for no extra cost.
https://www.bw-woodlandshotel.co.uk/weddingsandceremonies/

 

[LittleLady04]

We haven't got a theme either we are having lilac. Men are so easily pleased if things can be related to sport, lol. My oh is the same

I'll look at your venue when I'm on my laptop, I can't open the link on my phone

Exciting times

 

[mumandco]

Looking forward to reading your journal,the venue looks lovely

 

[Baby Bell]

So a few developments. Iv got my bridal party arranged, I'm having my best friend and my sister, also having my cousins daughter as flower girl, she will be 3 1/2 at the time. LO is going to be pageboy (he is going to be super cute in a kilt) he will be 3!

Our parents have suprised us and have offered to help with the wedding. My parents are going to pay the £500 deposit on the venue and OHs parents have offered to help, but don't know on what or how much........it is so kind of them all, and we are extremely grateful. We made a conscious decision not to ask or lead a conversation where they would feel as though they were expected to offer, so it has come as a pleasant surprise. (Not that we judge anyone who does ask, just that between all our parents they cover babysitting so I can work and not have to pay for babysitting, so we feel they do more than enough for us already)

Mil is also going to make the invites with her craft club, one of her friends have offered to make the favours. And another who did the flowers for her own sons wedding has said to mil she might be a able to do my bouquet and bridesmaids bouquets. I honestly feel so lucky just now, and so happy to be marrying into such a lovely family. Must say oh is lucky to be marrying into mine too, lol, my mum always ends up feeding oh and LO whilst I'm at work

 

[LittleLady04]

Awww, that's lovely. It will certainly help you make your budget go further. My Nan and Grandad have offered to pay our church fees and my other Nan is paying for our cake and we're still already over budget, lol. We would have been £600 - £700 more over by now if they hadn't offered.

xxx

 

[Baby Bell]

It's so nice that people want to help, isn't it?

After I finished work yesterday we rushed across the city to a wedding fayre at the venue I want (finish at 3pm and wedding fayre finished at 4!) They had the packages out for 2016, so our wedding is booked for 30 Jan 2016 it's £2016 for ceremony room, 50 guests for reception and 50 additional guests for evening. Price also includes I think 3 drinks for guests (on arrival, toast etc), flowers, and chair covers, knife to cut the cake (strange how some places charge for this) and toastmaster.

We also booked our photographer too

 

[LittleLady04]

Hooray it's so nice when things are booked, makes it feel so real

xxx

 

[Baby Bell]

It really does! I was fine before now I'm in a real panic on how I'm going to get everything organised! I ONLY have two years

 

[Baby Bell]

So had a momentary blip last night. My friend was asking about our photographer and how much she was costing us...........I don't know why but I started thinking that we agreed to £500 for only 30 photos on a disc!!! Which obviously is ridiculous, oh told me that was ridiculous but couldn't remember how many photos we were getting to ease my worries then my friend made it worse by saying she booked photographer for £900 over 300 photos on disc from pre wedding to evening, and I was like oh shit what have I done. So I emailed the photographer and she reassured me it would be well over 200 photos, phew lol.
Her cheapest package normally starts at £1250 so really happy, she's doing it so cheap cause it's a January wedding, I'm starting to love my January wedding, it's so cheap compared to summer
Here's her website
https://www.allystuartweddings.co.uk

 

[Baby Bell]

Two years today until we get married

 

[Baby Bell]

https://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10701_10001_58607+2224854115_-1


Too expensive for my bridesmaids dresses but I love them, not the colour I imagined either! One of my bridesmaids doesn't like it, I said to wait n see if price goes down or in a sale and if we don't have another dress sorted at that time, then she can try it on..........if then she doesn't like it then we will keep looking! So it's a very slim chance this dress will be worn by my girls, but I love it and so does my groom and sister (other bm)

 

[Baby Bell]

Not updated for a while...

We were hoping to keep things nice and cheap, but it's getting expensive. Luckily my mum and dad have paid for quite a bit (which was completely unexpected, we are extremely grateful, but I feel so guilty)

So far we have booked wedding venue (deposit paid, mum & dad, we will pay the rest)
Wedding dress (mum & dad bought)
Photographer (deposit paid)
Band (deposit paid, mum & dad are paying for, I was going to get a dj, but went to a wedding recently and this band were playing and were amazing, my mums cousin is a member too. )


We also won a casino at a wedding fayre prize draw, which we haven't decided if we will use yet.

Mil and her friends are making the invites.........simple interlocking hearts on front. (Mil paying for all expenses involved)

Mil friend is making the favours boxes. Which is a box that interlocks so it's sealed with a butterfly. The favours are going to be votive candles. She is giving us the favours as our wedding gift!

Mil other friend is doing our bouquets

it's all getting so exciting now