time to get organised - Emmy's wedding 20th July 2013

[EmmyReece]

Ok, so I've started a wedding journal before now and to be honest never kept up with it. But now as we have just over 4 months until our big day I really need to get cracking and start organising things as it feels like it's creeping up on us quite quickly

I'm Emily and my oh is Chris, we got together in January 2007 after a a few months of trying to figure out if either of us liked each other (though to other people it was apparently obvious). And then in December 2009 we got engaged. The only thing that I regret about getting engaged then is that we didn't do it sooner as we lost my dad in July 2009 Chris is my rock, he makes me feel special and is always there for me. Yeah, we have our off days, but we know that we love each other and will always be there for each other.

We booked our venue back in 2011 and we fell in love with it instantly the moment we turned down the drive and saw the hotel in front of us The hotel is called Plas Dolguog in Machynlleth and it just feels perfect. With us having a largeish guest list (120 at the moment, though I am expecting that to go down slightly) we're getting married in the same room that our reception will be held in, and this is the view out of the window from where we'll be standing

https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g126/emmyreece/IMG-20110711-00083.jpg​

And some more photos of the venue grounds

Spoiler

https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g126/emmyreece/IMG-20110711-00092.jpg https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g126/emmyreece/IMG-20110711-00095.jpg

https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g126/emmyreece/IMG-20110711-00096.jpg https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g126/emmyreece/IMG-20110711-00098.jpg

https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g126/emmyreece/IMG-20110711-00100.jpg https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g126/emmyreece/IMG-20110711-00102.jpg

https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g126/emmyreece/IMG-20110711-00103.jpg https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g126/emmyreece/IMG-20110711-00106.jpg

https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g126/emmyreece/IMG-20110711-00108.jpg​

What I love so much about the venue is that we're quite set back from the main road, you turn off the main road and then there's about 0.5 miles of a single track lane

I'm hoping that we can get over to the venue again soon as I really want to get some photos of the room that we'll be getting married in as I want to be able to picture it better in my head what it's going to look like with our decorations etc.

 

[EmmyReece]

It has taken me ages to get to this theme / colour scheme.

Firstly I wanted it to be yellows, greens and whites - based on daisies.

Then I wanted pink and silver butterflies.

Then we went back to daisies

And now finally I know that this is the right theme for us as everything seems to be falling into place.

We're going for a 50s/60s Rock n Roll theme. Imagine the diner in Grease/Happy Days and school dances etc. The colour scheme took a while to settle on, but when I spotted these dresses for the bridesmaids I knew it would be perfect

https://vintagetwists.co.uk/shop/image/cache/data/Hell-Bunny-Mariam-50s-Dress-Blue-3-600x600.jpg​

So to tone it down we've decided to add a bit of yellow in too, which is working perfectly.

So to work in with the theme, the flower girls are going to be having little royal blue pettiskirts, with frilly yellow tops and white converse (probably a cheaper version though as they're so expensive) I'll try and get some pictures as soon as possible

So going with that theme we're having polka dot blue and yellow bunting going from the beams in the ceremony/reception room (as we get to put the decorations up the night before).

This is just a picture that is supplied on their website, but it gives you an idea of what the room looks like

https://plasdolguog.co.uk/wedd-1.jpg​

Our centrepieces are going to be AMAZING!!! These, I have to admit, I'm really excited about. I've been buying old 50s/60s 7inch vinyl records off ebay, and each table is going to have one, with some jam jars as tealight holders with a bit of glitter sprinkled in the bottom and a ribbon tied in a bow round the middle of the jar

 

[EmmyReece]

We are booked in for 16.00 on the 20th of July, though the time took a couple of attempts to settle on. Firstly we were going to be getting married at 17.00, and then I changed it to 13.00 as I wanted to be able to spend longer in my dress and now we have finally settled on 16.00 as it means if people want to travel on the day then they have plenty of time to do so, I don't have to rush in the morning, Chris can double check the outside decorations before he gets ready and people with children can make sure they've had something to eat before the ceremony so it be such a long day for them. And the most important of all, my mum doesn't have to rush taking her meds in the morning and lunchtime ones

Music

The bridesmaids will be walking in to this ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMxkMy9JvXI

Then I will be walking in to this ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x78Et7Cv24

The reason I chose this song is because when I was a little girl, I always wanted to be like Annie off Father of the Bride And I remember this being played at some point during the film. Also, even though it's a soppy song, it's not overly emotional if that makes sense? I don't want anything that's going to make me cry as it's going to be emotional enough Dad not being there to walk me down the aisle.

On that note, it did take me a while to choose who was going to walk me down the aisle, I kept flitting back between my uncle (dad's brother) and his best friend. I chose my uncle as Dad's friend is painfully shy and I don't think he would have been comfortable with such a role in the spotlight. So, a few weeks ago I phoned my uncle and asked him, and he said yes! He got choked up on the phone, but said he would be honoured. And speaking to my cousin a few days later, she said that when he came off the phone he had a good cry

We're hopefully going to walk out to this (need to get oh on board first)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pyA6jAM3_I

As for signing the register we're not entirely sure yet

Readings

I've chosen the following two readings as I thought they were fantastic, the first one makes me well up and the second one is a light hearted spin on things.

On Your Wedding Day

Today is a day you will always remember
The greatest in anyone's life
You'll start off the day just two people in love
And end it as husband and wife.
It's a brand new beginning, the start of a journey
With moments to cherish and treasure
And although they'll be times when you both disagree
These will surely be outweighed by pleasure
You'll have heard many words of advice in the past
When the secrets of marriage were spoken
But you know that the answers lie hidden inside
Where the bond of true love lies unbroken
So live happy forever as lovers and friends
It's the dawn of a new life for you
As you stand there together with love in your eyes
From the moment you whisper ‘I do'
And with luck all your hopes and your dreams can be real
May success find its way to your hearts
Tomorrow can bring you the greatest of joys
But today is the day it all starts

He never leaves the seat up

He never leaves the seat up
Or wet towels upon the floor
The toothpaste has the lid on
And he always shuts the door!

She's very clean and tidy
Though she may sometimes delude
Leave your things out at your peril
In a second they'll have moved!

He's a very active person
As are all his next of kin
Where as she likes lazy days
He'll still drag her to the gym!

He romances her and dines her
Home cooked dinners and the like
He even knows her favourite food
And spoils her day and night!

She's thoughtful when he looks at her
A smile upon his face
Will he look that good in 50 years
When his dentures aren't in place?!

He says he loves her figure
And her mental prowess too
But when gravity takes her over
Will she charm with her IQ?

She says she loves his kindness
And his patience is a must
And of course she thinks he's handsome
Which in her eyes is a plus!

They're both not wholly perfect
But who are we to judge
He can be pig headed
Where as she won't even budge!

All that said and done
They love the time they spent together
And I hope as I'm sure you do
That this fine day will last forever.

He'll be more than just her husband
He'll also be her friend
And she'll be more than just his wife
She's be his soul mate -till the end.

I've also decided to put this reading on the back of our order of service cards as I found it particularly funny as we got a labrador puppy in December

Yes, I'll Marry You
Pam Ayres

Yes, I'll marry you, my dear,
And here's the reason why;
So I can push you out of bed
When the baby starts to cry,
And if we hear a knocking
And it's creepy and it's late,
I hand you the torch you see,
And you investigate.

Yes I'll marry you, my dear,
You may not apprehend it,
But when the tumble-drier goes
It's you that has to mend it,
You have to face the neighbour
Should our labrador attack him,
And if a drunkard fondles me
It's you that has to whack him.

Yes, I'll marry you,
You're virile and you're lean,
My house is like a pigsty
You can help to keep it clean.
That sexy little dinner
Which you served by candlelight,
As I do chipolatas,
You can cook it every night!

It's you who has to work the drill
and put up curtain track,
And when I've got PMT it's you who gets the flak,
I do see great advantages,
But none of them for you,
And so before you see the light,
I do, I do, I do!

 

[EmmyReece]

I can't believe I still haven't even sorted a florist yet, I REALLY need to get this sorted asap. Though it shouldn't be too much trouble as we only need buttonholes and my bouquet. I decided to not buy for the bridesmaids as I decided with having 5 bridesmaids and 5 flower girls, that each bridesmaid could escort a flower girl down the aisle.

I've been searching for a while for flowers for myself and I always come back to the same bouquet.

The description on the website where I found the picture is

"To create the bouquet we used white tulips, light and dark blue hydrangea, white mini callas, white stock, blue delphinium and blue triteleia. We bound the bouquet in satin ribbon and decorative pins."

https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g126/emmyreece/f5169455a3ef63e7d3b5e739b046e791_zps7483910e.jpg

Buttonholes I'm at a bit of a loss so really need to start thinking about that.

 

[Lauren25]

Stalking!

All your ideas sound fab, I especially love your theme and those bridesmaid dresses are lush!

It's so lovely to that walking you down the aisle means so much to your Uncle

Can't wait to see the rest of your plans

 

[EmmyReece]

With being a bigger girl I booked my first appointment at a shop where the owner said she had plus size dresses in stock. Big mistake!! I couldn't get into a single dress and left the shop feeling incredibly sad and actually burst into tears in the middle of the street thinking that I wouldn't find a single dress to fit me

We haven't got any dress shops in our local town that my mum can get into (due to her being in a wheelchair), so she told me to look further afield and go to any dress shop that I felt comfortable with.

Anyhoo, I did a bit more research and found The Big Day in Castleford and booked an appointment through them as they were a specialist plus size dress shop, and in all honesty I have never looked back. They were fantastic in the run up to the appointment and reassured me that it was ok to take pictures of me in the dresses to show my mum so that she could share in the decision too (which apparently shops don't normally let you do in case you take the pictures to a dress maker to get them to copy the dress).

So in June last year, the day after we got back from Turkey, oh's dad drove myself and mil up to Castleford and from the moment I stepped in the shop, I just knew that this is where I would be finding my dress

So while the shop owner got the room sorted she gave me 5 tags to take around the room and put on the hangers of the dresses that I liked the look of, and she made sure that she showed me where the cut off point was budget wise. And then it was straight down to business.

I remember being really nervous about getting down to my bra and knickers in front of someone that I've never met, but she made me feel comfortable and made me laugh, her exact words were "I hope this doesn't come across as weird, but I have to say I love your knickers" (I'd got a pair of Joe Brown's knickers on in green check)

I tried on all of the dresses and one that the woman in the shop recommended that I try.

Spoiler

https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g126/emmyreece/IMG-20120623-00841-1.jpg

https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g126/emmyreece/IMG-20120623-00840.jpg

https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g126/emmyreece/IMG-20120623-00836.jpg

https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g126/emmyreece/IMG-20120623-00835.jpg

In the shop, this dress was my favourite

Spoiler

https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g126/emmyreece/IMG-20120623-00838.jpg

But after looking back through the pictures I realised that the detail under the bust just made me look wider and didn't suit me at all.

But after seeing this dress in the pictures and remembering how I felt when I tried it on, I actually had tears in my eyes. I love how it makes me feel as it pulls me in at all the right places and really does make me look fabulous. So this, is my dress It wasn't even one that I picked as I wasn't keen on the roses on the side, but it turns out that that's one of my favourite parts about it

Spoiler

https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g126/emmyreece/IMG-20120623-00837.jpg

 

[DonnaBallona]

Hey!

I remember your journal the first time around! Glad all is well.

love your plans so far; are your bridesmaid dresses from Vivienne of Holloway?! the pattern looks like ones similar iv seen there! if yes we are getting out bridesmaid dresses from there too! although mine are black sarong ones.

I think you have completley made the right choice with your dress too. it's beautiful!!!!! x

 

[EmmyReece]

The bridesmaids dresses are from Hell Bunny and called Mariam. I've only got one left to order as I was waiting on a size for the last bridesmaid

 

[Mummy May]

I LOVE all of your readings, they are fab and I may steal one of them haha! I'm also worried about stripping off in front of a stranger but hey, I guess they have seen it all before It was nice of them to let you take pics aswell, I've also heard that they don't usually do that! Looking forward to seeing the rest of your plans xx

 

[Lauren25]

Your dress is gorgeous, deffo picked the right one, it really suits you! Nothing better than going to a nice shop, makes it all so much better!

 

[EmmyReece]

The dress is going to be altered quite a bit, it has straps (they were tucked down the side of the dress) which will be taken off, and we're taking off a chunk of the train too as I'm very clumsy and can see myself tripping up and ending up flat on my face

 

[emyandpotato]

I can totally see why you loved the other dress in the shop, it's got a lovely romantic look to it, but I agree that in the photos the one you've chosen looks better. Are you having a veil?

 

[EmmyReece]

I did try some veils on at the shop, but they didn't suit my face shape at all. And because I don't get on with tiaras/side tiaras I've chosen a comb to go in my hair to give it a bit of bling (I'll take a photo of it today as it's just sooooo stunning and was only £10 off ebay lol)

 

[EmmyReece]

My hair doesn't hold curls in the slightest, so I've been searching and searching and searching for a hairstyle that I liked and think I have finally found the one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdp5qOJUZOw

Now, the only problem is growing my hair a bit so that I can achieve the look properly.

I think I'm going to buy some of the Lee Stafford growth treatment hair mask as it really does condition the hair well and set it up to grow better as I've tried it in the past and definitely saw an improvement. Even if I could just get an extra couple of inches by the time the wedding comes around that will be brilliant

Thankfully a friend of the family is going to be doing my hair for me on the day, which I'm super chuffed about as it means that I'm saving a big chunk of money. So in a few weeks I'm going to go over to hers for a couple of nights and we're going to try different styles and see what suits me the best

 

[emyandpotato]

I did try some veils on at the shop, but they didn't suit my face shape at all. And because I don't get on with tiaras/side tiaras I've chosen a comb to go in my hair to give it a bit of bling (I'll take a photo of it today as it's just sooooo stunning and was only £10 off ebay lol)

That sounds perfect

I'm a fan of veils only with certain dresses and I think a comb will go perfectly with yours. I'm not a fan of tiaras either.

 

[emyandpotato]

My hair doesn't hold curls in the slightest, so I've been searching and searching and searching for a hairstyle that I liked and think I have finally found the one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdp5qOJUZOw

Now, the only problem is growing my hair a bit so that I can achieve the look properly.

I think I'm going to buy some of the Lee Stafford growth treatment hair mask as it really does condition the hair well and set it up to grow better as I've tried it in the past and definitely saw an improvement. Even if I could just get an extra couple of inches by the time the wedding comes around that will be brilliant

Thankfully a friend of the family is going to be doing my hair for me on the day, which I'm super chuffed about as it means that I'm saving a big chunk of money. So in a few weeks I'm going to go over to hers for a couple of nights and we're going to try different styles and see what suits me the best

That's lovely too! Sounds weird but horse shampoo and conditioner is meant to be amazing for hair condition and growth, because it's intended for getting the very coarse hair of horses perfect for shows where it needs to be all glossy.

 

[EmmyReece]

Oh, I never knew that about the horse shampoo, I might have to look that up

 

[Lauren25]

Ohh that hairs lovely!
I may have to try that Lee Stafford stuff if its good, even though I already have long hair haha.

 

[EmmyReece]

just ordered the pettiskirts for the flower girls

https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g126/emmyreece/fc4322646375f8905ed62781bd532d8d_zps7e014be5.jpg

And have ordered some plain yellow vests (and cardigan for the baby) and then they'll be wearing little converse style shoes in white

 

[EmmyReece]

this is my hair comb, just need to figure out how to get it to stay in my hair as it feels quite heavy