I can hardly believe it.  A year after getting engaged, our wedding weekend is finally upon us. In about 30 minutes {literally, I am cutting it that fine} we will get in the car to travel to Devon to where we are getting married.

{All images from Author’s personal collection}

This week we have made elderflower cordial, picked and dried rose petals for confetti, made the bird cake toppers, labels for the napkins and packed for the honeymoon. And I have now run out of time. So I am keeping this short and sweet: see you on the other side.

One more week until the wedding! Whilst I am finishing a whole host of things I thought I would share with you some photos from my hen party last weekend.

I went with 16 friends to a house in Wales where we sunbathed beside the swimming pool, played games, had a 1920s style tea party and then went to the beach.

The bridesmaids dressed me in a neon pink veil,
My finger and toe nails were painted to match.
I was given a {handmade} garter
which was then removed from me before I was thrown in the pool…
We lay around in our bikinis all afternoon
and then changed into our 20s style outfits for the tea party.

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At just over two weeks out, things have suddenly got extremely busy. Still, at the weekend we found time to have a quick trial for the bouquets and buttonholes. We had confirmation that the farm grown peonies will be guaranteed for us, so I have ordered 100 white peonies to make 4 bouquets. I decided not to waste money on practising on peonies so I bought some carnations {as that is what we shall use for the buttonholes} and my almost mother-in-law and I made up a couple:

{Top left image by Michael Carr Photography; all other images from Author’s personal collection}

I have written before about the flowers so I won’t say too much more other than it was easier than I thought to make bouquets and the buttonholes. I bought some florists tape from e-bay which is green and papery and sort of sticks to itself. You simply wrap it round, overlapping the edges by half and then finish it off by making sure it is firmly stuck together. We used a bit of fluffy hedge material to go with the carnation for the buttonhole and a pearl headed pin to attach it to the lapel {or shirt, in the photo above}. For the bouquets, I trimmed the leaves off the stalks and bound them together in bunches of three, which I then grouped together to make a larger bouquet. I then wrapped ribbon round the green tape, in exactly the same way, pinning it with the pins at an angle so they remained in the stalks. On the day, I am aiming for something like the top left image for me, and something a little smaller for the bridesmaids.

Also at the weekend we finished and printed 105 orders of service. All we need to do now is pick the readings. I will share the photos of these after the event as I do not want to ruin the effect for the guests. Also to come whilst we are on our honeymoon will be posts about the bridesmaids presents, which for obvious reasons I am unable to share, and possibly a sneak peek of a wedding photo or two…

I am away on my hen party this weekend, so expect plenty of tea party photos next week. I am going with 16 of my girlfriends to a country cottage {in the grounds of a castle} and we are having a 1920/30s themed tea party with cucumber sandwiches, scones, cakes, tea and champagne. The weather forecast is for sunshine and I am very excited.

How are all of you other June brides doing?

{All images from Author’s personal collection*}

So, the table decorations for the reception and some mock-ups for you to see.

I didn’t happen to have a 5′6″ round table to hand so I had to use a slightly smaller one which I usually use for my laptop in the sitting room. It was so small in fact that I used one of the napkins in place of the tablecloth {which will be white} but I think you can get the idea.

The top photos are the centre-pieces, although I think we shall angle the feathers so one is visible from each angle as they shall be in the middle of the tables. They shall be accompanied by a selection of small vases and glasses with candles and tea lights and individual peonies.

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I picked up my dress last Friday. Turns out that the dress I thought I didn’t like too much I like a whole lot better now it fits me properly. I thought I would make some kind of belt for the waist but when I tried it on with the silk ribbon I had dyed to match my shoes, I decided to cut myself some slack and just wear it as a ribbon. It still looks good but I don’t have to try and work out how to make a belt. With only a month left to go, I am all about cutting myself some slack and crossing things off my to-do list.

I was a bit worried that the alterations wouldn’t work and the dress still wouldn’t fit. As I am sure I’ve written before, I bought the dress one unseasonably hot day in July last summer in a charity shop in Southampton. Turns out when it’s really hot things seem to fit a bit better than they do when it a more normal temperature. I.e. the dress was too big. At least a dress size too big, more round the lower back. So I took it to an alterations lady (which turned into a bit of a saga involving missed appointments, extra fittings, wasted taxi journeys and a final collection in the rain outside Kings Cross railway station like some kind of drug deal. Literally cash for dress) and now I love it.

So much so that I took really bad photos in the mirror in the kitchen later that afternoon with my phone whilst M was out. Want to see one? It’s the best you’ll get for the next month!

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Rach and I really enjoyed compiling our wedding list. It is a great pleasure to visualise your future together even from a very materialistic point of view. We both spent plenty of time trawling through household porn – glasses, pots and pans, mixers, rugs, bed linen etc. and debated / argued over the relative benefits. I was pushing hard for a list compiled solely of wine, a sneaky tactic which made my other suggestions seem less controversial. So… I have selected wine glasses, some dazzling copper pans and a selection of kitchen knives and quietly encouraged friends to buy us wine whereas Rachel has suggested a fabulous mixer, bed linen, a bread-maker and several other highly practical things. We also settled on plenty of things which we were equally enthused about including every decent cook book we could think of and a table for the garden.

{Image credits (from top): Kasumi knife via here; Kitchenaid mixer via here and Lyonnaise frying pan via here}

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At 5 weeks to go until the wedding day, our to-do list still looks a little long. Thankfully, this afternoon we were able to cross off a big item from the list: choose and purchase wedding bands.

As I wrote before, my engagement ring was designed by M in conjunction with a rocks man and made by a craftsman in London’s Hatton Garden {the jewellery quarter of London since medieval times}. At the time I could only show you a very poor quality snap taken on the day we got engaged but here is a better photo:

{Image is of my ring via Duttson Rocks website}

So, we wanted our wedding bands to match my beautiful ring. We returned to the same craftsman, in his tiny studio, to discuss what we wanted. Our decision was very easy. We have opted for bands which match the band on the engagement ring but slightly wider at 3mm for mine and 5mm for M’s.

My ring was measured (and cleaned; it hasn’t looked so sparkly since M first gave it to me!) and then M’s finger was measured. A price was quoted and agreed and they will be ready next week. It couldn’t have been easier and I am so pleased that we have at last sorted them out. Really makes the wedding seem much nearer and real having ordered the rings.

What did you choose for your wedding band?  Was it an easy decision?

{Image via a Stag Weekend Attendee who wishes to remain anonymous}

Last weekend was my Stag weekend. 3 days of fine food, wine, walks, football and much hilarity in a beautiful house on a Loch in Scotland.

Things couldn’t have gone better. Everyone got on (most of the time) and some new bonds were formed; across generations in some cases. Almost 40 years separated the youngest from the oldest but this didn’t get in the way. There were no strippers, nobody was tied to a lamppost (although they did throw me in the Loch) and there were no serious injuries. We didn’t destroy the house and everybody made their respective flights back.

This was a weekend of relaxed hedonism. Our aim was to leave everything except 2 big meals (Friday and Saturday nights) completely in the hands of the group. We wanted everyone to come and go as they pleased. We wanted to see people quietly reading in one room whilst in the next people downed shots over an improvised version of paper, scissors or stone. We wanted to see one group of people trying to shape vodka into lines with a coaster right next to a 60-odd year old being taught to play guitar by his son’s friend. We wanted to galvanise the core group of men at this weekend and make them a powerful collective force on the big day and after. Remembering back through the haze and smoke, I think we succeeded. Well we certainly had a lot of fun!

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{All images from Author’s personal collection*}

As I mentioned last week, it has been rather busy in our household this week and wedding planning has very much taken a backseat. I did however find time to make a start on the bunting which we are using to decorate our marquee at the reception and thought you might like to see how it is turning out, as it is nowhere near finished. Clearly, we need much more than this!

I began by sending an e-mail to all the female family members and friends I could think of that might have hoarded scraps of fabric over the years and so far have received a bag of donations from my Mum, her sister, my Grandmothers, M’s Mum and other female friends. I also dug out my childhood material box and have utilised some of what I found in there too. The nice thing about this is that most of the fabric is offcuts of clothes or things people have made. In photo 3 you can see the remains of my Mum’s nightie that she wore when pregnant with me, a pink and white spotty dress I wore when I was little and the blue sprigged fabric which comprised my ‘wedding outfit’ as a child [a skirt and waistcoat which could be worn over a white blouse - it lasted for years as it could be let out - much more wear than a dress which I would have quickly outgrown]. The floral fabric under the number 6 is left over from a dress my Mum made for summer events, which she wore to my graduation. So a lot of history which I hope might spark some reminiscing at the wedding.

The bunting itself  is very easy to make - I made a triangle template (photo 1) and cut out the shapes from the fabric (some of which I had to sew together to create a piece large enough). I then sewed the two triangles together, insides out, and turned them into little triangular bags, which were then turned the right way out (photo 4) and ironed flat (photo 5). I then pinned them to a length of tape - this one is an old piece that Mum found which is why it is so short, the rest will be attached to 20m lengths - and then sewed them onto the tape. My stitching is not very straight but this was the first attempt (and I don’t think anyone will see when it is attached to the marquee). Photo 7 gives some idea of how it looks when it is laid out [please excuse our sofa].

So, white marquee with multi-coloured bunting and miss-matched crockery. Aside from the table decorations (which I will post about soon) these will be our only decorations. I hope it won’t look too sparse, rather English garden party. And the best bit? We can take them home and then we have ready made birthday party decorations for the future…

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*With the usual apologies for the poor quality snaps from my BlackBerry. I really must get a better camera when I have some money.

{Image from Author’s Personal Collection}

This week has been rather a week. I qualified as a solicitor and simultaneously was made redundant. And then had to prepare for an interview. So there has been rather less of the wedding planning and a little more of other things this week.

We did buy M his wedding shoes though - as seen in the photo above next to mine. He is off on his stag-do this weekend and I am hosting a pre-hen party/qualification party for my girlfriends whilst all the boys are away. I am then returning to my family home outside London for the weekend to spend some time with my Mum (my Dad is also away at the stag party) and to organise some of the other diy details which I have not mentioned yet, including a photo collage for our guests to look at if it is raining on the day, and bunting to decorate the marquee - made out of material donated by family and friends.

So, will be back next week with some of these projects finished to share with you. See you then.

{Images top left: Liberty; top left middle: R. Soles; top right: Robyn Kessler; Bottom left: Mick Jagger (Image by Getty, via Glamour); bottom middle: Michael Caine (Image by mptvimages, via IMDB); bottom right: Wayne Coyne (Image via Bona Fide Darling)}

The aesthetic of our wedding is of primary importance to us. The feel we are looking for is that of an English summer party with lounge suits and flowing dresses. It will be relaxed and free-form and guests will be encouraged to wear clothes they feel comfortable in although I think Rachel is keen for there to be plenty of hats.

This is unashamedly based on what we enjoy wearing and allows me to not wear a tie and try to look as much like Wayne Coyne (of Flaming Lips fame) as possible. So… my suit will be black, 3 piece, really quite tight and the jacket will be shortish and 3 buttoned in a roughly late 60’s style. Other inspirations include 60’s and 70’s rockers (Mick Jagger especially) and of course Michael Caine. On my feet will be brown boots in some sort of cowboy style and my shirt will be bright and on theme (maybe peacock blue).

Both mine and Rachel’s outfits are recycled in some way, hers from Oxfam and mine is a suit that used to belong to my uncle (in the 70’s). He wore it to my brother’s christening according it even more significance. I think a new pair of shoes are in order, perhaps from R Soles.

It’s really nice to indulge one’s vanity occasionally and pleasingly in this case everybody seems to think that it is an entirely reasonable way to be.

Who is the inspiration for your groom’s attire?

They were only 2 weeks late with 2 months to go until the wedding but this weekend we finally finished and sent the invitations.

{All images from Author’s personal collection - designs by (2) & (7) Baby Jewels (3) Author; (4), (5) & (6) Alex}

We wanted our invitations to be beautiful but practical. Much as we love letter pressed designs and intricate professional designs, we knew that our reasonably small budget couldn’t buy everything that we wanted. So we chose to spend money on beautiful and high quality cards and envelopes but cut the costs as the design elements were done by family members (although he is a Graphic Designer so we knew we were in safe hands) and we did the printing ourselves using M’s parents’ home printer.

Yes, the invitations do set the tone/theme of the wedding but this doesn’t mean that they have to be professionally made. The theme of our wedding is peacocks so I think this comes across through the invitations as the peacock motif ties each part together. The tone of our wedding is intended to be a semi-formal family gathering with lots of diy elements yet not at the expense of some luxury and details. I think (hope!) that this comes across as well. Each envelope contained the invitation (4), a response card (6) and map (3) and was then hand addressed (1) and sealed with our peacock motif stamp (2) on the back. They were posted at the weekend so should begin arriving at our guests addresses today onwards.

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