Celebrants.....

OK..here is a not so useless fact...since the introduction of the Civil Marriage Celebrant program in 1973 many couples have had the choice to not be married traditionally in a church, but in any location they wish! This has meant that your wedding can be very flexible...any time...any place!

I must admit...to start off with, I knew absolutely squat about what a marriage celebrant was, or the process that takes place. I guess the most important thing to remember is that all ceremonies legally require certain vows to be said and important paperwork to be lodged. Your celebrant should include the lodging of all legal documentation in the cost of their service.

The Notice of Intended Marriage needs to be completed no later than 1 month and 1 day before your wedding, and no earlier than 18 months prior to your wedding. Evidence of your identity and age will need to be sighted by your celebrant once the Notice of Intended Marriage is submitted and before the wedding date.

The best thing about the Marriage Celebrant is that every ceremony will be unique. You have the choice to incorporate your own vows and readings so it reflects you and your partners personalities.

From a lot of research the average price of a celebrant these days ranges from between $400-$600 and can include many extras like rose petals, and their own PA system. Be sure to check what is included in the price. The little extras can make a big difference to the ceremony.
Luckily on my partners side of the family their is a celebrant. She is absolutely wonderful and very very helpful. I guess something else for you to keep in mind...make sure you get a long and are comfortable with the celebrant. They will need to get to know you through various meetings so they can reflect the ceremony on your personalities!

Best of Luck!

Just an update from my previous blog....the honeymoon is all booked in and confirmed! Very very excited and cannot wait!

The Honeymoon!

The honeymoon is something that I have been really looking forward to planning! I hadn't really even given it much thought until a couple of days ago, when my partner and I walked past a travel agent. At this point in my life I really have no inclination to travel overseas. With that in mind..and of course our budget, I knew that we would be spending our honeymoon in Australia!

Back to the travel agent and the huge CRUISE SALE sign in the window. Now just to let you in on a little secret...I have always freaked out about the idea of being trapped on a boat....and not being able to get off when I want, so the whole idea of a holiday on a boat never appealed to me....until now....

The ship has a casino, fitness centre, day spa, running track, outdoor pools, multiple restaurants, show lounge, piano bar, gift shop...the list just goes on and on! I was sold at this point, and had completely forgotten my fear of cruise ships! The cost per person includes everything except alcoholic beverages, this means all meals and entertainment!

By an amazing stroke of luck...or as I like to call fate, the exact cruise we were after departs the day after our wedding....how perfect! What is even better, is the fact that our fantastic wedding venue, puts us up in a hotel for the night in Hamilton!

The cruise will depart Brisbane head on up to the Whitsundays, then Cairns, Port Douglas and Willis Island.

The best part of all this....WE GOT IT ON SALE!!! They only need a $99 deposit per person, with no further money to be paid until February 2011! PERFECT!

My last word of advice....please please please purchase travel insurance!!!!!!

Bridal Crafts....

As I explained in a previous blog, I found the most wonderful lady who hand makes wedding garters, horseshoes and ring pillows. My Garter was custom made matching the colour theme for my wedding. They are competitivley priced and very good quality. More details can be found on her eBay shop below:

http://stores.shop.ebay.com.au/Bridal-Crafts__W0QQ_armrsZ1

The Garter set arrived in the mail today and they are 1000 times better than they looked in the photos :) I am extremely pleased with the result!

Photography is probably one of the most vital aspects of your wedding day. The photographer you choose will be capturing the most memorable moments of your special day, moments that you will look back on and keep for a lifetime!

I have been deliberating on a photographer for many weeks now, and have finally taken the plunge and booked one in. Many a nights have been spent looking a bridal magazines and websites comparing packages and prices.

The most important thing I had to keep in mind was our budget. I am going to be honest, photography is not cheap. But then again what price do you put on your memories?Unfortunately we were unable to spend any more than $2000 on photography. So I guess the challenge was set! I needed to find the best photographer I could, for under $2K.......here are some tips to keep in mind when searching for that perfect photographer :

• Who will be taking the photos? At all costs try to meet the photographer before the day. You need to make sure you feel comfortable.
• What does the package include? Ensure you know what you get for your money, ask to see examples of any wedding albums/coffee table books they have produced.
• Do we have rights to our images? This is something that not a lot of photographers allow. Do I get the digital negatives of all photos?? This should be on a DVD and you shouldn't have to keep purchasing photos off the photographer. This means you can take the photos to get printed elsewhere.
• Does the package include retouching? If the bride comes out in a nerve rash....will the photographer make it go AWAY???
• How many pictures do you take? This is going to vary for every couple, it all depends on factors like location, time of day ect. It is a good idea to at least know the minimum.
• How experienced are you at wedding photography? This one is pretty self explanatory.....
• What is your cancellation policy, and what happens if you cannot attend? Look into this closely, don't assume you will get your money back. Discuss a contingency plan just in case your photographer cannot make it due to an emergency!

The good news is...I found that perfect photographer for $1495. Why it is so much cheaper compared to other photographers? Because they run a photographic shop, they print all of the photos and create all of the albums and canvas's in store, not having the need to outsource to another company! So I guess it can be done....without compramising the quality of the wedding photos!

Wedding Expos!

Wedding Expos are a fun way to get your hands on as much wedding info as you possibly can. Plus it is a great excuse to get together with your bridesmaids and have a little fun!

The Expos have a HUGE range of wedding vendors, from photographers to car hire, dresses to invitations. It's a brides heaven all under one roof.

The best thing about the wedding expos is the fantastic deals and offers they provide to expo brides. I am absolutely wrapped because the photographer I want to book with had a trade stall. This gave me a chance to look at more of the photos/albums that they have created, plus chat with the photographers in person. The best part is, they are offering a fantastic bargain when you book with them. The package already includes a 16 x 20 canvas, but if you book and mention the expo, you get a bonus 12x16 canvas print!! How awesome!!!

The expo has also got me very excited about all the planning I still have left to do!

I would thoroughly recommend brides -to-be to attend at least 1 bridal expo before they walk down the aisle!

Just because it is cheap, doesn't mean it is NASTY!

One thing I pride myself on is my ability to find a bargain. If you know me, I will never ever pay full price for anything.

Something that I have learnt very early on in the wedding planning is to never underestimate the power of eBay or online shopping.I was on the hunt for olive green & silver organza bags. I looked every where including all of the local $2 shops and spotlight. I eventually found the bags I was looking for...but they wanted to charge me $10 for 10 organza bags....I almost died when I saw the price. One evening I had a brainwave and thought "Oh, I might check out eBay!". Sure enough I found the perfect colour bags and they only wanted to charge me $14.95 for 50!! plus $6.00 combined postage for both sets. I purchased online 100 bags for the price of 50.

I was also on the hunt for the perfect wedding garter. I really wanted it to match the colour scheme of the wedding. I trawled heaps of online wedding stores & the cheapest one I could find was $63.00... & that was just for a keepsake garter. I also wanted a "toss" away garter that matched. After hours later and sore eyes, I found myself on eBay again. I managed to find a seller that hand crafts wedding garters, in the colour/size of your choice! The best thing about this was they make the garter as a set. I managed to get the keepsake and toss garter at a steal for just $23.00 + postage.

There are many more things that I still need like place cards, disposable cameras for the tables, a dilly bag and minor table decorations. I definitely know where I will be hunting for those bargains!

One Last Note: Don't be afraid to negotiate! Vendors want your business...what have you got to lose?

......Guest List

It is never to early to start thinking about the wedding guest list. I guess the most important thing is to make sure you and your partner are on the same page, it's no use you wanting 40 people and your partner wanting 400 people to attend.

My partner and I didn't want a huge wedding. We wanted our closest friends and family and that is it. What is the point in having people you only see once a year, or have never met at the most important day of you life, regardless if they have the family "status" or not? With this in mind we set guest numbers, including us at 60.

We started by making a list of the people who would definitely be attending, and then those people who were maybes. By the time we had counted all of those people up, we were pretty much on our mark. Something that you should also keep in mind, is people who are absolutely not welcome, for example children, or ex-girlfriends/boyfriends if you or your partner are on friendly terms. One thing I also kept in mind when creating the guest list was +1's for single people. The cost for these people can really add up. As a rule to sticking to our number of guests, we have not allowed for any plus 1's at all.

A sensitive issue that we found was the people that our parents wanted to invite. This also comes down to who is paying for your wedding. If your parents are paying for the wedding discussions will need to be around who you would like there and also who your parents wish to be there. As we are paying for the wedding our selves, it was entirely up to us who we wanted there. The MOST important thing is that this is YOUR day. In the end you choose the people you want there. If you are having difficulty with in-laws or parents try giving them a limited number of seats at the wedding, then they can choose from there.

Keep in mind, if you are on a tight budget like us every extra person will add to your bottom line.

It's all about the dress!!!!

Ok...so the wedding is still over a year away. My sister is my only bridesmaid and is desperate to check out a bridesmaid dress that she has fallen in love with.

We get to the store and I say to myself a 1000 times in my head...don't look at the dresses..it's too early to try them on...

My sister tries the dress on (pictured) and it looks AMAZING..I have had my eye on this dress as well, as I thought it would be perfect for that beach wedding we were thinking about!

Anyway...my sister and the lovely consultant convince me to try on some dresses....BAD IDEA!

Needless to say the dress that I didn't even think I wanted to try on looks amazing. It's not something that I thought I even wanted....geeze everyone wears strapless..I want something different....

The moment that dress was on I knew it was the one....I didn't even try anything else on....this was it!

One bit of advice here ladies....try every single dress on, don't even bother going in with any ideas of what you want, they may look horrid on the hanger, but amazing on you!

So I guess you can tell what happens here....I ordered the wedding dress! The bridesmaid dress got ordered as well (in the colour pictured). Just a tip - even though I ordered it from the shop...it takes 4-5 months to get made...keep this in mind...I'm glad I was convinced to try the dresses on!

The search for the venue begins.....

The date is set! Now the hunt begins for that perfect wedding venue. My partner and I are not religious folk, so we knew we would never be getting married in a Church. For as long as I can remember we have always both wanted a beach wedding. We thought that since he proposed at Mooloolaba....what a great place to get married!!!

After many nights of researching ceremony and reception venues at the sunshine coast..we quickly found out that getting married at the beach may not be something that we can afford. After many discussions around the viability of the beach wedding, we decided that maybe something a little closer to home may be the ticket!

We both have family coming from different states, and even different countries...we needed to take into consideration how far they were travelling, how much it was costing...and how many hotels they may need to stay in!

My one bit of advice for choosing a reception venue.....always read the fine print and always look into what is included in the packages. Many places I looked at only offered the bare essentials, or offered meals on the menu that I couldn't even pronounce. We aren't particularly fancy people, and thought that a buffet menu would suit our stomachs and wallets a bit better!

Just when I thought all was lost, I came across a place that blew me away... THE GLEN...at Eight Mile Plains!!

It included everything plus more than we could imagine....plus the price was absolutely perfect!! The only downside we thought at the time was the location...it is a good 40 minutes drive from where we live...but then again the sunshine coast is even further.

We decided to book it in...I continued to compare The Glen to more places, but nothing I found came remotely close to value for money.

We are getting married at the beautiful gazebo (pictured), with gorgeous views of the creek that runs behind the hotel. The reception will be held in the Heritage room which is very classy and OLD SCHOOL!

Engagement Party or No Engagement Party...that is the question!

WE'RE ENGAGED!

The first hurdle that we managed to come across after getting engaged was the question...So when are you having the engagement party?

My partner and I agreed from the start that there would be no engagement party. Like a lot of couples out there today, we do not have a lot of money. With a brand new house (and mortgage) we are struggling to put together the funds for the wedding.

We decided to skip on the engagement party, and put the funds that we would have spent on the evening towards the wedding. To us missing out on the engagement party was no big deal... we knew all of our family and friends were thrilled for us!

People still ask me now when the engagement party is. I simply tell them why we aren't having one... and the response that I have had almost every time...is wow that's a good idea!