Wedding Invitations...

Recently I have been putting a lot of thought into how I wanted my wedding invitations to look. Traditionally invitations have been a keepsake that add a touch of class to your wedding. There are so many different styles of stationery available these days from something quite elaborate to something very simple. I was looking for something eye catching, that refelcted the wedding...yet simple.

After getting so many quotations it became quite evident that this was not going to be a simple and wallet friendly exercise. For some reason I could not fathom that pieces of paper were so darn expensive!! I am not a "crafty" person so the thought of putting them together myself was extreamly daunting (plus who has the time!), and I was trying to avoid it at all costs!!!

Recently my partner ordered some business cards through an online provider. After the serveral spam emails I was sent, I actually realised that they also printed invitations. For the next couple of hours I trawlled the website looking for a design that appealed to me. Believe it or not I acutally came across something that I immediately fell in love with! So with this very exciting news I decided to draft up an online proof, they looked absolutely stunning and were much better than I was expecting. So with this in mind...my partner decided that we should have a poke around the website to see if there was something else we could design for the wishing well cards. It turned out that they had a place card template that could be used.

So with both of the proofs designed, we were extreamly happy with the price. Today my partners business cards arrived, and for the price we paid they were more than perfect. Inside the box of cards there was something else that got me pretty excited...a coupon for 33% off your next purchase! At this point in time I was like I don't care how far away the wedding is...we must print this stuff. So I triple checked everything and proceeded to the checkout. We ordered 50 of the invites, and 50 of the wishing well cards, taking into account extra people, printing errors or human error. For a grand total of $69.00 we got 50 invitations and 50 wishing well cards including postage!

I cannot wait for them to arrive! I will keep you all posted!

Just so you all know, I have addded some new piccy's to the slideshow!

Time seems to be flying by so quickly, it's hard to believe we are almost mid way through August. For those of you who are interested, it is 264 days until the big day :D .....not that I am counting!!

The Veil

Over the past couple of months I have been so undecided as to what type of veil I wanted to wear. I always knew that the moment I saw it, I would know that it was the one! I was pretty sure I wasn't after a traditional veil, and with the dress having quite a lot of detail at the back, I didn't want anything covering it up. For a long time I have loved the Birdcage Veil, so this is where I started to look. After visiting a lot of bridal stores in Brisbane, I was having absolutely no luck. I started to search online, but it seemed that all of the online stores were based in the US. As usual, I ended up on eBay. It seemed like every week I was jumping on eBay praying that I would find that perfect veil. In the end my persistence paid off. I managed to find a whole store devoted to hand crafting Birdcage Veils, based in Melbourne. After trawling through pages of listings a veil caught my eye.....I think I clicked on the picture 100 times to ensure it opened super quick. I knew I had found it! (Pictured) I think I even let out a little scream.....which then made my work colleagues a little curious! After very little deliberation, I had placed the order for the veil. I couldn't even believe that even with express postage, it came $25 dollars under budget. Even better....it arrived the very next day!

Gosh it has been over a month since my last blog. Things again have still been super quiet. I am still awaiting a phone call from the dress shop because it is supposed to be ready by the end of April. I am secretly freaking out because I have no idea if the dress is still going to fit!

I recently ordered my dilly bag from eBay. The lady that hand made my garters also hand made the dilly bag, and it looks fabulous! The colours also match the garter, which will be really great keepsakes.

Money has also been really tight lately and we find ourselves constantly reviewing our budget, which isn't really a bad thing I guess.

I still haven't made it to any of the shops that stock the veil I am after. I think I will start hitting those shops in a couple of weeks ;).

Things have been really quiet lately, with most of the major things booked, it is now to all of the small details. I am still trying to find that perfect veil, but have a couple of places up my sleeve still to check out. I will definitely keep you posted on the veil!

My best friend and I are checking out another wedding expo coming up at the end of March. Hoping to get some more ideas on a few of the finer details.

Happy Wedding Planning :)

Entertainment.......

Right off the bat....I am going to let you know that I won the DJ argument!!! Initially when planning our wedding we didn't even consider the thought of budgeting for a DJ. Why pay for someone to play music for you...when you have an iPod and a family friend to do all the work?

WRONG...boy was I so wrong! After reading heaps of articles on music horror stories and why it is a good idea to have a DJ, I quickly changed my mind. The right music can really set the mood and be the perfect ingredient to complete your wedding day.

Just like any professional you hire for your special day, always ensure that they are experienced and clear on your expectations for the day. Here are a few tips on finding that perfect DJ (trust me, there are 100's out there)

• Meet the DJ before you book them in - like anyone you want to get along with them, they will be there from the ceremony through to the reception.


• Know what type of music you are after- some DJ's have set play lists with songs you can choose from. If you are after particular songs, ensure your DJ is happy to have special requests, or are able to cater for songs that are not on their play list.


• Will your DJ be your MC as well? - This is always a great option as a back up, just in case your MC does not make it on the day. Check to ensure there are no extra fees associated with this service.


• Check if they will do a deal for the ceremony/reception if they are held in the same location - we managed to get our DJ to throw in the ceremony at no extra cost if we paid a deposit by a certain date. We saved ourselves $100.


• Do they include lights/smoke machine ect? - these can be really effective, providing your room isn't too small!


• Will they have microphones available for speeches/MC? - always be sure to check, you don't want to forget the mics!

We were quite lucky to meet our DJ at a wedding expo put on by our wedding venue, this was also great because we knew she had plenty of experience in the room.

Most importantly.....ensure that you choose plenty of songs to shake your ass too!