Christine's Getting Married

Wedding Part 5: Reception

2010-03-02T15:04:00.002+11:00

With the official part out of the way, it was time for the party to begin. Neither Alec or I are really party-party people, so we wanted a reception that would be like an elegant dinner party. Choosing the Gunners' Barracks meant that we could have this, plus a lovely 1920s theme to the evening.

That's right, booked out ... for us!

Programs I made with mum, Alec and my friend Sally, and fans. We thought it might be hot so ordered fans for guests. It was not hot at all, but the fans still vanished like hotcakes.

Menus - image design by my friend Fadhila, created on the computer by Alec and assembled by Sally. Tea cups organised and assembled by my mum. Chocolates by Belle Fleur, organised by our friend Greg. Thank you everyone for your help!

Flowers in teapots. Gorgeous blooms by Petals and Leaves, teapots collected by my mum from Victoria's Basement and Peter's of Kensington.

Butterfly name cards from Etsy seller Timeless Paper.

Cupcakes by my amazing friend Julia. Stand made by her dad, who is a home economics teacher.

Penguin cake toppers by Etsy seller RedLightStudio.

The dining room all set up for guests.

Making our grand entrance. Having everyone stand up and look at us - freaky! Having my new husband by my side is the best thing ever.

We had our bridal party plus partners at our table.

Emcee and dear friend Beverly makes the opening speech. No Bev, we don't work for Yahoo ... :)

Guest book by Etsy seller Just Write Boutique.

Engagement photos featuring the dogs on the mantle piece. Unity candles by Pink Frosting.

During the evening, my sister-in-law Michele accompanied her cousin Liz in a rendition of our of our favourite songs - "Bubbly". She sang her own version of the song, which I think was more beautiful than the original. Liz has a stunning voice - people were asking for an encore.

Liz on vocals, Michele on the organ.

Watching and listening to the song.

After dinner came the speeches. I had been feeling a bit queasy so we changed the arrangements (thanks Bev!) and had the speeches on the balcony. It turned out a great idea as we all got some fresh air and to look at the stunning view over the harbour.

Both my dad and Alec's dad gave speeches, followed by Alec and myself. Our dads did a fantastic job, saying some really thoughtful, heartfelt and funny words. Alec and I had a long speech, thanking our army of helpers without whom our wedding wouldn't have taken place or been so unique and personal.

My distinguished dad reading his speech. He was so nervous beforehand, but his speech was so wonderful, he had no need to be.

Alec's dad gave a fabulous speech. He is so like Alec with his wry sense of humour.

Laughing at our dads' speeches.

On the podium. Hope I didn't bore people with my long-winded speech.

True love :)

We followed up the speeches with the rest of the official events - the toasting, cake cutting and bridal waltz.

To us - yay, we're married!

I love this rare photo of my dad smiling. He and my mum had such a wonderful time. It made me so happy to see them enjoy the wedding.

Cutting the amazing giant cupcake. It is currently cut into chunks, frozen, waiting for our first wedding anniversary to thaw it out.

Bridal dance to "Somewhere over the rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole.

At the end of the night with my amazing girls, Bev and Lisa. Thank you both so much for basically running the day for us. You did a fabulous job.

Goodbye time. Yay sparklers!

Heading home in the Chrysler. Thanks for coming everyone!

Before we knew it, the night was over and we were shepherded off into the car for our ride home. Completely exhausted, I have never been so happy to be in my own bed, with my husband by my side. Totally, blissfully, happily married.

Photography by the excellent Vincent Lai.

Wedding Part 4: Post-ceremony Portraits

2010-03-01T18:08:00.001+11:00

Following the ceremony were our portraits. We didn't have too many shots, just immediate family and a few with my cousins and family friends who I noticed nearby and knew my parents would really like a photo with. We had them in the courtyard with the sandstone making a nice backdrop.

With my mum and dad.

With my brother, Tim, and sister-in-law, Michele, added in.

Alec's dad, mum and uncle.

I requested that we have some shots taken after this on the headland next to the venue while people were having drinks. We'd sat up on the headland a few times when we'd visited previously, and I was really keen to have some shots with the view behind us. Sadly it was a pretty gray day so it wasn't as scenic as I had hoped, but the shots still look amazing.

Overlooking the venue - see the chairs set up on the lawn? This is where our ceremony was supposed to be held. It was deemed to wet to actually hold it there however.

Love the sign ...

Wedding Part 3: Ceremony

2010-03-01T17:56:00.002+11:00

We arrived at the Gunners' Barracks in plenty of time. Gunners' was just perfect for us - we chose it to host both our ceremony and reception. A heritage sandstone building overlooking the ocean, with a dining room, terrace, courtyard, sitting room and dressing room all included. It was so private - no tourists or other weddings going on. It was really important to us to find a venue that felt secluded.

We'd told guests the ceremony started at 5pm sharp, even though we had allowed for it to start at 5:30, thus giving guests 30 mins leeway to guarantee they were there in time. Luckily we did, because as we pulled up smack on 5pm, there were guests who had just parked and were slowly walking down to the venue ... It also meant that we had time to relax, sit down, touch up our make-up and chill out before the ceremony started.

The Chrysler out the front of the venue.

Candid of Shell and I chilling out.

The groom with the flower baby, ready for action.

Chiara gets a last-minute feed from Dad.

Goofing off.

I was so excited to get the ceremony underway - I couldn't wait to be married. My dad came in and we hung out while the celebrant reminded us of what we had to do next.

Me and my dad.

And then ... it was time! I heard the string trio playing on the terrace (Pachelbel's Canon in D).

Rosalie and Shelley walked out one at a time (I hear everyone coo over the flower baby), and then, it was my turn.

It was so overwhelming seeing all my friends and families' faces looking at me and smiling as I walked out on to the terrace. I generally don't like being the centre of attention, so it was hard to not freak out and focus on just Alec at the end of the aisle.

With my dad. Such a happy moment.

Dad walked me to the end of the terrace and placed my hand in Alec's.

I think we were supposed to face the people at this stage, but instead we just stared at each other while the celebrant gave her talk. I don't think I've ever felt as happy as I did during the ceremony when I was saying my vows and listening to the words our celebrant was saying.

My oldest friend, Beck, gave a reading during the ceremony - one of my favourite poems.

i carry your heart with me - ee cummings

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done

by only me is your doing,my darling)

i fear

no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows

higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

Beck read the poem so beautifully.

Next was saying our vows. We wrote our own, piecing them together from some simple, traditional vows we liked. We had planned to memorise them, but in the end we just didn't get around to it, so we read them out of the book the celebrant had brought with her.

Alec and I said the same vows to each other:

I, Christine, take you, Alec, to be my lawful wedded husband, best friend and lifelong partner in marriage. All that I have I will share with you. Whatever the future holds I will love you and stand by you throughout out lives together. This is my solemn vow to you.

Using the microphone so people could hear me - we both usually have no problem with our voices carrying, but wanted to be sure everyone could hear, just in case.

We then exchanged rings. There was a small funny moment where the best man gave Alec the man's ring to put on me instead my own ring. The celebrant saw the confusion and ninja-like located the correct ring and handed it to Alec.

"Wear this ring as a symbol of my everlasting love and commitment to you."

And then we were married! Absolutely the happiest moment in my life so far.

Signing the registry. My brother, Tim, and the best man, Daniel, signed as our witnesses.

After signing the registry and being presented with our wedding certificate, the ceremony was officially completed. The celebrant invited our families and friends to congratulate us. I'm so glad we did this as it gave us a chance to say hi to all of our guests. I didn't get around to see everyone during the reception, so I was happy I had this one moment to thank everyone for coming. Our guests were so happy for us, it was just so amazing. I've never felt so much love in a room before - I've certainly never felt so loved and in love before!

Being congratulated by our families.

We asked everyone to gather in the courtyard following the ceremony for a big group shot.

Cheese!

Wedding Part 2: Pre-wedding Photos at Lavender Bay

2010-02-26T16:28:00.002+11:00

We had our portraits taken before the ceremony as we had no time between the ceremony and reception.

Our photographer suggested we take the pics at Lavender Bay, which was near our venue and offered a quiet park as well as harbour views. It was drizzling when we got out of the cars, but thankfully it cleared up enough for us to take the photos outdoors without needing giant umbrellas.

Group shot - clearly someone said something funny here.

Nice shot of us all full-length.

Dwarfed the giant tree.

Close-up! I love this photo.

With my girls, looking exceedingly happy.

Love the bright punchiness of green in the background on this gray day.

It wouldn't be a Sydney wedding without the Harbour Bridge.

I like the colour and composition of this one.

The veil was problematic and didn't fly in the breeze as hoped. We needed to stage a few scenarios of holding the veil and then letting it go to try and get a few shots with the veil in the air.

Love this photo. I had to hold up my dress the whole time to stop it getting filthy pre-ceremony. It weighed a tonne and by the end of the night my hand ached!

One of my absolute faves.

Sigh. :)

I just loved my dress, shoes, jewellery, flowers, make-up and hair. Yes, I felt like a total princess and I've never felt so beautiful in my life as I did on this day.

Our bridal party was amazing on the day - they gave both of us such support and love. Thank you guys, we love you!

My handsome groom. I was blown away with how gorgeous he looked all dressed up.

Most people would agree this is a typical photo of us ...

Like a magical grotto. So pretty!

LOL!

After the photos were finished, we climbed back into the Chrysler and drove to the Gunners' Barracks for the highlight of the day - our wedding ceremony.

Wedding Part 1: Getting Ready at Warwick Farm

2010-02-25T16:04:00.000+11:00

I finally received the professional photos, so here we go, our wedding day!

I stayed the night before the wedding at my parents' house. I woke up the next morning early, too excited to sleep in. There was not much going on, as people weren't due to arrive until about 10am. So I got to potter around, play with the dogs and read the Sunday newspaper before everyone turned up en masse between 10 and 10:30.

I wanted to get ready at my childhood home, so everyone came to us; hair dresser, make-up artist, photographer, bridesmaids, groom, best man, and the groom's mother. Add in the mix my brother, sister-in-law and cousin-in-law who were also staying there, it made for a full house, full of laughter and activity.

First up in the morning was giving gifts to my beautiful bridesmaids Rosalie and Shelley. I gave them each slightly different Swarovski earrings and Alannah Hill hair clips that I hoped they would like to wear on the day.

Rosalie opens her gift - gift giving is so much fun!

While I was getting ready, the photographer roamed around, taking photos of things like our rings and my accessories.

Alec's wedding ring, my wedding ring, and my engagement ring. Alec's ring is by a jeweller called Larsen's in the Strand Arcade. Mine are both by Tiffany & Co. The bowl is by Paloma's Nest.

In lieu of a flower girl, we had a flower baby. Rosalie's beautiful little girl, Chiara, made her wedding debute for us on our big day. We had her with us while we were getting ready in the morning. She was such a little angel, loving being held and passed around.

Brushing up on my baby skills, bonding with Chiara.

I bought my hair jewellery and earrings from a local designer, Stephanie Browne. They were gorgeous quality and suited my dress perfectly.

The pearls and designs are vintage-style, perfect for our wedding theme.

I was among the last to have my hair and make-up done. My hair dresser of about 5 years, Yui, came out to do my hair for me - it was so great having her with me on my big day.

Patiently having my hair curled in my old bedroom.

My shoes from Midas.

My dad drove to the florist's house to pick up the bouquets and corsages around lunch time. I used a lovely local florist called Katrina of Petals and Leaves. The flowers were just stunning and lasted for a week afterwards in a vase!

Since I had a wedding in peak summer, my flower choices were limited. I had roses, chrysanthemums, raspberries and dahlias.

Around lunchtime, Alec, the best man, Daniel, and Alec's mum all arrived in the Chrysler. Alec and I had a lovely moment where we exchanged gifts - I was beyond excited when he gave me a box from Tiffany - as evidenced by my expression in the photo below. Alec's gift to me was an Elsa Peretti Diamonds By The Yard bracelet. I gave him a box of goodies including a pair of Atlas cuff links from Tiffany, a photo book I had made of our relationship thus far, his favourite chocolate biscuits (Mint Slices) and a toy frog with chocolate inside from Haighs.

This photo is the very definition of "surprise".

Alec's cuff links.

Items from Alec's goodie box.

It was getting close to leaving time, so it was time for my make-up.

While I was getting done up, Alec chilled out, reading his book.

Meanwhile, upstairs, the girls were getting dressed. It was so surreal putting on my wedding dress ... I just adore my dress beyond words. I can't believe I don't get to wear it again.

Rosalie helps me with my shoes.

Putting on the veil.

Leaving my bedroom dressed as a bride, with my two close girlfriends of my childhood - what an amazing moment. I was so excited and happy. No nerves at all, I just wanted to get married!

The boys finished getting dressed in preparation downstairs.

Alec gets manhandled by my dad and his mum at the same time.

Last step - putting the corsages on the boys. I totally failed at it and bent a pin, so had to give mine to someone else to finish for Alec.

Alec and his best friend, Daniel. Ready to go!

With Rosalie and Shelley - this photo is one of my favourites from the day.

I love this classic shot. The flowers look stunning and the lace on my dress shows up well.

Then, after hours of what seemed to be doing nothing, it was suddenly time to go.

Couldn't leave without saying goodbye to my pooches. Kahlua was totally disinterested.

In the Chrysler, ready to depart.

Alec and Daniel with the beloved car. Daniel was kind enough to lend us his vehicle - and be our chauffeur for the day.

Then we were off on an exhilarating car ride with suicide doors, no seat belts, air con or power steering. Our next stop - Lavender Bay to have photos taken pre-wedding.

Post-wedding - Deconstruction

2010-01-21T17:09:00.002+11:00

Yesterday I wrote about my feelings surrounding the wedding. Today I wanted to touch on details of the event.

Decisions I'm Glad We Made

To have a small-ish wedding. We had about 84 people and it felt huge. I didn't get to speak to many guests, so I can't imagine if you had more people than that, how you would get to speak to anyone!
Splurging on the venue. Gunners' Barracks was our only choice. We felt it we perfect the moment we saw it, months before we got engaged, and it made our wedding just magical.
Choosing a great photographer early on. We knew we wanted Vincent Lai also well before we got engaged after we saw photos he took of a friend's wedding. As soon as we had a date, we locked him in - and were prepared to be flexible with the date if we couldn't get him. The photos so far have been stunning, and he was a dream to have around on the day.
The "thank you" sign I ordered from Etsy.com and made Alec and my mum assemble for me. It made for great photos that we are using in our thank you cards.
Spending the night before at my parents' house and the night after at our apartment. It felt home-y and comforting.
Going straight from the ceremony into the reception. It was great having everything in the one place and knowing the portrait photos were all out of the way!
Having a small bridal party and involving our friends in other ways. Our bridal parties organised our hens/bucks events and helped support us on the day, while our other close friends were our emcee, made our cake, read a poem, performed as usher, sang a song at reception, took care of music, etc, which spread out the ways people could be involved and let them showcase their talents more than if we had a just huge party instead.
Asking friends for help and entrusting them with the details. I'm a control freak, so letting go was hard for me. Once I did, it was magical, and our friends all came through in the most amazing way. It also meant the day was really filled with love, as every detail was either made by hand by me and my parents, or by our friends.
Organising a wedding in five months. The insanely short time period meant everything was full-on from the engagement onwards, but it also meant no time for dilly-dallying with tiny, insignificant details. I didn't have time to change my mind multiple times about things or fuss over things like flower arrangements. It was a simpler process as a result and didn't mean the entire year or longer was consumed with wedding planning.
Keeping a blog and scrapbook of the whole process - I love having these to look back on. I'm getting my blog printed and bound into a book.
Getting gorgeous shoes - surprising how many people commented on my shoes!
The dress - it cost a small fortune but was totally worth it.
Choosing a local florist. Kat from Petals and Leaves lives near my parents. She did an amazing job at a great price and we got fabulous service which we didn't get when trying to get quote from other, bigger, florists.
Cutting costs on things we could make ourselves. The DIY projects cause a lot of angst, but were totally worth it. I love that we made all of the stationary (with some help from our very good - and patient - friend Sally). Even though it didn't look especially professional, it really summed us up.
Ditching hire cars and using the vintage Chrysler. Rental cars cost a bomb and are no-where near as fun as the road trip we had across Sydney in the Chrysler with the "suicide doors". That's right. Need to be careful as to where one puts one's elbows in a car with suicide doors.
Including my bridesmaid Rosalie's three-month-old baby, Chiara, in the ceremony as our flower baby. She wore fairy wings and stole hearts. The perfect beginning to our ceremony.
Holding a pre-wedding brunch for people involved in the day. It enabled key people to know each other before the wedding.
Engagement photos. Vincent also took these a few weeks before the wedding. It was great to have the dogs involved since they couldn't be involved in the wedding, and the photos looked amazing framed at the venue. Plus, now we have really gorgous photos of our little family framed on the walls at home!
Spending a few days up the coast at Nelson's Bay after the wedding to unwind. We were exhausted. Mentally and physically wrecked, so we spend four days sleeping, eating, then sleeping some more. Our honeymoon is in April, which gives me something else to look forward to, and as a result, I'm not feeling any post-wedding blues. Hooray for holidays!
Creating a wedding site to give guests info and using a Google form on the site to collect our RSVPs. Made it all very simple to organise.

What We Could Have Done Without

The "just married" sign I bought from Etsy.com and had placed on the back of the car. I don't think anyone saw it and it was a hassle for the best man to get on the car in time for our exit.
Trying to be creative with sparklers when we were leaving the venue with the idea of getting a cool photo out of it. Better off letting everyone just enjoy playing with them and heading straight to the car in retrospect.
Family drama. It was minimal in comparison to what it could have been, but zero drama would have been better.

Things That Surprised Me

How much people wanted to help us plan our wedding. It made me feel so loved to know we had such amazing people in our lives who loved us so much.
I was sad that the wet weather meant our ceremony had to be held on the terrace instead of the lawn, but when I look at the photos, it looked amazing!
How great our dads' speeches were. So funny as well! Nice job, dads.
The fans and tea cups we provided guests with were popular. I thought for sure we would be left with a legion of fans and tea cups to re-home, but they all vanished!
How glad I was when it was over and we were married. I felt so much happiness and contentment the next morning knowing the next step of our lives was now on its way.

Cutting the giant cupcake Julia made for us. Don't the cakes look amazing?

Post-wedding - Looking Back

2010-01-20T13:57:00.000+11:00

Sunday marked two weeks since our wedding and my feelings about our wedding day have changed so much since the actual day.

On the day I felt a mixture of stress, anxiety, excitement, happiness, and immense pressure to be everything to everyone. I felt quite queasy during the evening as the stress got to me, and felt terrible that I wasn't walking to as many people as I wanted to.

The next day I felt 100% relief that it was over and we were married (yay!). The following few days I was on a rush of pure happiness combined with huge guilt for not speaking to enough people, or getting photos taken with everyone (we had table photos taken with about 50% of the tables, but didn't get to everyone). I also was filled with worry in case people were upset that I didn't speak to them enough or have enough photos taken with them.

Now though, 2.5 weeks later, those feelings have faded and instead, having spoken to so many of our wonderful friends and family who were with us on the day, I feel totally at peace and happy with how our wedding day went down.

What I think of now and remember the strongest, are the feelings of love and pure joy that consumed and surrounded us. I've never seen Alec so happy or smiling so much, and my parents still can't stop talking about how happy the day made them. We've fielded many many emails, phone calls, letters and in-person chats with guests who tell us what a wonderful, loving wedding it was, and it makes me so happy that the focus that we tried to put on all things regarding our wedding day certainly seemed to shine through for everyone present.

My highlights of the day:

Alec arriving in the morning and exchanging gifts with me.
Getting dressed with my bridesmaids.
Road trip to the venue - a vintage Chrysler with no air-con and seat belts, belonging to the best man. Hairy ride to say the least. Seeing the people in toll booths do double-takes when we paid the tolls, looking like we were on our way to a major costume party - priceless.
Seeing my mum in full hostess mode, loving talking to all of our guests.
The moments just prior to, and then walking down the aisle, with my dad.
The entire ceremony. I thought my face was going to fall off it was so sore from smiling so much. I have never been so happy in my life so far as I was at that one moment.
My friend Beck reading the poem "I carry your heart with me" during the ceremony - I got teary.
Accepting congratulations from all of our guests straight after the ceremony finished - so much love it was overwhelming.
My sister-in-law Michele and cousin-in-law Liz performing a stunning rendition of "Bubbly".
Seeing the cake my friend Julia made for us - it looked stunning!
The speeches by our dads. They were so funny and touching, I'm so glad I have them on video.
Our bridal dance to the Hawaiian version of "Somewhere over the rainbow". We just swayed a lot, but it was a beautiful moment.
My dress - it made me feel like a princess. I want to wear it every day as my one outfit.
Calling Alec my husband for the first time. "Where is my husband?!"
Waking up the next day - married! The most amazing feeling ever.

Chocolates

2010-01-08T22:05:00.000+11:00

Our friend Greg is a chocolate-maker in his spare time and offered to make us truffles for our wedding. He started them on New Year's Day - and half-way into the day we received a call to tell us that his tempering machine had died on him. Ruh-roh.

Greg had a plan however, and when the shops opened on January 2 called our favourite chocolate-makers to find out who had in stock 175 truffles that could be used for our wedding. My oldest fave, Belle Fleur, came through and Greg, with a small army of friends, drove to Belle Fleur in Rozelle, then took them back to his house at Pyrmont to box them as below.

Amazing job guys, thank you so much!

The sticker labels I had custom-made at zazzle.com.au.

Little boxes of deliciousness...

Why hello tasty truffles!

Wedding Jewellery

2010-01-08T21:57:00.000+11:00

I bought my earrings and hair clips from Australian designer Stephanie Browne. The pieces are designed to look vintage, but with a modern touch. I just adore them and can't wait to wear them again.

Pearl-drop earrings matched the dress perfectly.

Final Dress Fitting

2010-01-08T21:55:00.000+11:00

My friend Masa came with me to pick up the dress on NYE. I tried it on one last time, which was lucky as it needed an extra hook in the back. I'd actually lost about half a kilo since my previous fitting, so it fit perfectly on the day. Woot!

I'm so so in love with my dress. I want to wear it again - every day! I'm trying to find a way to wear it again ... a ball? Shortened for a cocktail event?

The beading ... sigh!

With the Italian silk veil.

Woo hoo I'm getting married!

Wedding Cake

2010-01-08T21:51:00.000+11:00

With the Gunners' Barracks including desserts in the menu, I wasn't going to even have a wedding cake. That is until my friend Julia offered to make it for us. I had no idea Julia had such baking skills until she volunteered for cake duty, and was absolutely amazed with the cupcake extravaganza she created.

Julia made 85 cupcakes (mixed vanilla and chocolate) with butter cream topping, specked with fresh berries and lollies. For the top the made a giant cupcake as per below - with the top half vanilla and the bottom half chocolate, also covered in buttercream.

Not only did it look amazing and taste extraordinary, it was made with love and that made it even more special to us. We have frozen the top cake in portions so we can eat it throughout the year :)

Menus and Programs

2010-01-08T21:45:00.000+11:00

As I said in a previous post, my mum and I made the majority of the programs on Christmas Eve. We also enlisted the help of a work friend, Sally, with the stationary. She single-handedly assembled the menus and quite a large amount of the programs.

Alec showed some amazing graphic design skills with all of the stationary projects. He learned to use InDesign to create both of the projects below. I'm not certain anyone except me cared, but I just LOVED the stationary and have saved a few to stick in albums or whatever.

MARRIED!!

2010-01-04T08:27:00.001+11:00

I can't believe it's all over! I'm so excited that everything went so well and all our guests seemed to have a great time. Despite succumbing to nerves myself, I also had a great time - but what makes me the happiest of all is simply that we are now married and I woke up this morning next to my husband :)

Arriving home after the reception.

One last photo as a bride...

One Week To Go!

2009-12-27T23:45:00.000+11:00

Wow. I really can't believe it's almost here. I'm such a mix of excitement and panic that my emotions are like a rollercoaster ride.

This time next Sunday I'll be married. I'll be someone's wife. I can't wait for it to come, and at the same time I'm nervous. It's hard to pin point exactly why I feel this way. It could be because I feel nervous when making any big change in my life, and as far as life-changing decisions, this is a huge one!

I am so excited though for this new adventure and chapter in our lives together. I really can't wait until the day is here and we are husband and wife.

Alec's ring arrived - I just love it. It's platinum and has some gorgeous facets in it.

My mum and I stayed up late on Xmas eve making the programs. They took foreeeeeever. I really hope people actually read them and like them after all the effort!

My Bridal Shower & Hens Day

2009-12-21T22:51:00.002+11:00

My dear friends Shelley and Rosalie threw me a fabulous bridal shower / hens day on Saturday.

We started with high tea at 3pm at the Park Hyatt in The Rocks. We were given a private room overlooking the water, so we had plenty of space to wander around, and it was quiet so we could chat.

The girls put together an amazing recipe book for me with their favourite vegetarian / dessert recipes and a pic of the two of us. It was so sweet and thoughtful.

After the high tea we kicked on with cocktails at the Blu Horizon Bar, at the Shangri-La Hotel. The girls shouted me numerous cocktails while we sat first in the genie room, and then in lounges overlooking the amazing city view.

Beck and I finished getting ready at her place and caught a cab into the city.

With the youngest party-goer, Chiara. She's a wild one.

Group shot with most of the girls.

With Ro - organiser and book-maker extraordinaire!

Partying on into the night with the new Mrs Johnston.

With my mum and her friends, enjoying their high tea.

I was initially uncertain about having a hens party. The thought of having all of the focus on me is actually quite frightening. I feel a lot of pressure to make sure everyone has a good time and find it hard to just enjoy myself. This time, however, it was a lot of fun, with everyone just so happy for me and looking at me with so much love all day. It was wonderful to be around the women who are closest to me for a day of eating, drinking and much talking. Thanks to all my wonderful ladies who are always there for me.

Pre-wedding Photos with the Dogs

2009-12-21T11:53:00.000+11:00

Somehow I managed to get Alec to agree to a pre-wedding shoot with the dogs. I was super-keen to get some really nice photos of our little family as I have few if any that are really nice quality, and the pooches can't be involved in our wedding at all.

We met our wonderful photographer, Vincent Lai, at Bicentennial Park for an hour of pooch fun.

I just love the photos - here is a small selection of my faves.

Guest Box

2009-12-13T11:28:00.000+11:00

I'm not a fan of traditional guest books, so I've ordered one of these from Just Wright Boutique on Etsy.

Parasols!

2009-12-13T11:18:00.000+11:00

I'm concerned about the wedding day being super-hot, so I bought three of these parasols from Pink Frosting for me and the girls to use. I think they'll look gorgeous in the photos if nothing else, plus keep us from getting burned if we are out in the sun for an extended period.

3 Weeks To Go!

2009-12-13T11:09:00.000+11:00

Now I'm counting down in days till the wedding (21!!), it's getting really close and making me a bit highly-strung. Not panicky, but just aware of how much I still have left to do. With Christmas just around the corner, it really puts on the pressure to finish everything quickly. What's getting really tough is I have a similar situation at work with things going a bit nuts pre-Christmas, so my biggest challenge is balancing work and wedding planning. Trying to care about work with my wedding just three weeks away is proving completely impossible.

We had a wonderful wedding tasting lunch yesterday which made me realise that the main things are taken care of, and even if I don't get to the rest of the things on our list, it will still be a fabulous day.

We have our engagement photos being taken on Tuesday with the wuffs - I'm so excited about that as I have very few good photos with us and the girls in them. If they can't be in our wedding, they can be present through beautiful photographs.

Wedding Tasting Lunch

2009-12-13T10:59:00.000+11:00

Yesterday we had our tasting lunch at the Gunners' Barracks. They served Alec and Lisa the two alternate regular meals plus served me the vegetarian meals I selected.

They had a table set up waiting for us - with wine tasting notes ready for us to begin sampling. Five glasses of wine later, you can bet we were more than a little tipsy.

Super-exciting seeing our names on the wine-tasting menu.

Cheers to us!

It was such a beautiful day - gorgeous weather and company. Fingers crossed it's exactly like this on our day in three weeks.

Outside the venue. Last time we will be here before we get married!

Stunning day!

Thank you Lisa for coming with us :)

Could you get a better view or day than this anywhere? I totally <3 Sydney.

Being there made it all suddenly real and exciting. Both Alec and I were so psyched for our day to hurry up and come! Amazing venue, location, view, food and wine. Add fabulous company and you can't ask for anything else to make a perfect day.

Personalised Stickers

2009-12-08T15:18:00.000+11:00

I designed these custom-made sticker seals at zazzle.com.au to seal envelopes.

Wedding Ring

2009-12-08T15:13:00.000+11:00

I ordered my ring online from Tiffany & Co so it matches my engagement ring. My brother has picked it up and will deliver it to us just before the wedding. Fingers crossed it fits!

Penguin Cake Toppers

2009-12-08T15:11:00.000+11:00

I bought these randomly from Etsy ... not entirely sure where I'm going to put them!

One Month To Go!

2009-12-03T13:35:00.000+11:00

I woke up today, looked at the date, and realised it's exactly one month until the big day.

I'm so excited and happy ... and strangely relaxed! Although I will possibly get more stressed as it gets closer to the day, so far I'm in a great state of bridal zen. Everything is under control, the major things are done, so I can finally enjoy just being engaged!

I haven't reflected much about what it means to me to get married. Mostly because I haven't thought about it much at all. I can't see how I would feel any different. I already feel secure in our relationship and our feelings towards each other. I know we have the same life goals and are committed to each other. I can't describe why I'm so excited ... and I am really looking forward to everything that's going to happen and change with this day.

I'm looking forward to Alec being my husband. I'm looking forward to being his wife. I'm looking forward to the day after the wedding when we wake up, married, and get to spend a few days together relaxing on the beach before coming back to reality. I'm also looking forward to us becoming parents, as super-scary as that is. I really can't believe I just said that - I always thought I would be the least-likely person to have kids! I guess it just took a while to find the right person to bring out those feelings in me.

Anyway, here's hoping my zen state lasts the next month, and I don't turn the bridezilla below as the day gets closer and my stress levels rise!

Fans To Beat The Heat

2009-12-01T15:57:00.000+11:00

After the recent Sydney heatwave I ordered a batch of these cute fans from Weddingstar to keep guests cool if we have a scorcher day. I love the stickers that can be personalised with our names too!

Food, Glorious Food

2009-11-26T09:50:00.000+11:00

Something I've been struggling with this week is what to serve people to eat. I've been a committed vegetarian for over two years now, and was off most meat for years before that. I feel very strongly about the ethics of eating meat and have been really struggling with the thought of serving meat to 80-odd people at our wedding.

So why don't we just serve vegetarian food to everyone?

Two reasons:

1. There will only be one other vegetarian present and a lot of the carnivores are bound to complain.
2. The venue doesn't do great vegetarian food. The suggested menu they sent me to choose vege selections from is really uninspiring and for the cost per head we are paying for this venue, the thought of serving everyone really boring food they're not going to enjoy seems to me to be a total waste of money. This is actually the most important point for me, as we're paying a TON of money to have our wedding at our venue.

Even though I feel like the choice is made because of the points above, I'm not sitting well with it. I really dreamed of having a cruelty-free wedding with no animals being sacrificed to celebrate the day.

2 Months Till We Get Married!

2009-11-03T15:48:00.000+11:00

I'm both excited and freaked out to realise I only have eight weeks exactly, today, to finish planning the wedding. I'm even more exciting that in exactly eight weeks Alec and I will be married. I'm excited about that thought more than anything else.

On the organisational side, I'm pretty pretty prepared.

Here is what I've got left to do:

Lock in flowers for table decorations (have a trial this Sat)
Lock in final menu and wine (have testing booked in)
Place cards (waiting on RSVPs)
Order of ceremony - design and print
Menus - design and print
Table place settings sign - design and print
Table numbers - photograph, design and print - also buy stands or frames
Table seating arrangements - waiting on RSVPs
Buy jewellery - hair etc
Buy gifts for bridesmaids
Order ring (waiting for exchange rate to go back up)
Choose string music
Finalise ceremony & vows
Choose ipod music
Borrow guitar

When I write it down it still seems like a lot to do! *Panics!*

Wedding Lessons

2009-11-01T19:52:00.001+11:00

Since becoming engaged three months ago, it's been a huge rollercoaster ride of joy, stress and chaos.

Something that has made the whole experience really enjoyable for me is the overwhelming feeling of love I've felt from friends and family who have really stepped up to help me plan this big day.

Some have been completely unexpected and have overwhelmed me with how much they really care about both me and Alec, and others have just confirmed what I always knew - that I am so lucky to be surrounded by some of the most amazing people I could ever hope to have in my life.

Big thank yous to come later on with photos :)

Wedding Invitations - Finally Done!

2009-11-01T19:11:00.000+11:00

The wedding invites ended up a much bigger drama and effort than I had imagined. After hearing how much it would cost to have them professionally done, Alec and decided to cut costs by doing them ourselves.

We enlisted the help of a dear friend from work, Fadhila, who volunteered to design them for us. She created the cutest design with a tulip and frog to represent us, and Alec and I did the rest. A huge thank you to Fadhila for her time and talent. She's so creative and an amazing friend!

Neither of us has much experience at invitations like this, so what we thought would be super easy and take one weekend, ended up taking four weekends in a row and a trip to the printers when we gave up on printing the envelopes.

Lesson learned - yes we saved a lot of money, and yes they are personal and represent us. But wow, what a huge hassle and stress. If I had it to do over would I pay to have them done from scratch - I'm still not sure!

Alec gets down with the guillotine

First stage done - ready to be mounted on green card

Wedding packages complete - ready for envelopes!

Hair Trial

2009-10-11T10:04:00.000+11:00

Had my hair trial today with the lovely Simona Janek. Completely happy with my hair - loved how the curls dropped throughout the day to look natural and wavy.

Wedding Dress Fitting

2009-10-02T09:53:00.000+10:00

Had my first dress fitting! The dress is about 70% done - and it's just perfect :) I'm so excited to wear it and just so sad I'll only get to wear it once.

Musicians

2009-09-30T15:45:00.000+10:00

I booked my musicians today also - a very productive day. Sydney Ensemble were recommended by our celebrant, and I was most impressed with their demos online, as well as their professional site. We are hiring a string trio for the ceremony part of the day. No idea what we will have them play yet though!

Videographer

2009-09-29T22:35:00.000+10:00

Alec and I tossed up having a videographer for a while, and polled our married friends on whether or not they had a videographer, and if they did, if they thought it was a good investment. For my part, 100% of friends who had the video created were extremely glad that they did, and hearing their reasons why really talked me into having the video.

My photographer recommended a videographer he works with frequently, Troy from Encore Media. After checking out his videos online, we met him today in Hornsby. We were most impressed by his working style and laid back attitude, so we booked him on the spot. Yay!

Florist Appointment

2009-09-20T15:50:00.000+10:00

I made Alec visit a florist with me, the lovely Katrina of Petals and Leaves at Smithfield.

I got a great vibe from Katrina, but poor Alec really doesn't care about flowers, so to make it up to him we stopped by Krispy Kreme afterwards for coffee and donuts to revive him.

Testing table Decorations

2009-09-17T18:51:00.005+10:00

Playing around with teapots and flowers. I quite like them!

Make-Up Trial

2009-09-17T18:50:00.003+10:00

I had a make-up trial this week with the lovely Christina Cleary. I like the make-up a lot - the only thing I think I would change is to have the eyeliner a little thinner. The coverage of my skin and tone was excellent, as well as the eyeshadow colour.

Bridesmaid Dresses

2009-09-17T18:50:00.001+10:00

Rosalie and I found these pretty dresses while shopping for my wedding dress. They're perfect - pink, but not too pink, and perfect weight for summer.

Celebrant, Check!

2009-09-15T13:50:00.000+10:00

We met with Coral Kortelpel from gettingmarried.com.au for an interview, and liked her so much we booked her on the spot. I was impressed with her focus on personalising the ceremony, and also thought she seemed like someone extremely capable who we could rely on to run the day for us. Yay, one less thing I have to do!

Wedding Shoes: Check!

2009-09-10T18:09:00.000+10:00

Found the perfect wedding shoes today. After looking at several online, I bought the first pair I tried on in Midas. They're exactly what I was looking for - match the dress colour (a warmer shade) and have lot of pretty little sparkly Swarovski crystals over the toes.

Wedding Dress: Check!

2009-09-05T23:28:00.000+10:00

I put a deposit on my wedding dress today! I had slight heart palpitations when I was handing over my credit card to pay for 50% upfront, but I just loved it, and I loved how I looked in it!

The style of the dress is very vintage - soft lace, with an open back and a slim cut. The dress designer is Helen English - her dresses are just so beautiful!

I visited her boutique, once with Rosalie, one of my bridesmaids, and then again with my mum for a final decision. I also have a veil! I wasn't sure if I would do one or not, but I tried one on with the dress and my mum loved it so much she offered to buy it for me. So sweet - thank you Mum!

Dress Shopping!

2009-08-23T14:42:00.000+10:00

First dress shopping adventure with Mum and Michele. We went to Caritas Yu and Evermore, two boutiques in Leichardt.

It was quite a surreal experience, trying on wedding dresses! I wasn't sure if I wanted a really "weddingy" dress, but when I tried on a few, and realised how they are made to make women look so shapely, I totally changed my mind.

I found one I loved in Caritas Yu, but it was a lot more structured than I had originally wanted. I'll keep looking, with that one as my back-up choice if I can't find anything I love more.

Photo Inspiration

2009-08-18T17:47:00.000+10:00

Totally loving these photos I found on 100 Layer Cake.

Honeymoon!

2009-08-16T21:35:00.001+10:00

Where do go for the most romantic holiday of your life? I'd love to go somewhere like the Maldives, but I also really want to go to Africa. I think what we will end up doing is taking a delayed trip to Africa in March or April, and going up north for a few days after the actual wedding.

I booked us three nights at the new Amarna Resort in the Nelson Bay area so we can chill out after the big day and have a much-deserved rest!

Feeling Completely Overwhelmed

2009-08-16T21:34:00.006+10:00

I had a slight panic attack today and felt completely overwhelmed by all of the organising I have to get done in only a few short months. I'm taking deep breaths and reminding myself that the important things are already taken care of: groom, venue, photographer. Surely the rest will all fall into place!

The Photographer

2009-08-16T21:34:00.003+10:00

Much like the venue, we already had in mind a photographer we wanted to use. Vincent Lai shot our friend Isis' wedding last year and we loved his photos. Vincent also shoots regularly at the Gunners' Barracks so he is well acquainted with our venue.

The Venue

2009-08-16T21:34:00.001+10:00

We already knew where we wanted to get married long before Alec proposed. In April we went to the Gunners' Barracks for high tea and fell in love with the venue. So there was no other choice! I love that it's a very intimate venue - we get the whole place to ourselves, it's small and private, and has a private courtyard plus terrace.

The ceremony will take place on the Harbour Lawn as pictured below, which is attached to the venue. Our guests will just have to walk up to the main building then for the reception. I love having everything in one spot too - less hassle for both us and guests.

We left it pretty late, so were lucky they had anything available at all! We're getting married on a Sunday evening, but I think it will be perfect.

The Proposal

2009-08-16T21:33:00.000+10:00

The absolute highlight of both Paris and the trip was getting engaged.

Alec went to a lot of effort to create the perfect day for me, and it truly was!

First, Alec booked an amazing hotel for us to stay in for two nights, called Jays Paris. They also upgraded our room for free, which was unexpected! The hotel was made up of only six suites, all of which were individually themed, and extremely luxurious. The service is also what sets Jays apart. We found chocolates on our pillows, fresh fruit left for us in the evening, and the weather report was put under our door each morning! Our suite looked over a private garden, so we could enjoy looking at beautiful flowers every morning.

Since I had fallen sick when we drove through Giverny, we decided to take a day trip back. It was so beautiful - the most amazing day trip. The gardens are just so exquisite I can see how Monet was inspired to create his masterpieces here. Alec told me later he was planning on proposing at the gardens, but the ring was stuck in the bottom of his bag and he couldn't get it out!

Next on my perfect day was chocolate shopping and dessert sampling at Fauchon, a Paris institution that was recommended to me by my dear friend Masa. We spend a few happy hours here buying delightful chocolate and trying more avante guard desserts, like the one below (it looks like any other tart, but believe me when I say I think I found the source of Zumbo's inspiration!)

We decided to go out to dinner somewhere special for our last night in Paris, and went back to the hotel to get changed. I was ready to go and waiting for the taxi in our suite when Alec came around to where I was sitting, dropped to one knee, and presented me with a Tiffany & Co box.

Even though we'd been talking about marriage for a while, nothing prepares you for the moment! I had tears in my eyes as he opened the box, took out the ring and asked me if I would marry him.

Dinner to celebrate was at L'Arpege, a three-Michelin star restaurant that focuses on vegetables. It was the perfect place to celebrate being newly engaged! The food and service was just divine, with friendly people happy to explain every detail about the food, help us chose wine, and accommodate our every eating desire. The food was just exquisite - the best meal of both our lives, with amazing wine to match, chosen by the sommelier. Four hours passed in a flash, and we have never been to a restaurant so lovely before - and doubt we might for a long time again.

This was taken at the end of dinner by our very friendly waiter.

And so it was back to the hotel! The most amazing day every was coming to an end, but the most exciting things are still to follow - planning our wedding with our family and friends, and beginning our life together as a married couple. I can't wait!

At the hotel after dinner - totally blissed out.

My new bling, close up.

Proudly displaying my bling - loving being a newly engaged girl!