BRIDES BLOG-DAY IN THE LIFE

Meet our beautiful featured bride Katie and her knight in shining armour Dave. They are kindly sharing their wedding journey and allowing you the privilege of becoming part of their special day.

• 21.6.2010  KATIE'S JOURNEY - THE INTERVIEW
• 21.6.2010  LOVE AT FIRST SITE?
• 28.6.2010 DREAM AT STEAK?
• 5.7.2010 PASSPORT FAIRIES?
• 12.7.2010 CARAVAN OF COURAGE
• 19.7.2010 TUNES OF LOVE
• 3.8.2010 HOLY TAX!
• 12.8.2010 ALL MADE UP NOWHERE TO GO
• 22.8.2010 TALES OF THE HIGH SEAS!
• 2.9.2010 HAIR TODAY GONE TOMORROW

8.9.2010

8 weeks and counting! Can you believe it's September already??? If I stop and think about everything too much it just messes with my head!! (in a good way...)

This week I have organised the schedule for the photographer, am in the process of finalising our ceremony details and wording, and have taken my dress to the dressmaker!

Oh Yeah, and did I mention that Dave has a ring?? We finally bought it last week, he even picked it out himself! I'm very proud of him! Now just to make sure he wears it!

Mum and I also started putting together a day schedule as well with what every one needs to do and where they need to be and how they are going to get there! Who knew how complicated one day could be! The day looks a little like this!

7.00am Bride and bridesmaids get up! (that's if we have even slept!)
8.30am Bride and bridesmaids get hair and make up done (YAY!!)
8.45am Dad picks Brother up from airport (do you think he could have picked a more helpful day to fly in from Sydney?)
9.00am Mother to pick up flowers from florist
9.30am Mother to go to ceremony venue and hang bows and horse shoes
10.00am Boys start getting ready at home.
10.30am Chairs to be delivered with sashes to the ceremony venue.
11.00am Bride and bridesmaids get to Mum's from hair dresser!
11.30am Ladies all have a little bit of lunch!
12.00pm Boys get to the pub for some lunch (they better not be late!)
12.15pm Brother drops button hole's off to Boys at pub
12.30pm Photographer meets boys in Willunga the pub (if there is food on their suits I'll kill them!!)
12.45pm Girls get dressed!
1.15pm Photographer gets to Mums and we have our photos taken
2.15pm Cars arrive at Mums (they better not be late either!!)
2.45pm Photographer and family leave for ceremony venue
3.00pm Bride, Dad, bridesmaids leave for ceremony venue
3.15pm GET MARRIED !!!!!
3.45pm Family photos
4.30pm Offsite photos - Kuitpo Forest, Port Willunga Pilons, Vineyards
6.15pm arrive at Reception venue
6.30pm Photos at Reception venue
6.45pm Our official arrival
7.00pm Mock cake cutting for photographer
7.10pm Photographer leaves
7.30pm Speeches
8.30pm Let's Party!!!!

I have no idea how I'm going to pull this off and not become a complete nervous wreck.... My brain goes in to complete meltdown when there is just too much to do. I'm going to have to manage the day in little baby steps so I don't fry my brain with all the stuff that needs to happen... The sole responsibility of my bridesmaids is to keep me from having a breakdown!

(The photo is a stock photo of Dave's ring...)

2.9.2010

Let the count down begin ..... Just over 9 weeks to go!!!

What an awesome day! Last Saturday I had my hair trial done by the wonderfully fabulous Jeanette!!!

Can I just say, absolutely amazing!!! The photo says it all!

My Mum and I arrived at Jeanette's Flair4Hair studio at about 10.00am and tossed around a few ideas then it was time to get started. My Mum was having her hair cut as well, after months of me smacking her hands with a ruler every time she went near her hair with a pair of scissors (my Mum is an obsessive self cutter... hair that is). With a snip snip here and a snip snip there, after about half an hour, my Mum was left in awe. Mum is pretty finicky when it comes to hair styles and has spent her entire lifetime in search of the perfect cut. Well, I believe she has found it! But enough about my Mum.. back to me!!

I had decided a wanted some kind of low bun, but wasn't sure how low or fancy. We had a look through some books and I found a picture of quite an elegant and simple low chignon type bun. "I want that!" I happily stated. So with that, Jeanette set to work.

We started with a spray of "oil-be-gone" and the next thing I knew, my hair looked like it had just been washed! My hair went into hot rollers and we sipped hot tea and ginger biscuits while they set.

Jeanette came up with the idea of having some hair crossed over just to jazz it up a little, so within about another 5 minutes, I was sitting in the chair looking rather odd. I had to locks of hair down the side of my face and something that resembled Basil Brush down my back.

A few more flicks of the brush and it started to take shape... one of the most frustrating things about having your hair styled is that you can't see it! Bobby pin after bobby pin just kept on coming and then after a little while the sides were taken up and pinned into place.

Jeanette finally held the mirror up and it just looked amazing, then when we put the veil on it really started to all sink in. So now I have the hair, the make up and the dress, but just need to have everything on at the same time!

22.8.2010

Has been a big couple of weeks! We went on a weekend trip to Kangaroo Island to celebrate my birthday and the anniversary of our engagement and we also booked our Honeymoon!

I'm still struggling with the whole getting older bit, I was 37 this week... can you believe it?? I was never going to be this old... Not quite sure what I was expecting, but I was never going to be nearly 40! To ease my pain, Dave took me for a weekend on Kangaroo Island to stay at a lovely holiday house on Island Beach. We had a fantastic weekend, apart from almost being blown clean off Remarkable Rocks!

Not only did this week signify the anniversary of our engagement, it also signified the booking of our honeymoon! 16 sunny days, 14 fun filled nights in Thailand... I know it is such a cliche to go to Phuket for your honeymoon, but after seeing what accommodation we could get and for what price, I was sold! We first spend 2 days and 1 night in Singapore and then fly straight to our island of choice, Koh Samui. We are booked into the beautiful 5 star Nora Buri resort for 7 nights.

Now, how much would you expect to pay for 7 nights in a 5 star island beach resort, right on the water front with a swim up bar and private pool? $2000 I hear you say? $1500 perhaps? Dare you go to $1200? No my friends, $877. That includes both of us for 7 nights in a 5 star resort. I still can't quite get over that! While on Koh Samui we will test our Thai Cooking skills at Pat's Thai Cooking class, visit a few tourist towns then spend a good afternoon at a day spa relaxing! We then fly to Phuket and spend 3 nights there, where we will ride the elephants and do some more day tours, then we head over to Bangkok where we will take a bus out to the River Kwai and spend some time with the tigers.

I just can't wait!

We have also started getting a few RSVPs back which is terrific! It is ironic that the person Dave's family practically demanded we invite can't actually come. There has also been some infighting over why didn't my step cousin who I've seen maybe twice in the last 10 years didn't get an invite which resulted in my Grandmother kindly declaring she wouldn't come if Georgi wasn't invited. Well Gran, knock yourself out.

Only 10 and a half weeks to go and I'm sure the fun, excitement and fighting won't stop there, so stay tuned!!

12.8.2010

Last Saturday it was time to have my make up trial done with the lovely Gabrielle from G Cosmetics.

My Matron of Honour, Melissa, came too and we had a load of fun. Gabrielle was so amazing, friendly and loads of fun. I had some pictures and I'm sort of going for a classic Grace Kelly/Audrey Hepburn type feel which is very natural. I had my make up airbrushed, which I must say is an experience! It's like having your face spray painted! But the effect is amazing! It gives you such a natural and smooth look.

Gabrielle asked us if we wanted to try some little eye lash extensions....I always though eye lash extensions were those horrible things that sat pasted over the top of your eyelashes and made you either look like a drag queen or a hooker... these are fantastic, about 3 strands of eyelash with a tiny blob of glue on the end that just sit in with your normal eyelashes. You would never even notice they were there. Everyone remarks how lovely your eyelashes are .. and are stunned when they find out they are fake!

We got about half way through and we were all chatting away like BFFs, when Gabrielle, exclaimed she knew what was needed and reached up to a basket on top of her cabinet and pulled out some little bags of lolly lips! The bags were ripped open with gusto! Although, trying to eat lollies while having make up applied is no mean feat! You have to be quite careful!

We were talking lollies and what our favourites were and Gabrielle disappeared again... 2 minutes later she comes back out the pantry with a bag of lolly rats! You remember those massive lolly rats you used to get from the deli when you were a kid? So, avoiding the orange ones, as was Gabrielle's request, we knocked off a few of those as well!

All too quickly it was over and Gabrielle handed me the mirror. I couldn't believe it (although it could have been the sugar high).. it looked amazing. Exactly what I had hoped it would be. After hearing some horror stories from friends and family about wedding make up, and having seen some shockers myself in my lifetime, I am completely happy with how I am going to look and am even more excited about the day!

Some people think it's crazy.. even I thought it was crazy, to pay so much money for some make up to be applied. I swear that I could never in a million years have made myself look the way Gabrielle did and I'm so glad I have invested the money - it is worth every cent.

Unfortunately I had no plans to go out Saturday night, so Melissa and I ended up at Harbour town and just so happened to find my wedding lingerie! It turned into a group session with myself, Melissa and 2 attendants at the store all in the one dressing room, me half naked and trying to fit chicken fillets and it was such a laugh! but after all the shuffling - I look HOT!

Full bustier with matching knickers - $200, 1 set of chicken fillet uplifter's! $50 - The look on my husbands face when he sees me in it... priceless!

Hair trial in 2 weeks.... AAAHHHH!

3.8.2010

Things are starting to move along at the speed of light... days turn into weeks turn into months and the next thing I know the wedding only 3 months away! That's only 12 weeks!

The other night Dave and I went to the Accountant and did our returns and between the 2 of us, we are expecting about $20,000! NICE! This has been one of the many hold ups in our lead up to getting married, it's going to pay for our honeymoon to Thailand. We got the itinerary last week!

On the weekend, we finished our invitations and they are ready to send. My parents came over and we finally saw all the bits and pieces together. The invitations are made from a natural cotton product and have a beautiful pipal leaf on the front. I carefully did the names in Calligraphy and then attached the writing to the invitation cover. Then after some arguments with a glue stick, put the pipal leaves on the front of the card. I folded the maps and put our little wishing well poem inside and finally put everything in the envelope.

Stay tuned for next week when I get my make up trial done! Wish me luck!

19.7.2010

This week I had the fun task of trying to pick a song to walk down the aisle to.

I have a few that I really like but how do you know which is the one?

Do I go with my all time favourite song - Hallelujah by KD Lang? But if you listen to the words they aren't exactly all about love.. it's more about heartbreaking separation, fighting, being tied to kitchen chairs.. not quite sure it's appropriate!

I could also go with a little less popular song, but the song itself truly lends itself to an aisle walk, such as Power of Love, by Frankie Goes to Hollywood (there is a lovely smooth version, not the funked up pop 80s classic version).

Or I could go with the traditional crowd pleaser, something like Kissing You by Des'ree... I just don't know.

Then there is the first dance song to choose. Now Dave isn't a big dancer, I think he finds the whole idea of dancing completely ridiculous, so it's going to have to be something that is less than 2 minutes long and something he can shuffle to! I was thinking perhaps Turn Me On, by Norah Jones - short, nice tune - but there are olds in the room, again, not exactly appropriate!

Dave can't stand anything Michael Buble, so that's out.

But, I was listening to some soundtrack music the other night, and came across an absolute gem...Grow Old With You, by Adam Sandler.. You know that song he sings at the end of the Wedding Singer in the plane? Yeah, that one!

Here are the lyrics.
................................................................
I wanna make you smile whenever you're sad
Carry you around when your arthritis is bad
Oh all I wanna do is grow old with you

I'll get your medicine when your tummy aches
Build you a fire if the furnace breaks
Oh it could be so nice, growing old with you

I'll miss you
Kiss you
Give you my coat when you are cold

Need you
Feed you
Even let ya hold the remote control

So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink
Put you to bed when you've had too much to drink
I could be the man who grows old with you
I wanna grow old with you
...............................................................

Just puts a smile on my face :D

(I didn't really have any photos that went with today's blog, so I've used a photo from our engagement of myself and half of the bridal party!)

12.7.2010

Had a much better week this week! Not a load of wedding preparation happened, locked in a few dates.. and I did have a small win....

Dave has applied for his passport so we are one little step closer!

I've finished the guest list and sent it to the stationer so our envelopes can be printed. Shouldn't be any major dramas with the invitations, they get sent out in 3 weeks! Although I'm sure when they get sent out there will be the usual "why didn't I get invited" or the awkward "Can I please bring someone?" questions.....

I've contacted a dressmaker and once I have my shoes she will take the length of my dress up. Shopping trip planned for 28th August.

I've solved the problem of posting a $300 dress to Darwin. The Bridesmaid's parents are driving their caravan to Darwin next week, so I'll be dropping the dress of to them tonight for them to take with them. It's going to travel from South Australia, through the red centre via Ayers Rock and Katherine, to it's temporary home of Darwin. The Bridesmaid will have it altered while her parents are there, then it will travel down the West Coast through Kunannurra and the Kimberlys before landing in it's final resting place back in Adelaide. It will be already here waiting for her when she comes to Adelaide in November.

My make up trial booked for 7th August, and my Hair trial is booked for the 28th August. I've got pictures at the ready, although I keep changing my mind!

All I need now is my work Group Certificate so that I can organise my tax return. I'm expecting quite a large sum this year so that I can fund our honeymoon!

I'll keep it short this week, as I'm sure in the weeks to follow there is going to be lots of drama to report!

Happy Planning!

(the photo is of the Bridesmaid dress that is going on a holiday!)

5.7.2010

Only 4 months to go! I know people tell you that time will fly, but they definitely weren't kidding! I've been counting the months to go, when can I switch to counting weeks?

Although I do have to admit I've been feeling a bit over it this past week. I just want it all to be over and done with so I can get back to a normal life... well, semi normal life anyway. Trying to post bridesmaid dresses to Darwin - I'm terrified it won't get there and then pray that she remembers to bring it down for the wedding, trying to coordinate attendants to be available for fittings and trials - but as is the norm, they have other commitments, and trying to organise a fiance that works in dog time (like years only with time, something it would take me 1 week to do, takes him 7) is all just starting to get on top of me. Not to mention even having to resort to blackmail to get him to wear a ring!

Then on top of all that, the dressmaker/alterations business that I was highly recommended and was close to everyone - you guessed it - in receivership and closed down. I've been recommended a few people that I'll be ringing this week. Hopefully they will be able to help me out. I made myself feel better by going to see the movie Eclipse 3 times. Nothing like young, buff, half naked men to steel your resolve!

I did have a small win though, I dragged Dave to the camera shop and got him to have his passport photos taken. We want to go overseas to Phuket and Koh Samui for our honeymoon (Don't worry, we certainly won't be taking any speedboat rides!! EEK!), but he doesn't yet have a passport. I've been "lovingly coercing" him into getting it done but keeps complaining that he doesn't have the money or is too busy to make the appointment with the post office. I'm not quite sure what he is expecting will happen... the passport fairies will come and do it all for him? As I explained, we only have 16 weeks left till the wedding, and he'll be just as busy in a months time as he is now, I'll even pay for it! So in the immortal words of Nike, Just Do It!! Otherwise the only overseas trip we'll be making is to Granite Island.

It would have been so much easier to have no attendants, just a witness and a surprise ceremony at our engagement party.

BUT! I'm sure on the day, it will be really special and I will have forgotten all the troubles of the planning. I've now booked my hair trial and make up trial and simply cannot wait to see what we come up with.

My mission this week, should I choose to accept it is:

a) finalise and put together my attendant gifts - wine, chocolate, earrings for the girls; cuff-links, chocolate and beer for the boys
b) Purchase a gift for my husband to be... a watch perhaps ;P
c) create some music lists (the DJ we were getting is now going to be 8 months pregnant, so we are going to just have my laptop plugged into some speakers!)
d) finalise the guest list with addresses and send to the stationer!
e) not murder the groom in his sleep........

This message will self destruct in 30 seconds!

(This photograph was taken when we picked out Dave's suit. Who knew there was a good looking bloke underneath the dirt and RM Williams boots!)

28.6.2010

Anyone that tells you that planning your wedding is the most exciting time of your life.. lied.

Not that I want to put anyone off planning their wedding...

After our engagement and fabulous engagement party, we decided to let the dust settle and give ourselves a bit of time to just take everything in. After a couple of months, we sat down in earnest and set a date. Choosing a date was never going to be an easy task, too early and we would clash with all the horses foaling and cows calving, sheep lambing etc... any later.. and we would coincide with Snapper Opening season (fishing) later in November - so we decided on November 6th, 2010.

It wasn't long before we worked out that our chosen date was probably THE most popular day of the year to get married.

I found myself googling like I'd never googled before and trying to find those people who would make my day a dream. I searched the internet and magazines for businesses that really appealed to me, mostly it was down to the pictures I saw that I liked. My first person I booked was my hairdresser, the lovely Jeanette. She was available on the day and I'd loved all her hairstyles that I'd seen on her website... but that's pretty much where the fun ended.

After the 13th call to different celebrants, I couldn't afford to be choosy. Lucky for me though, I found a celebrant that I liked, we got along with and was, most importantly available on the 6th November! We then looked at photographers and I managed to score the photographer I wanted.

Then, we came to try and find a reception venue, and that's where the wheels completely fell off. Everywhere within 50km to the South of Adelaide was booked. We tried wineries, function centres, restaurants - everywhere. No one was available on the 6th of November. We thought about changing the date, we could have got a lovely winery the weekend after, but NO, future husband would not miss his fishing... MEN! harrumph!

Eventually after much stress and a few tears, we finally found a restaurant in McLaren Vale that was free. I could have my sit down dinner. The pressure was finally off and I could spend the next 11 months enjoying my wedding plans.

A few months later, my Mum and I were at a Wedding Expo and found some people we didn't recognise advertising our reception venue. Mum and I casually strolled over and asked who they were and were shocked to find that the restaurant was being sold and no one had told us! We picked up one of their package brochures and were horrified that they were turning our lovely gourmet, stylish and sophisticated reception venue into a steakhouse... do you believe it? A steakhouse! The prices would increase dramatically and we would get quite a bit less. We had also heard some not so great reviews about the new owners. What did we do now?? We needed a plan B and fast as it was then only 6 months till the wedding!

More tears, stress and 3 dozen phone calls later, we finally came up with the idea of having the reception at the B&B where we are going to be staying on our wedding night. The only thing was I would need to compromise my sit down dinner for a cocktail reception. The owners are family friends and when we went to see them and I was so relieved when they said they would do whatever they could to help us out. Being a French chef and having eaten their food before, all my fears were gone, all except I had to settle for a cocktail reception. It wasn't in the plan...

But after an hour of looking around at the gorgeous rooms and the rustic, romantic feel of the place and seeing how wonderful it looked lit up at night, and me doing some real thinking about what is important, it has turned out to be the most perfect place.

(the photo is at our engagement party... me and the girls having an impromptu karaoke session!)

21.6.2010

Hi, I'm Katie and I've been engaged since August last year. How we met... well, the Internet is a marvellous tool....
I had only just broken up from my previous train wreck of a relationship and decided that it was time to take matters into my own hands!
I tentatively set up a profile on a dating site and decided I was looking for the whole package, the farm, the horses, the boat .. the whole shebang... (not expecting in the least to get it) but hey, we can try!
Only a few days into my experiment, I received an email from a gentleman by the name of Dave... he seemed to have everything I could have ever dreamed of.. all the boxes were ticked ....
We met at Sammy's restaurant at Glenelg, one wintry night, I had decided to wear high heels - never a good idea when trying to cross a wet boardwalk...
I have to admit, it wasn't love at first sight.... not the hunky farmer I had pictured, and he had a weird laugh... still, we had a fabulous dinner, ate loads of seafood and even though I didn't feel immediately attracted, I thought I would give it another go... 75 acres in the country, horses and a house on the coast... I owed it to myself.
The next 3 months saw me being extremely evasive, cancelling dates, "not being home when the phone rang", having him over for dinner but insisting I sit on the single lounge seat!!
I didn't know what was wrong with me! Why wasn't I attracted to this really nice guy with the strange laugh...
Eventually he invited me to a weekend up at his shack on the Peninsula. It took my mother, best friend and 2 workmates to convince me that I should go... I changed my mind about 5 times.. but as I was quite abruptly told... What's the worst that could happen........
Well, the rest as they say, is history, I ended up going, lucky for me! I guess it took me to see him in a new light, in his home surroundings, being with his mates rather than the awkward "date" setting where he could be himself.
We've been together ever since... so after a rocky start - I sit here, engaged, about to get married, ready to start a family, and think to myself... fate is a funny thing :)

1. As a little girl did you dream of your perfect wedding? A knight in shining armour sweeping you off your feet and galloping off into the sunset with the happily ever after Cinderella ending?

Oh heck yes, (hence me currently struggling with the whole cocktail reception idea).  I didn't know specifics like flowers or the dress, or where, but I knew it was going to be a lovely big white wedding, with a big cake and flowers and cars, me looking like a princess and being worshipped for a day. 

What I've realised is that, while we dream of our weddings all our lives (well, some of us do anyway), we need realise that it isn't always possible, and that the most important thing is the ceremony, getting married. 

The reception is just a celebration with family and friends. We put so much pressure on ourselves for it to be the most perfect thing, but I've learnt to relax a little, sometimes things don't go your way, so you have to roll with that, and dream up something else just as good!

2. At what moment did you know your man was THE ONE and worthy of the W word?

Hmmm... I don't think there was a particular "moment". It was just a thing we both knew from the start.  What has me thinking that he is the one that I would marry, is that (and I know this will sound strange) with my fiance, there was no lightning bolts or fireworks, we were just comfortable with each other and could talk about anything, we fit into each others lives like a pair of comfy shoes that just go together.

I've had lightning bolts and fireworks, but true to their nature they end and leave black smoke. As much as I claim to have loved my previous boyfriends, I don't think I truly understood what it meant to be happy and complete with someone. We just know we are going to be old and wrinkly together!

3. Who proposed and how did it happen? We want the full bells & whistles!

Quite a traditionalist, he proposed on a warm Queensland beach. We had gone over for my birthday and to look at a puppy I had desperately wanted.  When I make my mind up to get something, there is no stopping me really so he just went with it!

He had us booked into a beautiful little B&B on Bribie Island.  On my birthday, we flew into QLD, picked up the rental car and went to look at the puppy. Of course I fell in love with the puppy instantly and bought him then and there.  We left the puppy with the breeders who would drop him off at the airport when we were due to leave. 

We stopped and had lunch in the forest where I was given my decoy birthday present. A lovely Pandora necklace (an original!) - I loved it, but couldn't help feeling a little bit disappointed (I have to admit I was kinda hoping he might pop the question this holiday).  We spent the afternoon searching for seafood, at the time I couldn't quite work out why he was so obsessed with finding seafood?! We didn't have much luck after going to every fish shop in QLD just about and ended up with some prawns and a little jar of marinated mussels.

We booked into our B&B and headed off to the coast to watch the sun go down over the glasshouse mountains. still nothing.  hurumph.  Finally, we packed up, I'd given up hope, but he asked if I wanted to go have a quick look at this beach he remembers going to with friends once, Sure I said.... 

We got to the beach, it was actually starting to get dark, but there was a little bit of lightning over the horizon which was really cool.  We had a glass of wine with us in Oh-so-classy plastic cups, and were just sitting on a bench.  He asked me if I'd had a good birthday.. "of course" I gushed.  he then asked me if there was anything else he could do or say that would make it even better... "Of course not.. it's been a fabulous day..." (kind of getting the hint I started to hyperventilate somewhat)... and then he got down on his knee and pulled a little box from his pocket and asked the age old question. 

I think I was laughing and crying at the same time if that's possible. I even asked if I could put it on!  It had gotten quite dark so I raced up to the light post and looked at the ring for the first time. A beautiful white gold band with a round cut diamond just neatly sitting on the top.  I couldn't have picked a better ring myself. 

We ended the day in the outdoor spa at the B&B, just laughing and me not quite being able to believe the day I'd just had.

4. Did you make a form announcement of your engagement?

My fiance's parents advertised it in the newspaper... I don't recommend this as you get bombarded by tonnes, and I mean tonnes of unsolicited advertising mail!

5. Did you have an engagement party?

Sure did! We knew we didn't want a huge wedding, so the engagement party was pretty huge. We had about 100 people all come up to my Mum and Dads property in the South where we ate 40 dozen oysters, 20 kilos of prawns and 2 sheep.

I found it quite overwhelming because I didn't really get a chance to sit down and enjoy myself, you are being pulled in every direction to talk to every man and his dog and their sister and don't really get to do the things you want to do.
But it was a fabulous night all round topped off by one of our to-be-groomsmen getting so drunk he fell off the chair and cut his hand open with the glass he was holding... I'm having second thoughts about fiance's choice of groomsmen!

6. How long have you been planning your wedding?

So far it's been 10 months.  While I would love to say it has been the most exciting time of my life, it's actually been quite stressful. Reception venues falling through, flowers not available, arguments over guest lists, not being able to find celebrants and photographers because everyone else on the planet is getting married on the same day! 
BUT, it's all working out in the end as things always have a way of doing and it's going to be a pretty special day :)

7. When are you getting married?

On the 6th of November 2010, only 4 and a half months to go... where does the time go??????

8. How many are in your wedding party?

8 including us... 3 attendants on each side (although wishing now we'd just had one!! hehe)

9. Where will you have your ceremony?

The ceremony is going to be in the gardens of a little private winery cellar door.

10.Where is your reception?

The B&B where us newlyweds are staying!!  We are having a cocktail reception up in the hills amongst the vineyards looking out over the ocean.

11. How many guests?

At last count... 67!

We may come up with some more questions for Katie so stay posted! If you have any questions pop them in the comments section. Katie will be happy to answer them if she can!