April 2015 brides

Aww SpringBride, that's rubbish, such an expense too! I wonder if they'd accept a driving license? Surely not everyone who gets married even has a passport?

Yeah it sucks but it's the first hurdle we've come across and there's still plenty of time so not panicking yet!

Neither of us drives and if we did it'd be me!

He kept apologising 'cos he thought he'd let me down, bless him, but it's not his fault. He only found out about the discrepancy Friday and his brother was confused too!

So passport renewal it is! At least it'll be done for when we eventually decide when and where we're going on honeymoon. Still can't decide!

Oh no that's rubbish Spring Bride, hope you get it sorted.

We sent our invitations today!

Hello ladies - I've not long signed up to the site but am enjoying reading about all my fellow April brides! ? We are getting married on April 3rd (excited to see we aren't alone) but having only just got engaged are behind the curve when it comes to planning. So much to do and so little time - no dress yet - argh!!

Date twin! Where are you getting married? Tell us about your plans so far.

My OH is laughing at the fact I have 'date twins' whereas I think it makes it all the more exciting...

I am feeling way way behind reading all the posts here but, as we are having a very intimate wedding, I am hoping it won't prove too difficult to organise (famous last words).

After years of talking about getting married abroad, my OH (who has been married before) has relented and we have decided to get married in the UK. We'll be getting wed up in Northumberland (where I am from) at a country house hotel. We've booked a 4pm ceremony followed by drinks, a wedding breakfast and then evening drinks in a small, cosy private room with a log fire (if it's still cold as I am sure it will be up there). That's about as far as we've got though did book my hair and make up last night!! Still looking at colour schemes and have our next meeting with the wedding planner, the chef and the florist arranged for the week before Christmas when we will be up visiting family as part of our pre Christmas ritual. I don't yet have a dress (which is causing me some angst) but have my best childhood friend coming down for the weekend and appointments in the diary.

So... lots still to do (and much more than most of you). It's nice to know we don't have long to wait till the wedding but I have to say I think I underestimated how much there was to do!!

Looking forward to catching up with everyone's plans and to getting some inspiration!?

Sounds really lovely, we're getting married in Gateshead so not too far from you.

Had a bit of progress with ours recently, my Nana has very generously said she wants to give us £1000. This means so much as she had zero money when my Grandad was around and they always had council houses, never went on holiday etc. So, with my mum being quite unwell now we thought we'd put it towards getting a videographer. It's not 'us' to get a video done to be honest but this way my mum will get to see bits that she couldn't be there for (I'm thinking she might make it to the ceremony and maybe a bit of the meal if we're lucky, certainly no later than that).

Also we had an email from our celebrant today who wants to meet us for a chat about planning the ceremony.

Still so much to do, OH's and ushers/usherette's and BMs outfits being the main thing.

Sounds lovely of your nana, how generous. I hope you get a lovely video and your mum manages to enjoy herself and stay on the day.

Hi all

I have been reading posts for some time now, just havent posted anything yet... Getting married on 18th April, all seems a bit real now. Organised most things, but I am a bit nervous about the dress - ordered it in September and it should be in the end of Janaury - worried that I havent made the right choice - usual thing. Anyone else worried that when the dress arrives it wont look 'right'? So difficult to choose when none of the dresses you are trying on are in your size! ?

Welcome and congratulations!

I too have been a bit worried about the dress. I've been told that's normal!

I'm sure everything will be fine. :-)

I'm sure it's just the control freak in me!

Oh, it's so nice reading all your posts ladies! :-)

Giving notice success!!!!

Had our 2nd attempt today and the lady we saw was lovely and soooo different from the last one.

So happy, excited and relieved to have it sorted. :-)

Great news!

We booked a VOG today! Plus have BM dresses sorted and have my jewellry. Progress! Getting very close now, wish my OH would sort out his blimmin suit...

Yay! Progress is exciting. :-) Glad you're getting things sorted.

My OH has said he's waiting till January to organise suits. Can't blame him as I'm still trying to get BM dresses. Found some in the colour I wanted but can't get the sizes I need as the stock's changing soon. Boo hiss! Convinced I'm going to end up with a lighter shade. Until I get the colour sorted he doesn't want to pick the suit in case he gets it wrong!

So what has everyone got left to do? Our wedding is 11th April.

I have had a busy few weeks with other things and am feeling quite behind/

Major things on my list:

- Invitations (currently making them, aim to get them sent out 2nd Jan with RSVP date of 15th Feb

- OH needs to sort out all clothes - he hasn't done anything. I am planning to order matching ties for the bridal party and men are going to wear their own suits, but he will need to sort out his own outfit at the very least as well as making sure others can sort their own

- Shoes

- Underwear

- DIY decor bits - am making jars covered in lace for candle holders and vases, mum is making bunting

- Give notice!

- Get dress altered

- Choose and find music for ceremony

- Flowers - haven't even spoken to a florist yet

- Plan and book honeymoon

- Make all other DIY stationery - table plan, place names etc

- Buy rings

Hope that makes everyone else feel like they are on top of things, it looks quite bad doesn't it!! xx I have got the big things sorted - venue, dress, BM dresses, TOG and some of the smaller things, eg, have already had trials with my hairdresser.

You need to get a lick on with some of those hun lol. Florists get booked up and some registry offices offer very limited appointments for giving notice. Don't underest the amount of time the diy elements take. The rest you're fine for. Xx

Aquiescence, my list looks suspiciously like yours, except we've just given notice but don't have BM dresses. Also, instead of a florist, going for artificial flowers and having a go at arranging them myself. Have a load of leave owing at work which I have to take by the end of January so I'm hoping I can get decoration/floristry bits done then.

Still need to give notice, book the band (we are in their diary but haven't handed any money over yet), buy OH's outfit, ushers outfits, have hair and makeup trial, have pre wedding photo shoot, buy gifts for friends and family, make OH's groom journal as his gift, design cake (friend is making it), approve of bouquet design (these are the only flowers we are having), sort out lighting for the band, make playlist for ipod before and after the band, choose readings/vows/songs/ceremony format, make button holes, design and print order of service, write speeches, buy wedding underwear, get dress altered, buy hair slide/hairband, buy sweets for sweet buffet, make fingerprint tree, decorations... Yeah, I keep telling people we are almost done but that's so not true! Plus my MOH hasn't even started booking any hen do stuff! Kind of worried now...

Oh, and book a honeymoon!

For those getting married in a registry office, have you booked your appointment with the registrar yet? If i remember correctly when we gave notice we were told to book a meeting with the registrar a minimum of two weeks in advance of the wedding to show song choices etc. and tell them your choice of ceremony. I've rung the registry office twice to book this and have had to leave a message.

Have i fabricated this? Starting to feel like i have as can't see anything about it on the website!

I think it depends on the registry office concerned as they all seem to do the ceremony side of thigns differently, excluding the legal bit of course So I think you need to persevere with trying to call - or you could email them.

Are you a mind reader? I just called the registrars for the area to ask. Apparently it's 6-8 weeks before the wedding and you go through that booklet. Not compulsory so I doubt OH will get the time off to do it! I'll probably go alone.

Sorry I'm not more help but it DEFINITELY is a thing xx

Ah, I go by many names and spring bride 85 you have made me feel a little more reassured that I'm not the only one with jobs to do.

Pammy thanks for the kick up the a**e - I will call a florist this week. I have one in mind to use that I like so I should check their availability.

We do have an appointment booked to give notice in a few weeks but need to rearrange as OH can't get it off work - they said this is no issue and only release dates not far in advance (they hadn't released any dates for Jan when I spoke to them so couldn't book further ahead.

Invitations is my main thing currently - has anyone sent invites and got responses yet?

Hope everyone is doing ok x

No

I have but we haven't had many responses as we put a deadline of 16th January so people didnt feel pressured into replying when they are trying to get ready for Christmas. Plus I am right at the beginning of April, the 3rd, so I thought sending them in January was a bit late seeing as most guests are travelling quite a distance.

Haven't even made my invitations yet, but planning to send them out in first week of January so I've still got a bit of time. Been undecided on colour as BM dresses not sorted yet!

Plan to send out day invitations first so that if anyone declines I can send out extras with evening invites. I figure the less ppl that know they didn't make the original cut, the better! Well aware this won't work for everyone, but I'm at least going to try! :-)

Hi fellow April 2015 brides!

We have done our notices and booked the registrar, our final payment to the registrar is due mid January - that's going to make it seem real... Our venue deposit is paid and the balance due around February, the photographer is booked and the dress, shoes and accessories chosen!

I still have to find a dress for my daughter (13 years old), my son is getting new trousers and a waistcoat - he's 10 and giving me away, he's so proud of himself and very keen to have a suit!! We are only having 10 guests - my 2 children, his 3 boys with their girlfriends, his sister and brother in law so invitations aren't really necessary but might be nice - I'll probably grab a pack from sainsburys and pop them in the post at the end of January or something.

We haven't done anything about flowers but he popped into the florist that made the very first bouquet that he gave me and they said they'd be delighted to do a posy for my daughter and I, and a table arrangement if we go to see them closer to the time. They don't actually do weddings but as it's so small they were happy to get involved - I think we appealed to their romantic side because they remember all the bouquets they've made up for him to give to me!!

We've also started making a list of music that we would like to have played during the ceremony and register signing and as far as I know all that's left is choosing our readings and vows...

Ooh, honeymoons booked too - we are off to Oman!! Where are you all going?

The time sure is going fast, its scarey! 137 days to go!

I've pretty much got everything organised now, January is the big 'payout' month I think, and also the dress should be arriving then and the hair and make up tirals are booked for then also. Not sure when to send the invitations, I have had them for about 2 weeks now and done nothing with then - a bit reluctant to send them out with all the christmas cards so will probably wait now until the beginning of January and send the evening invites at the end of Jan in case I need to bump someone into the day. We are only having 40 day guests but that was the absolute minimum the venue would allow for the day; even though we will have about 100 in the evening so I need to keep the numbers up. We sent out save the date cards in April and no one has said that they cant make it - so fingers crosed! We made a rule that no one would be invited to the day unless both me and OH had met them - no distant relatives etc... so if we need to make changes it should be interesting!

Looks like January for me is the month were everything happens really, especailly the diet and exercise plan - the big push to sqeeue into the dress!

Is Janaury busy for everyone else?

My invitations were sent months ago as people needed to book accommodation for two nights over the Easter period in a very popular spot. All replied really quickly

I've had a 2015 diary for about a month now which I've gone through and marked everything off in, pay next stage of venue, dress due in, finalise vows etc so I hopefully won't miss anything. I know I'm well organised though coz I hate last minute rushes although it always ends up that way. Got to get H2B's suit and shirts and ties for all the boys. Get the BM dresses altered and sort out their shoes. DD is MoH and will wear a pair she wore as a BM at her BF's wedding, and I just need to agree with the mum of my BM to pick a pair that will do. I'm not going nuts on BM shoes that no one will see

Have ordered all the flowers for the tables and they should arrive in the next couple of weeks. Have to dress all the bottles and jars. Then I need to set up a mock table to photographe so I can pop a pic into the boxes that will contain the decs for each table so the venue knows what to do. Need to get my ribbon garland made but won't do that for ages yet as it will crease and look naff lol.

Finished the wedding party flowers a couple of weeks ago and also re-did my headpiece so it's now a comb. I was all for taking it apart again but showed it DD last week and actually thought it looked rather nice as is so will stay. Got the jewellery for the BMs too and have blinged their dressing gowns.

Need to make their gift bags and also going to make Hubby and Wifey T-shirts for me and 'im Need to think about what to get for the boys though...hmmmmm

But yes - busy!! xx

4 months today!!!!! I've been told it's time to start counting down the weeks not months.......17 weeks!!

Eeeek icklesal - my 4 months was yesterday - or 121 days! Today is now 3 months something...and 120 days yikes - and Christmas wipes a load of time out then it all really starts in January - OMG OMG OMG