Just feel like flashing...

Don't be sorry, we love a good flash! Looks so grand, wowee! The dress really suits you as well, shows off your figure - you can particularly see that in the last one. Are you going to have a veil, do you think? Whereabouts are you getting hitched?

Aww, thank you Nicola! Dress-wise I am still amazed that fishtail actually looks good on me hehe... Yes, I want a veil, not sure about length yet though! These flashes are for our blessing in Cambridge (our venue is Pembroke College), which will be the big do. The actual legal wedding will be in Germany in a more low-key style (could find some pictures of venue and dress for that if you're interested in seeing them?)

Do you really need to ask!!!

I love your venue and pretty sure I have commented on your dress before but it is stunning and you have a gorgeous figure for it!

Hope hitching is making you feel a bit less mopey- I have to go to work soon and really don't want to leave the sofahouse and go outside- it is too cold!!

Ok, ok, will google a bit and then come back with some flashes ?!

I think I remember you commenting, thank you again!

Yes, I feel much better now (though I really should work and not hitch...). You poor thing having to leave the house - it really is disgusting outside...

Lovely flashes, looks gorgeous!

Ah, I thought it was a Cambridge college! Lovely setting. And, er, yes, definitely want to see more flash action ?

Beautiful! It all looks very romantic and classy.

I know *weep weep* more sympathy please! haha, 45 mins to go....must get off the computer and find something to take for my tea....

I shall look forward to more flashes later tho, that will help me thru my shift!

Natuerlich.

What is your dress called? It is beautiful!

Backlarrr - It is an Allure dress and they never gave me the official name, but I just googled quickly and found out Allure do numbers and not names, from the model-photos I found I am pretty sure it must be 8913...

Kirstabubble - Ja, ich habe letzte Woche gelesen, dass du Deutsch studiert hast ?

Have found some nice photos to flash for the German wedding, will do that now (can't promise it will be quick though as my poor old laptop is struggling...)

Right, German wedding - it will be a civil ceremony with close family and my friends who live in Germany, who we want to celebrate with but we don't want to fly them all in to the UK. Our closest family and friends will come to both the civil wedding in Germany and the blessing in the UK (so some people from here will fly over to Germany and vice versa). The German wedding and reception will be smaller than the big "main event" in the UK. It is a bit difficult to explain the way we're doing it to non-Germans, but it is quite normal and traditional for German weddings to consist of a smaller civil ceremony and then a church "wedding" which it the big thing. Reason for that is that you can't get legally married in a church in Germany, so if you want to have something in church (whether you call it blessing or wedding) you need to have two parts (obviously you don't have to have anything in a church).

So our venue in Germany:

Ceremony room (I know "architecturally" it is a chapel, but it is only licensed for civil weddings; this is simply due to the fact that the venue is an 8th century monastery, so the room was there the way it is when they build up the hotel in the ruins):

Outside area for champagne reception:

Room for wedding breakfast and evening do (I know you can't see much but couldn't find a better photo):

Old cloister area where we can have the champagne reception if it rains (and just generally hang out in anyway):

My dress (even though I have not bought it yet, but I am pretty sure that this is the right one) - first photo is me in it, obviously the sample was slightly to small so funny crumpled bit around the hips which obviously won't be there in the actual one on the day:

I will make a brooch bouquet as I won't throw the bouquet until the UK wedding and I think it is a nice keepsake - here are some of the brooches I have bought so far:

We won't have a wedding party as such for the civil ceremony, just a witness each and my dad to walk me down the aisle (again, German way of doing it, bridesmaids and groomsmen/ushers are not the done thing - at least that I am aware of). Obviously my bridesmaids/bridesman will be there as they are some of my (and OH's too actually) closest friends, but not in their bridal party role.

Absolutely love BOTH your dresses. All looks gorgeous.

Leider glaube ich, dass ich mein Deutsch vergessen habe!

ETA Deine Hochzeit sieht wunderschoen aus ?

Fab flashes going on there ladies :-) xx

Du kannst gerne mit mir üben wenn du magst!

Thank you so much for all your positive feedback ladies! ❤️

What lovely weddings you have planned! It all looks beautiful.

Wow, Ulli, it all looks so amazing and beautiful. I love both your dresses. Everything looks like it will be so lovely ?

Love the venues and dresses (though fave is your UK do dress)!

You have some lovely brooches too for your bouquet.

(also mildly pleased that I can still read a bit of German AND understand it! lol)

Love love LOVE that area for the German champagne reception! Love venues like that so much ❤️

Wow, everything looks amazing!

So grand; I love it! You're going to look stunning in both

Wow flashes look stunning! Gorgeous! Are your photographers by any chance Karen and doug Howell yy

Well done you! ?

Thanks to everyone for the lovely comments - it makes me very proud ?

Event planning in general is my passion (have done it before and still doing it besides my own wedding) and I am seriously considering making a job out of it so good feedback makes me feel more confident (well, not surprising that, is it?).

Oh, hi Clare, sorry only just now saw this. I am not 100% sure what you mean? Most of these photos I just got off the internet (except for the ones with me wearing the dresses and the brooches I bought obviously), so I can't tell you who they are by. Our Tog for the UK wedding will be Brett from Ray Lowe Studios and for the German wedding we will have a German Tog.

Hi - sorry if wasn't clear - I knew they were internet photos. It's just our photographers are the official photographers for your venue and from Cambridge, so thought you may be using them! Your two dresses are gorgeous - I am a bit jealous of you having two!!

This!

And like claire I am v.jel of your dresses they are SO gorgeous- you have excellent taste ?

The German dress is my fave. I love the shutter skirt. Is it Charlotte Balbier? I love her dresses but as my budget was small I didn't even look at them!

It seems I have forgotten nearly all of my GCSE German. *sigh* I would love to visit Germany, particularly the black forest.

BTW - is the rule about religious ceremonies not being legally binding anything to do with the war? Is that a daft question? I just thought that maybe it was decided as religion is possibly a sensitive subject, like in France where children aren't taught RE in school.

Hi Clare - oh, ok I see what you mean! We didn't know our venue had official photographers - it never crossed our minds, as it is not primarily a venue for weddings and no one told us. We have found a photographer we love and have booked him, so too late to look into it now...

I am aware how lucky I am being able to have two dresses, it really is incredibly fortunate (and also being able to celebrate twice in general, not just the two dresses).

Sorry for posting twice, but I wanted to quote from two different posts - can I do this in one post?

Hi Kitchie! The German dress is Cymbeline, a French designer. Regarding why you can't get legally married in a church in Germany... I am not entirely sure what the background to this is, I am no historian. Fact is that, unlike in the UK, church and state are two completely separated institutions and people are quite conscious of keeping it that way. You are right that religion is a very sensitive subject and I do think that German people in general are more scared of including "world-views" (the only word to describe what I mean I can think of that doesn't have a negative connotation) in their legislation and how the country is run. Obviously religious liberty is enshrined in the constitution nonetheless. In my opinion - and I think many German people share it - not linking religion with the state is the right thing to do as there are many different religions (non Christian religions, but also different Christian churches) and obviously also people who don't identify themselves with any religion. Making one church/religion the "official" one would be seen as discrimination in Germany - not saying that it is, just saying German people of all kinds of ethnical backgrounds are quite sensitive about this kind of thing.

Hi,

This all looks gorgeous. NO wonder you are so excited. The venue looks amazing. You have obviously put a lt of work into this and it will all pay off.

Lynne