March 2013 brides catch up

I share the ? - 5 months on Tuesday!

We've not done anything constructive for ages!! I'm hoping that will all start to change next week when we're back in the UK. We've been trying to agree on invites, but both want something different!

We also have a tasting at the venue coming up - really looking forward to that! Hoping to meet up and discuss things with florist and tog at the same time. We've started looking online at rings and suits, but waiting to check out the high street for those.

Most excitingly.....my dress arrived a couple of weeks ago, and I'm hopefully going to try it on next week. ? Hope I still like it!!

I've only just ordered my dress ?

I'm trying to wait for the January sales for a few things

Another ?!!! lol 5 months on the 12th for me!

We've only just found a venue we like, let alone actually booked it although we have eaten there, and decided (between us anyway!) what we're eating on the day

Apart from that, going round mum's this week to order dress (online, 10 to 12 weeks to arrive), and the church service is all sorted - hymns/readings chosen etc.

EVERYTHING else still to do......!!!!! Help?!?!?!! ?

Still got loads to do and having a bit of a budget crisis. Doesnt look like we're going to be able to afford a honeymoon of any kind, not even in th UK ?

Still need to find bridesmaid dresses too. Found these dresses https://www.phase-eight.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-P8-UK-Site/en/Product-Show?pid=201678148 which were just perfect to fit in with our natural/rustic/country style wedding, but unfortunately one of my bridesmaids was between sizes so bvack to te drawing board!!

Then its just all the little bits and bobs - deciding what music to have, sorting out flowers and centrepieces, waiting for my dress to arrive (hopefully next month!), need to find hair and MUA, ordering the cake, etc etc etc!

And most importantly, not turning into a huge fat elephant over xmas! This weather just makes me want to eat more!

We're 5 months on Tuesday too BuzzyBride! Eek! We've done really well. Compared to what we've started with, we've got hardly anything now. Its amazing!

This is our to do list:

Outfits - We've just got all dress alterations to do (mine and little bridesmaids, which'll be done about Jan-Feb time as they're all growing). Suits, they need measurements, but alls been chosen. This we'll do in December with all the men in one go, and then little boy again in Feb (prob Feb half term).

Invites - getting there, nearly all made, just got to start printing the main inserts as we're printing their names on it instead of writing them. All wording and design is sorted. Day invites are going out November, evening January.

Favours - pretty much done. Just buy some sweets/mints to go in the little bags closer to the time, and the CD's we're making to go along with them, once we've worked out the wedding music we'll make them. Again, its all ordered, just need to make up. This realistically can be done anytime up til March.

Flowers - need to finalise button holes (OH wanted to do this himself, but wasn't able to come with us when we went and sorted bouquets). They want this confirmed by January.

Catering - need to chose dessert still (which is a hard choice ?), confirm what we want for evening, and then we need to buy alcohol/soft drinks for them to serve. Again, nothing needs to be confirmed/bought til at least next year.

Photos/Video - need to buy videocamera for brother to do, and TOG just need to give him list of photos we want. Again, neither need to be done til about Feb.

Make-up/Hair - all booked, need to arrange trials, probably will have them Jan/Feb time.

Hen Do - plane tickets and hotel booked. entertainment we'll sort out there. Deposit already paid, just got another £45 to pay by January

Registrar - need to finalise wordings/readings/music with them and pay final balance before January.

Rings - we've given my aunt (whos a jeweller) the designs, she's ordered the materials, just needs to be made ?

Gifts - ? we still need to even think of these!

Cake - Gran is making - still need to show her the ideas I've come up with ?

Honeymoon - we're still awaiting for OH's work to confirm what holiday he's getting next year. This should be confirmed hopefully in the next week or so. At this rate though, like lumc86, we're going to struggle to afford anything, even in the UK. This may be a last minute booking in February, and we'll do something later on in the year.

And so far, thats all we've got to do ? Everything else is all booked, bought, made, arrived, and just generally making me super excited ?

Oh, thats a good point actually - and I think this will be our hardest thing to do! I have never wanted chocolate so badly or really big unhealthy hearty hot meals. I'm still trying to keep the salads, but I'm loosing my enthusiasm for it. Plus, we've been going on bike rides/runs 3 times a week for the past 3 ish months, but now its getting cold and wet, its proving hard to get motivated to go out! I think I'll need to get an exercise bike for xmas to save me going out in the cold/wet. I think I might also try get into sit ups again.

Chedi you are so organised!

I now feel desperately behind! I have to do all the things you listed, and millions more besides!

We're thinking of having a UK honeymoon so that we can take the pooch with us, I'm not convinced they a that much cheaper than some of the last minute deals you can get to nice sunny places, could definitely be worth waiting.

We were thinking that with ours. You Can get last minute deals on holiday cottages as long as your not too set on a specific place. My parents did it last year with their dog and got a proper bargain.

Organised isnt too good, i feel like I should be doing loads so its abit weird at the moment. Im trying to focus on christmas gift ideas instead and am going to make my own cards this year just so Ive got something to do!

We've just been away for a week in a cottage in this country, my parents paid for the holiday but we paid for a food shop and our share of eating out, we could have gone abroad for the money we spent and after the miserable summer a bit of sun is always preferable!

We have about 9 days between wedding and honeymoon so I think I'll pretty much forget about the organising of the honeymoon til after the wedding.

Buzzybride, lists are your friend!

I need to ring the council today to find out when we need to send back the book with our vows and music choices in, I can't find anything that says when they need it.

Ours says on the first inside, you know, the back to the front cover? Whereas the bit we fill in is at the back..

Ordered my dress & our wedding rings over the weekend, eep!!

Starting to feel a bit more real now! Going down with my mum (hopefully this week) to chat to the guy who runs the pub we're having reception etc in, and book it officially, and going to buy bits & bobs for making invitations this week as well!

When is everyone sending their invites out?? I was going to do it next month but my mum reckons wait til the start of December. I don't want them to get lost in with the Xmas post though...??

I was going to send out invitations in January (right at the beginning) with an RSVP date of 14th Feb which gives me 2 weeks to chase people before confirming final numbers with the venue, I hope this is enough time! I don't want them mixed up in the Christmas post and I figured it'd be a nice thing to receive in January. We have sent out Save the Dates though.

I think we're going to wait til January sales for our rings, neither of us want anything fancy so hopefully a bargain will be possible!

My shoes arrived last week and they're fabulous, I'm SO pleased with them.

I know our venue want numbers confirmed asap after booking - they might have to shut up and put up though!!

Argh, why didn't we think of Jan sales for rings?! Doh! Ah well, we got 10% off for buying them in the same place we got my ER, and they came in under £800 total so we didn't do too bad

I'm having a shoe nightmare atm... I'm having a tea-length dress so they will be seen, therefore have to be fabulous!! But I have really tiny feet (size 3!) and have trouble walking in heels! However I tend to stomp in flats, so I need something mid-heel (about 3 inches). The only things I've seen that I like are getting up to the £200 mark!! Not happening! lol

I'm a size 3 too What sort of thing do you want? I got some Kurt Geiger shoes (in the sale so £29 instead of £109) and they're a bit over a 3" heel but I can walk well in them and they're really comfortable.

Yay, another tiny-feet!!

I really wanted something along these lines...
http://www.liquiwork.com/weddingshoes/1090004.html
But maybe not sparkly. My dress is covered in vintage-style lace all over, with a lace bolero, so not sure the sparkly would work.

Will have a peek in KG; not been there for years but their shoes are definitely comfy!

I liked the idea of sparkly but it wouldn't have gone with my dress. Check out next too, they have some nice shoes in this season. These are mine, they're brighter in real life

Ooh, they are lovely! What a fab colour!
I'd turn my ankle in a heel like that though...!! lol

Shoes i picked up, well got delivered, from BHS as to be honest I struggle to get excited with shoes. Boots on the other hand is another story but Ive gone for shoes so I dont boil inside lol

For invites, the first wave are currently in the post as we speak to arrive today and tomorrow! We never did save the dates as those we'd want there know when it is, and being March none of our family goes on holidays then anyways. Sooo we thought as theyre made we might as well post! Rsvp is 9th Jan. We were gonna do days by November anyways because of xmas, evening will get theres around January and their RSVP i think is Feb 9th.

Well my date is 17th March and although we have made lots of decisions we are yet to actually do much. Venue and registrar are booked and licences being picked up today but apart from that not much else done.

My main concern is that I dont have a dress yet!!!! Was pinning my hopes on finding one at a fayre a couple of weeks ago but came away dissappointed. There are a few that I like so hopefully I can find some locally to try on soon.

On a good note, we brought our centrepieces and the frame for our table plan yesterday so the little things are coming together.

Have chosen invites and hope to order them today. Also chosen tog and entertainment but just need to get around to actually booking them.

Feeling a little better to hear that some of you ladies are also at a similar stage to me, and there is still 5 months to go - we can lots done in that time once we put our minds to it.

xx

5 Months today!!!

i've had a few people saying theyve got their invites in the post this morning too! I know these 5 months are gonna go quick, but I still wish its go that little quicker!