Huge advance N&P - *****Natalie aka Inspire Me Designs***** - UPDATED with FLASH!!!!

Aww thats lovely. So glad you have your mojo back and look forward to seeing the big flash. x

Such a lovely story - it brought a tear to my eye. So happy for you! xxx

It just goes to show how lovely everyone is on here, so glad you've got your mojo back. I know what you mean with the emails too, natalie is kindly designing our invites too so the poor girl has been bombarded with emails from me too!

Oh bless you both.

Thanks you so much for this N&P. Very much appreciated. Brought a tear to my eye ? I just hope I can do your photo justice now.

I am enjoying working with you both

Please feel free to keep bombarding me. I'm really enjoying working with your designs and ideas. I'm having great fun. I just hope you are happy.

Nat

Awww - it was quite an emotional moment, as my OH is trying to take his photography professional and to see his picture on Natalie's designs made him quite emotional. Now this was something, because normally he is a tough, macho, ex-RAF guy who doesn't do tears! He can be very gentle and playful and affectionate but if you don't know him and just met him, you would be forgiven for thinking he can be a bit intimidating LOL!

He does landscape and wildlife photography and is not so good with portraits etc, and at the moment he's got an interview lined up next Wed with an award-winning commercial photography company and we are keeping everything crossed, as it would mean some extra money for the wedding!

Natalie's designs arrived just before the videographer's visit so as you can imagine I couldn't wait to see them and read the email as soon as the videographer left. That in itself was another emotional moment - the videographer and his wife work as a team, they are experienced as he has worked for 30 years for Yorkshire Television as a cameraman and they are the loveliest people! They were recommended by our tog and they were so moved by our plight, they have been so accomodating regarding prices and even offered to let us pay a smaller deposit now and did us a deal we can actually afford!

This wedding is meant to be!

Just wanted to flash the sample Natalie sent me!!! We're soooo excited!!! She used a photo my OH took of a snowy area near our home last winter and did us a few designs, of which we chose this one!!! I am sooo giddy - they're even better "in the flesh" rather than an Adobe design just on paper - but even THAT had us excited! Here we go, with our biggest thanks:

Design © Inspire Me Designs

Photo ©David Oakes 2010

Oh. Your so very welcome hun.

Its been a pleasure working with you already. Cant wait to get stuck into making them all for you now and seeing everything come together.

I'm so excited as I think your theme is fab.

Nat

They are sooo beautiful! I love them and all your guests are going to be so impressed with them. Can't wait to see pics of the rest of your wedding planning.

Thanks, I think I need some tranquilisers today LOL! I am way too giddy and there's still 15 months til the wedding!!!

Guess it's because of:

• the sample arriving today and being sooooo lovely!
• because we have now provisionally booked the Registrar too! They can provisionally book it in their diary and you pay a £15, non-refundable fee, and then later on we have to book an appointment to give notice of marriage and discuss service, music etc...
• The Registrar was available for our chosen time of 12 noon!!!
• The registrar approved my choice of music for processional!!! YAAY - walking down the aisle to Enya's "May It Be" from Lord of the Rings!!! Awww I can see it: the fake snow, shimmering candlelight, the white surroundings, the song, me slowly coming down the aisle in my white hooded cape....

No wonder you're so giddy! It sounds so dreamy and romantic, I didn't realise you could provisionally book the registrar, I'll have to look into that one coz that's the one thing I want to get sorted so I know we can get married!!

That's one little detail people always forget about, especially when marrying in approved venues! I nearly had a shock when I realised, "hang on a minute, I may want 12 noon ceremony, the venue may be OK with that, but is the Registrar AVAILABLE at 12 noon??" They said if it was summer maybe not, as people tend to book in advance but because it's still 15 months away and so close to Xmas, we were lucky to get the time we wanted!

That is going to be my first job tomorrow morning, I hadn't really thought about. I think i was just assuming someone would be available on the day and at the time I want!!! Thankyou so much!

LOL exactly, so did I!! No probs, that's why I love this forum, you always get excellent little reminders from others, tips, hints... and a lotta love!!! xxx

It was so much easier with a church Wedding. They can all be booked at the same time. No waiting around.

That would have driven me crazy!

Nat

I know, my 1st time around was a Church wedding (COE) and that's why this time i completely forgot about Registrar - I thought the venue would sort that out LOL!!!

But still, not as bad as in my native Romania, where a religious marriage cannot take place without a registry office one taking place first, as Christian Orthodox priests (similar to the Greek religion and Russian one) do not have the power to marry you LEGALLY. Many girls there like it because you get to wear two different outfits - one for the civil ceremony and the big white dress for the religious ceremony. For the priest to marry you on the day they have to see your Marriage Certificate from the Registry Office. Nowadays many brides have started to wear their wedding dress to the Registry office then going to church hence they're trying to book it on the same day. Another thing - there are no such things there as "licensed venues" - you HAVE to go to your local Registry Office then to Church. reception starts usually immediately after the religious service and last til about 6 am next morning!!! They also have a tradition of "stealing the bride" at midnight where the groomsmen "steal" the bride and the groom has to pay a "ransom" usually in alcohol (LOL) or groomsmen presents to get her back!

Pics of my cousin below, and one of my friends in the 2nd set - dressed for the Civil Ceremony - legally binding, and for the religious one respecitvely.

In pic below my mum (the bride's aunt) is in the beige trouser suit:

My friend Oana:

Sorry for the biiig flash!

Oh... How beautiful does she look?

Amazing!

Its interesting to find out the "Tradition" and the "norm" in other countries.

Nat

I was gonna say sorry for flashing all that but yes, I find it interesting too to read other traditions from other countries. I find weddings so much more organised in UK! In Romania, everyone is looking at my mum as if she's just come from Mars when she's telling them that I have venue booked, STDs printed etc a YEAR and 3 months in advance!

That mentality brought me some stressy moments as the few Romanians invited (my cousin in the pic and her husband, my best friend and her family - their daughter is supposed to be my junior BM etc) cannot tell me yet even indicatively if they're able to come as it's "too early" - I guess they don't know if they'll be able to afford to come over, and they're all amazed at how early everyone plans weddings in UK. Over there invites are sent about 6 weeks before the wedding! Girls start dress shopping about 3-4 months before the wedding unless they want a foreign dress in which case maybe 6 months (Maggie, Alfred Angelo etc).