Hhhmmm

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Apparently, I am going to look dated very quickly in my wedding photos. According to Kacey "if you look like a walking fad...like some of this year's brides with the enormous skirt with pick-ups, AND the criss-cross bodice, AND the colored sash, AND the colored shoes, AND the super trendy jewelry, AND the drop veil, AND the modern bouquet, AND the trendy hairdo, etc...the look will be dated before you know it".

To be honest, I don't know what a pick-up, a criss-cross bodice or a drop veil is so I can't be sure whether I have that or not, but I am planning a coloured sash, coloured shoes, my engagement ring is coloured which seems to be 'on-trend', my bouquet is modern and I haven't decided on the hair-do yet.

So does this mean I will look dated before I know it? Do I care? Should I care?

Oh, and I have chosen a strapless A-line dress with a coloured sash. This seems to be the final nail in my coffin of my dated wedding look...

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The Groom: boots & a suit

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In keeping with the theme of the wedding (items to be vintage, second hand, via a charity shop or e-bay and as local as possible) M has been trawling e-bay and second hand shops for a pair of boots and a suit. Long ago, as I am sure you recall (!), we decided we were not having morning dress and we wanted male members of the wedding party as far as possible to wear suits that they already own. This means that no-one will match but I don't think it matters.

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Last night M tried on the suit that he won on e-bay which had finally arrived. At the exorbitant cost of £11 (including postage) his budget has enough left over to pay to have the trousers altered as they are a little too short. It also goes with the silk, Liberty, peacock feather tie (the feathers are like a jacquard print rather than a different colour) which I bought off e-bay for £2 a few months ago. He will need a new white shirt though, which we are going to buy new, as white shirts can look very grey and old. He is still keeping an eye out for better suits though, as at that price we can afford to buy him a few options as we find them...

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Footwear wise, M is on the look out for an interesting pair of boots, probably grey or brown, to wear under his suit, which has fairly slim legs. We have bid for a few things on e-bay and I have found one or two things in vintage shops on-line but we haven't settled on anything yet.

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Hopefully, at some point there will be some photos once we have settled on some ideas, but for now, you will just have to imagine. As for my dress, it is coming along. I have decided it needs some more underskirts/lining and so T and I are in the process of sorting those out along with the alterations and making the veil. But for photos, you have another 5 months to wait, along with everyone else...

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Bridesmaids Dresses 2/3

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Image Credits: all photos by me except bottom left (Debenhams) and bottom centre (via Style Me Pretty)

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Bridesmaids 2/3 as these are A1 and A2. A1 and her boyfriend (who I am calling A3, yes they really are all As) returned from Australia on Saturday morning and famille PeacockFeathers went to Heathrow to collect them. Why is it that their flights always seem to land around about 7am?

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At some point during the weekend A1 tried on her bridesmaids dress to see how accurate the Skype fittings had been (A1 measuring herself on camera with Mum measuring the dress etc) and found that the dress fitted surprisingly well. A2 thought (or rather, Mum and I thought) she had better put on her dress for comparison and so I took a few photographs.

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I am unable to post their whole faces at present, which is a shame as they are so pretty, and also for the comic effect of the photo on the bottom right in which A1 appears to be practising her royal wave and A2 simultaneously doing an impersonation of Kate-Moss-as-a-chav-for-comic-relief. What you can see hopefully is that A1 has dark hair and A2 blonde hair. T also has blonde hair and mine is blonde-ish. Hopefully you will also see that my girls look a lot better than the Debenhams model and that I think bows at the back looks better than the front, especially if they are carrying bouquets with ribbons on them.

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The next stage is of course to get T in her dress and photographed as well. In fact, all three need to meet properly as they have never been in the same place at the same time. Actually, it is January 2007 since A1, A2 and I were in the same place at the same time, so not surprising that the bridesmaids haven't been either. Still, they are all safely home at present, so there is time for the grand meeting.

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In need of inspiration

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Image credits (clockwise from left):

I am sure I have posted this before but I can't find the credit (please let me know if you know)

Ditto the turquoise car (please let me know if you know)

from US Vogue June 2008 via A Desert Fete via This is Glamorous

Robyn Kessler via Style me Pretty

peacock - unknown

Damian Hall Photography via here

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It's cold, it's dark, I lack motivation. I have decided I need to step back and look at things in a new light. So I went through all my photos and picked the ones which speak to me a representative of our theme. We're not actually getting married in a field and nor do we have that very Californian light in England, but this is the feel we are going for: nostalgic, vintage, whimsical, ethereal & real. Oh, and English. Is it possible?

M bought himself a suit from e-bay last week. It arrives soon. I also found him a pair of boots just like the ones above, but it seemed silly to spend £250 on the boots and £10 on the suit. We shall keep looking. I wondered what the rest of his outfit looked like above so I searched Robin Kessler's blog until I found the rest of the images. I was disappointed by the rest of his outfit but she is called Rachel, so there must be something in it.

My sister returns from Australia at the weekend and it will be the first time in 3 years that we 3 sisters have been in the same place. It is also the first time we will have seen her since we got engaged. I will be back next week.

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Still here, just busy

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Held a fabulous birthday party at the weekend, although I am not sure the neighbours agreed. Wedding planning still continuing, it is just of the boring, arrangement making, paying people and getting new quotes type of thing which is not so interesting to write (or indeed read) about.

If you like, you can follow the story from the beginning here:-

EAD I - In the beginning
EAD II - The Proposal
EAD III - When & Where part I: The Ceremony
EAD IV - When & Where part II: The Reception
EAD V - First things first: The shoes and then the theme
EAD VI - An overview of the Day

Otherwise, I leave you with this quote.

“If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”-- Winnie the Pooh

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The Invitations (part one)

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We are writing our invitations ourselves and I do not like the idea of adding anything other than the traditional wording to the invitation itself. We may add an RSVP card but I am not sure. We certainly won't be including anything about presents (especially not anything with the line your presence is present enough and certainly not "We are happy to accept your presence on our day as a gift in itself" which is the wording one wedding advisor thought was acceptable. 'Happy to accept' - are you insane, how rude would that sound?) and we most definitely won't be including an A-Z of weddings (yes, someone I know received one. Guess what sentence was listed against 'P'...).

So, what we are probably going to include is an A4 map which I have drawn/calligraphied (somewhat in the style of Laura Hooper but much more relevant to us) and have included on there for further details please see our wedding website. On that website there is a brief reference to presents as we are not stupid enough to think that people won't think about presents. It's a wedding. It's customary to bring a present. What we have said is that we want people to feel comfortable rather than obliged and that there is a list of sorts with my mother if people would like an insight into our tastes and needs.

Map completed we now need to start the task of writing and painting the invitations themselves. Once they are finished I shall attempt to photograph them and show you. I may even try and scan the map if I am able to do so without giving away the location of the wedding...

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T minus 5 months and 6 days

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There are 22 weekends between now and the weekend of the wedding. I am busy for the next 5 (birthday party, my sister's return, skiing hols, party for my sister's return/cousin's departure). We are then visiting the chaplain for the last time in February, which counts out that weekend. I am also busy for the first two weekends in April (close friend's 30th and then Easter) and a weekend in May (hen party). I am also refusing to do any diy projects the weekend before the wedding, which leaves 12 weekends to complete everything.

* Invitations: cards and envelopes have been bought. Information needs to be calligraphied and then painted etc x 75. Estimate 5 per day = 7.5 weekends. Better work on them during the week too.
* Orders of service: once content has been decided (before and during weekend visit to Chaplain) design can be finalised (once sister's boyfriend the graphic designer returns from Australia) and they can be printed etc. Estimate = 1 weekend.
* Bride's outfit: Dress is coming to London on Sunday so that sister-in-law-to-be the fashion designer can pin dress to fit and arrange alterations as well as advising (possibly executing) on lining skirt/petticoat and the making of the veil/veils. Estimate = 2 weekends.
* Groom's outfit: Needs researching, finding, purchasing and potentially altering. He will have to fit this in after work as well. Estimate = endless.
* Cake-toppers: Designed and material purchased. Waiting for sewing machine to arrive to finish. Estimate = 1 weekend.
* Tables: Names to be calligraphied onto tags. Ribbon to be bought to match shoes. Ribbons plus tags to be attached to napkins. Great Plate Search to continue. Cutlery issue to be sorted. Table plan to be finalised and calligraphied. Estimate = 1 weekend for the diy. Delegate the rest (but to who?)
* Venue decorations: Peacock feathers to be bought. Photo displays to be made. Guest book to be bought. Hat line to be made. Band posters to be designed and made (delegate brother-in-law-thegraphicdesigner?) Estimate = 1 weekend.
* Bridesmaids: jewellery to be made, presents to be made and bought. Estimate = 1 weekend.
* Arrangements: Many. Too many to list. Estimate = More weekends allocated than there are weekends to be used. Easter may become a working party.

Outstanding:-

* Catering arrangements to be finalised and paid for.
* Wine and champagne to be agreed and purchased.
* Ice arrangements to be made, ditto glasses and ice buckets.
* PA system (why oh why will companies not return e-mails)
* Entertainment to be finalised (i.e. set lists and logistics with instruments)
* Wedding bands to be chosen and bought
* Groom's outfit to be sorted
* Flowers to be chosen and ordered (practice run?) and buttonholes to be designed and then delegated
* Bride's grooming issues to be decided and booked.
* Hen party to finish organising
* Second week of honeymoon to be decided and booked plus wardrobe purchased
* Music for the church aside from hymns to be decided and booked and rehearsed

Looks like it's going to be a busy but exciting few months... proper posts to resume now that it is January and the blogging holiday (also general computer and phone holiday) is over.

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Happy New Year

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Welcome 2009 and my 28th year. Yesterday I celebrated my 27th birthday with a lunch with a blogging friend (she was lovely and the lunch was lovely but I will protect her anonymity and reveal nothing further) and then a surprise visit to the BFI to watch Casablanca on the big screen. What a great day. There was even cake.

So, 2009 is the year of the wedding. Only 5 months and 7 days to go. And what a lot to fit in before hand (said time frame may also include a job change and a small operation and possibly even a change of address) but the great plate search continues merrily, the dress is going to be altered and gain a new underskirt and veil, the groom still has nothing to wear and, for once, I don't feel too panicked. Oh, famous last words... still, I plan to enjoy the feeling for as long as possible.

Happy 2009!

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