Flowers

I had 5 florists on my list to check out around Hurzy and only 2 were open - d'oh!! 3 of them were closed during the Christmas and New Year shutdown.

I visited the florist in the Arcade, and one in the Westfield. I'm pretty happy, my budget is $500 for flowers and I think we can definitely keep it under the $500 mark! YAY! I mean flowers die anyway, they're only for the photos!! I really like the orange pink coloured roses (bottom bunch in pic above) bouquet tied with white ribbon and I was thinking white gerberas with red ribbon would contrast well against the bridemaid's red dresses...the groom will have an orange pink rose buttonhole and the groomsmen will have white roses buttonholes. The flower girls, Olivia and Clarissa will each have petals in a basket.

I was also thinking of scrapping the idea of having flowers on the bridal table...I love what this couple has done to their bridal table - its contemporary and chic!! I will probably go with Red letters with a red sheet going under the tea lights. Image from Polka Dot Bride.

I wanted to go to Bexley tomorrow to check out invites and the bridal shops but it seems everyone is (cept Westfield) is shut down for the Christmas and New Years break - oh well.

Short vs Long?

We have decided to go with RED as the colour theme of our wedding! I'm so excited cos red is a beautiful and bold colour and will contrast very nicely with my white dress. Also for the bouquets I would probably go for a simple white arrangement, the bridesmaids with normal bouquets and me with a teardrop shaped one :)

So now the big question, should the bridesmaids dress be long or short?? There are two dresses on asos that are red and one is a long maxi dress and the other a shorter one shouldered dress, both of which I love! So i'm not sure which one I would prefer...

I'm also on the hunt for a photographer...so many ones out there with awesome portfolios but are so exxy :(

I cant believe there are only 10 months til the wedding! gahhhhh

I have also decided on the bridal party but am thinking of when to announce it...

CHANGE OF WEDDING DATE!!

Our wedding date has been pushed forward to 3rd October 2010. A decision based on the lunar calendar lucky vs unlucky days. We have confirmed this date with the church and the reception venue :) Plus on top of that, it is a Sunday of Labour Day long weekend, hence our guests will not have to take any leave from work :)

Speaking of work, there is only 3 more working days til xmas break and I simply cant wait. I have decided to make Stir fry udon with prawns for xmas eve to eat with the family and lasagne and triple chocolate brownie for xmas lunch with all my relos!

I found this awesome filipino food blog called Panlasang Pinoy when i was looking for an arroz caldo recipe - which i am gonna try to cook this wednesday night, albeit the forecasted 29 degree day! I love the videos of this blog!!

Early Xmas Presents

Our xmas corner - its a very small cute tree? hehe the brown baubles are kind of hard to see in the pic and are camouflaged with the green leaves.

Today we went to the Seduce warehouse sale and I picked up two maxi dresses (300 each and down to 80!), a pair of strappy gold heels and a gold necklace. It's my early xmas present from Charlie :) I cant wait to wear them at the xmas parties this year!! They are at the tailors now getting the hem sewn up hehe






I am still itching for some flats though, I think i left my gold ones at my parents home, and I also want a tan coloured leather casual bag!! I have my eye on a witchery one, but $250? gah.

There are only 18 more working days til xmas break!! yay!!

Church. Check.

So we went to the church to meet Father Colin who will be marrying us next year! There is actually a fair bit of paperwork involved like chasing up an updated copy of my baptism certificate from the church in the Philippines (I don't even know how to speak Tagalog...) So we have booked the church for a marriage ceremony for 21 November at 2pm!!

My favourite bit will be going to the marriage preparation courses! I'm actually very excited as I've never been to anything like this before and am open and willing to go to these classes if it will help prepare a solid foundation for our marriage! hehe

I wish I had taken a photo of the church because it is beautiful especially because they have repaved the outside! It is also SOOO hot today, like 35 degrees im hoping it is not as hot as today!!!

Afterwards, we had lunch at the earlwood cafe and i also checked out Personalised Weddings which makes haute couture custom made dresses. They have AMAZING dresses but I dont think I want to fork out 3.5k for a dress (prices starting at 3.5k)...

We then had some cupcake at the cupcake factory which is a new store in earlwood run by Filos! They were delish!! I am definitely thinking about using them for the wedding cake cos they are not only cute but the bottom bit is so moist unlike some dry cupcakes i have tasted in the city! I took some shots with my iphone below...










Time to wrap up my xmas pressies...its so hot i hope the chocolate doesnt melt!!!!!!! gah.

No Veil

I have decided I don't want to wear a veil when I walk down the aisle! Instead I want to wear a headpiece or a headband...(been influenced too much by blair waldorf). Polka Dot Bride had posted up an entry on The Little White Dresser and her accessories are too cute!! My favourite is the pink flower with white leafy petals!

Jonathan Ong

OMG I have stumbled upon the most cutest photos ever!! I found these at polka dot bride and they are simply gorgeous! Jonathan Ong is soo talented!! I want to do these poses for my wedding/pre-wedding photo session!

Christmas Decorating!!

With exams over as of yesterday (YAY!) and the silly season upon us (only 4.5 weeks left of work for the year), I have the time to focus on wedding planning and Christmas decorating on the weekends.

It's my first Christmas at my new place and I am soo excited to start shopping for Christmas deco!! The Myer catalogue provided lots of colour ideas, silver and purple my favourite! Vogue forums also had a thread on colour schemes, and Country Road had some AMAZING baubles which I was close to buying but couldnt justify spending...I also love love these Christmas deco inspirations and love the whole minimalist look - if only i had a fireplace or a shelf like ones below!!

I'm thinking maybe a small tree, silver and purple or silver and blue or just white with gold accents...
With a $150 budget, I hope I find some really cute decos (and matching wrapping paper).

Love love these flats

I am on the lookout for a cute pair of flats for the upcoming summer season and i love love these ones by Therapy!! Aren't they gorgeous??

Reception venue selected!

Hurray!!

We have decided to have our reception at the Kirribilli club !!! YAY!

Finally...after inspecting some other city locations, we opted for Kirribilli for the view of the harbour bridge and city, the contemporary feel, the spacious and high-ceiling ballroom, and its proximity to Milson's point station as well as the botannical gardens :)

Now after having decided on the reception, we have put a deposit for Sunday 21 November 2010!! So we have decided on a date, very very excited!!

I have an exam coming up in 2 weeks, but once that is over, I will probably start looking at dresses and choosing the bridal party :)

Afer having read Cosmo bride and those brides that have spent next to nothing on their wedding keep saying, its only one day in your life. And its true, only one day...I think I'm more excited about the honeymoon!!

Spring wants

Saving for a wedding is never easy - between us both, our discretionary spending is $300. These days i only window shop which actually satisfies my fashion cravings, teaches me to shop around and to try on things i really do love, and to make wish lists:

1. Studded denim shorts
2. Slouchy tees/tanks
3. Bow hairpiece
4. Skirts
5. Floral dresses
6. Nude-coloured skirts/shorts
7. Patent Pumps

Wharf Restaurant

I have neglected wedding planning for the month of August with birthdays and oxfam trailwalker taking priority - now that's out of the way, we are still on the hunt for venues.

Last friday, we had dinner at the Wharf Restaurant in Walsh Bay. For the location, i'd rate it 9/10, it is a view of sydney harbour and the harbour bridge! For the food, i'd probably rate it 7/10 - we ordered the scallops for entree, pork and fish for the mains. For the decor in the restauarnt, I think the nautical theme is a bit too much for me - high ceilings made of corrugated iron, white chairs and tables (similar to that of a cafeteria) and wooden window panels. Plus it didnt seem large enough to hold 80+ guests...

And so the search continues...I have nothing lined up yet but will start compiling a list of potential venues. As for the church, we still need to book in an appointment...

To sleep good, eat good or save?

The groom and I were discussing whether to have our reception at a hotel, restaurant or function centre?

Basically the hotel would provide a room for the bride and groom included in the wedding package, they may also provide discounted rates for relatives that wish to stay in the hotel. Plus there is that whole sophisticated ambience inherent in a (five-star?) hotel!

The restaurant (e.g. ARIA, Orso Bayside) will guarantee good food. Good food makes people happy and will ensure the day is a happy memorable one rather than "the wedding was beautiful but the food was like cardboard".

The function centre will be saving us lots of dough. I've seen some pretty nice function centres (on paper, havent seen it in real life yet) that go for $66 a head!!! Amazing price!! And no doubt it is easy to find a function centre, close to home, providing easy access.

After discussions weighing the pros and cons of the tree types of venues (we will not consider outdoor venues such as the beach, simply cos I do not want to worry about the weather or a hair falling out of place due to high winds), we have decided to go with a hotel.

Now this makes my job a lot easier, just having to sift through Sydney Hotel's wedding kits and packages. YAY.

Chapter 1: Adam & Eve

This blog comes about because I'm planning my wedding, and it is quite an ordeal and although this experience could be stressful, it would be nice to reminisce down the track at how I started with nothing and hopefully see all components of the wedding fall into place! I have no idea where to start so I've purchased some bride mags to kick-off the planning. Cosmopolitan Bride A/W 2009 was the first magazine I bought and it came with a nifty purple planner which I hope will provide a decent platform for me to start planning!

First things first, a quick introduction - the hurzy sweethearts are a 23 year old tax-chick and a 24 year old train-boi living in a cozy little villa in the Sydney suburbs who have been dating for over 4ish years (5yrs come September). The proposal took place sometime in November 2008 on a jetty in Hervey Bay while bike-riding where the tax chick scored a simple yet beautiful tiffany diamond ring. No date had been set at the time - until recently where we have decided to tie the knot on 10 October 2010. Yayers :)

So far in relation to the planning, we have attempted to compile a rough guestlist (currently standing at an intimate group of 70 family and close friends), we are searching for the perfect venue and are thinking about who will be in the bridal party. Gah - decisions decisions.

Will keep you posted on the progress of the venues as I think it is the most important thing to check off the list at this stage. The difficulty is deciding whether to go for classic, contemporary or near water views...Currently my weekends are chocers full of bushwalking, cooking, and whatnot, but once I manage to find some time, I hope to begin making site visits at all the potential venues.

xx Colz