ZACHARY and CLARE

Programs.

2010-09-19T10:00:00.001+08:00

We decided to nix the readings at our ceremony, truth be told I know they are important but I get so incredibly bored if someone struggles reading through ee cummings or the entirety of "The Places You Go" by Dr Seuss.

Instead, Zac and I (well, mainly me) gathered some quotes about marriage, some prose, some poetry, lyrics from our ceremony songs and chucked it all in a booklet with our thank-you notes, vows, order of service etc.

This is the result:

Invitations.

2010-09-17T09:20:00.000+08:00

Now I finally get to show you our invitations!

Designed by the exceedingly talented Chantelle Malone, we thought they fit so well with our vision for our wedding day and we haven't stopped receiving compliments about them.

We got them letterpressed by a local printer who charged us a pittance and put so much of his integrity into his work. He is a fine example of a human being.

The envelopes were from Annie P Paperie and were slightly cheaper than other stores who carried the same line. They were all calligraphed by me, using white ink and a calligraphy pen that I bought from Riot Art and Crafts.

Steph (my now brother-in-law's girlfriend) sat with me one afternoon and we printed, cut and pasted the envelope liners into the main envelopes and rsvp envelopes (before Zac came home in time to object! Haha!)

The completed package:

Our Invitation:

Information Card & Map:

RSVP Card:

This is what got mailed out:

My handwriting on an rsvp envelope:

Thank You Card:

Seating Cards (big) were at people's reception seats and the Table Cards (little) were at the entrance to the reception and told people where their table was:

Guest book cards - complete the sentence!

PS. if you would like Chantelle to design your stationery (wedding or otherwise...) leave me a comment and I will forward her details to you!

PPS. Stand by for our ceremony programs!

Vendor Review: Jude & Gabbi (Identified Hair)

2010-09-15T08:00:00.000+08:00

What can I say? Jude is a dear friend of about 10 years, and Gabbi is a crazy woman who made my morning!

But let's be honest. This is allll about the 'DO

Let's get even more honest. I had no idea what Jude was going to do with my hair. We had decided:

1. Up, not down
2. Nana's Brooch
3. Not too vintage
4. But a little bit vintage
5. Nice textures

I don't think I even paid attention when she showed it to me. I have complete faith in Jude. She is an amazing colourist and cutter, Gabbi is the best apprentice in WA (officially) and together they are such a good team. It was also a cinch decision to book Identified for my wedding because everyone you see on my side of the bridal party (including my Mother) gets their hair done at Identified.

It's like some sort of cult. It's too good to resist. You should really just go there to get a haircut, a colour, watch movies, drink boutique tea/wine (depending on the time of day) and eat a little chocolate or five. Jude and Gabbi are both good to have a conversation with and I don't know how many times I've gone in hating the world/myself and walked out ready to take everything on again.

And the wedding hair that I didn't think about beforehand?

I only really saw it later on when I was looking at photos on facebook.

And wasn't it amazing?

She even used a mini crimper! :O

Hot!

Wedding dreams.

2010-09-13T10:43:00.000+08:00

I had the funniest dream the other night.

In my dream, I wasn't married and I don't think I knew Zac!

All these boys were asking to go out with me because they wanted to marry me - first is was THIS boy and then is was THAT boy. They took me all over the world and tried to make all sorts of things fun but I didn't want to marry any of them! It was getting very distressing!

I said, "I DON'T WANT TO MARRY ANY OF YOU!!!!!" It felt so real and so heartbreaking and horrible!

And then in my dream I said, "I think the only person I would ever really want to marry would be Zac, why aren't I with him? He's the one I would be happy with..." It felt like it was some huge resolution in my heart and all the distress of the dream went away, but at the same time in my dream is was like this impossible fantasy.

So in my dream I started to plan a wedding to Zac...

Then the alarm went off and for those few seconds where you wake up but you are still dreaming I kept planning the dream-wedding.

Then I woke up to my favourite dream, lying next to me and laughing at all the 'distressed noises' I had been making in my sleep.

I had already married Zac.

We had a beautiful wedding. It was a perfect day in all its simplicity

And now I'm happy and all is well in the world.

I have my man.

Text from a friend.

2010-09-11T11:28:00.000+08:00

The other day I got this text:

"Oh my gosh, total mumzilla. How am I going to survive the next 6 months??"

My reply:

"Breathe, respect, stick to your guns ;)"

Wedding planning; it's not ALL glamorous!

Dear Friend...

2010-09-09T23:27:00.000+08:00

Dear Friend who is dreaming about a wedding possibly in the future...

When I think of you I think of these:

via Design Sponge / 100 Layer Cake

There are always ways to do what you dream of, even if there isn't a lot in Perth to work with, if you need any help researching let me know because I am way too excited for you and would love to help! :) I don't know why there are so many chairs in these photos - but I think they are beautiful and that maybe you would appreciate all of them :)

ps. you know who you are!

My dream house.

2010-08-26T08:00:00.002+08:00

ARGH. it's owned by a fashion/sculptor couple.

DARN IT!

want.

so.

badly.

bay window.

*die*

via

Vendor Review: Post Emporium

2010-08-25T08:00:00.002+08:00

Post Emporium is the store in Perth where Aurelio Costarella's gowns and designs are sold.

It's an amazing little store in North Perth, full of curios, buzzing atmosphere and amazing fashion.

What really sold me on this place was Costarella's designs (obviously) and Ali and Vanessa.

Ali and Vanessa are the two ladies working in the store, I think I knew I would be buying a gown from there before I knew which one it was. Ali and Vanessa are That Good. The first time I visited I had tried on the Chrysalis gown in ivory and Ali had served me. The second time I visited, Ali wasn't there, but Vanessa soon 1. Called me by name and 2. Recited what I had tried on previously within a couple of minutes conversation.

Amazing service.

They also were patient with me while I tried on gown after gown, looked at a custom option and then finally found the dress I would end up wearing (Vanessa's suggestion).

If anyone in Perth could have snobby and awful assistants that you so often find in the Perth Bridal Scene (PBS), then surely Post would have that right. Instead you find the opposite, ladies who know their fashion, celebrate different shapes and styles and work with you to find something that will make you happy.

If you're sick of the PBS then pay a visit to Post, if only to regain your sanity so you can once again face the PBS with renewed confidence that eventually, yes, you will find something to wear to your wedding.

Vendor Review: The Old Brewery

2010-08-24T08:00:00.000+08:00

We chopped and changed our venue so many times it was ridiculous.

We were going to have an outdoor wedding in April, then a marquee wedding in July, then a church wedding with a cocktail reception, then a cocktail reception with a marquee, then we finally decided to look at function centres with restaurants. Then we looked at the Boatshed on South Perth Foreshore, Matilda Bay Restaurant and Aqua Viva in Nedlands. Then we looked at The Old Brewery and booked it.

Emily (the Wedding Coordinator at TOB) is a friend from primary school, so that was a nice surprise - sometimes it's weird seeing people from long ago, but Emily was so professional, very good at her job and always ready to listen to our ideas. No matter how much we got confused or mixed up, Emily was there to clarify, keep us calm and on schedule.

We loved all the staff at TOB, on our wedding day the waiter for our table was one of the best we've ever had in terms of attentive service (and for a wedding completely out of sight!). The Chef passed on his congratulations, which was really nice. All the other waiters and kitchen staff were amazing, the food was hot, on time and really well presented. It was so delicious that we would eat those meals again just for fun. Omg, that Snapper (with Saffron Mash & preserved lemon salsa) to die for.

Anyway, I'll stop drooling.

I loved the service at the Old Brewery. Again, I think we were a little hesitant at first because it was more expensive than other options we looked at, but I think in the end you get what you pay for. The Old Brewery is booked years in advance with a wedding every weekend (in Spring and Summer) and it shows. Emily knows how to work with brides and grooms. She knows all the little details and she is so ready to sit down and talk about your vision for the day and how they can make that happen.

Emily and The Old Brewery were so great, I'm so glad we got married there!

Vendor Review: NK Photography

2010-08-23T08:00:00.012+08:00

What isn't there to love about NK Photography?

Tasj has a great portfolio. I remember leaving our initial meeting and after searching through dozens of photographers, having a couple of meetings and seeing other photographer's work Zac very eloquently said, "her photos crap all over the others!"

Uhhh, yep. I married that charming man.

Anyway, back to Tasj.

She is charming and lovely and kind and extremely professional. Her work is amazing and there is obvious talent and training behind it but you can't help but feel like Tasj is still in love with love and I think that is what makes her so good to be around on your wedding day. She is celebrating with you.

She was never pushy, she never got frustrated, as patient as a saint when my family were having photos with us and EVERY. SINGLE. MALE. wanted to keep their sunglasses on.

We also loved having Teneil around (Tasj's assistant) I think they have a weird ESP thing going on because they work so well together and make a seamless team.

So if you're on the fence about booking a photographer, don't think about it anymore. It's worth paying a talented professional to have wonderfully beautiful amazing photos and Tasj, my darlings, delivers just that.

Bridesmaids.

2010-08-20T08:00:00.000+08:00

I had very good looking ~~bridesmaids~~ friends! Chantelle and Sarah looked absolutely stunning and even though the hairdo was painful (blow-dried, round brushed and back combed - eep!), I think it might have been worth it!

Dress: Aurelio Costarella

Tights: their own

Shoes: Wittner (Chantelle), Nine West (Sarah)

Necklace: Anthropologie

Hair: Jude Dierden for Identified Hair

Make up: Jane Wong for Beyond Aesthetics

all photos by NK Photography :)

Just Married Session.

2010-08-19T14:32:00.000+08:00

On Tuesday we had a "Just Married" session with Tasj - originally it was meant to be an engagement shoot, but on the day it was storming and dark like nothing else, so we postponed until after the wedding.

This is the result.

We themed the photoshoot around the early days of our relationship. Our first conversations were about Zac's guitar and his Mad Skillz. He fell in love forever when he found out I could bake.

The rest is history.

Zac is a rockstar. I am his groupie :P

First Look.

2010-08-18T14:32:00.000+08:00

We loved seeing each other before our ceremony, of course, it didn't help with any of the emotion when I was walking down the aisle - I still looked like a leaky boat!

Here are our first look photos :)

All photos by NK Photography

Zac. Pre-wedding jitters.

2010-08-17T08:20:00.000+08:00

Eternally grateful to Chris Noonan and his now fiancee Caitlyn (Congrats guys!) who took their camera along and watched Zac get ready.

Can't you just feel the FULL RANGE of emotion?

PS. SUPER proud that my man saw his hairdresser the morning of the wedding. Just for a style, mind you, grooms shouldn't be getting a cut on the day (just saying).

I haven't died and gone to honeymoon heaven!

2010-08-16T18:50:00.002+08:00

Hi world,

My computer is back online. I think I might even be back online.

Working on some posts as you read this for all the wedding debrief goodness you can handle!

xx
Clare

Honeymoon Happy Snaps.

2010-08-04T12:11:00.000+08:00

My God Aitutaki is beautiful. Paradise.

These photos were taken on a vivid colour setting and they STILL don't get close to real life.

Our villa at Etu Moana (AMAZING hotel!)

The tree we loved relaxing under

Lagoon tour fish. So pretty :)

Etu Moana (blue starfish) They were bigger than I thought they would be.

Holding a baby giant clam, so heavy I started sinking!

Adult Giant Clam, crazy colours!

Happy snorkelers!

More photos in one of my facebook albums :)

Favourite Memories.

2010-08-03T21:48:00.000+08:00

Sneaking up behind Zac down at the reflection pool at UWA.

Walking back down the aisle with my brand-spankin'-new husband and hearing his wacky uncle say , "ZACCY, YOU. ARE. THE. MAN!!"

We still laugh about that.

Having photos on the Jetty with Tasj, the sun in our eyes, my feet severely hurting in heels, eccentric family gathered around us and Tasj stopping everyone and saying, "OH MY GOSH, just a second, you know why I love this photo? There is a bird over there *points* on that pier."

We love creative people.

Our Dads' speeches had everyone in tears (of laughter) and Zac's speech had the ladies in tears (of jealously at him being so sweet and wonderful).

My husband is so, so thoughtful.

When we got back my Nana said that, "It was the wedding of her life", much to the chagrin of her husband of 60 years and my mother (her daughter).

It was a beautiful day.

We're home.

2010-08-02T11:46:00.000+08:00

Well, thanks for being patient while Zac and I honeymooned! Oh golly, we just had the BEST time away, then when we got back home we had a week or two to just unpack our little house and relax.

We love our new little home, we love our stuff and we love waking up next to each other every morning.

We have the most generous friends, unwrapping our gifts left our living room knee deep in wrapping paper and packing boxes, we're still cutting them up and filling the recycle bin 3 weeks later... Then we went out and bought a whole bunch stuff and had the same thing happen, but now we are the proud owners of things like vacuum cleaners, utensil holders, cushions etc.

I'll be back later in the week with some photos and favourite memories from our wedding day.

love Clare
XXOO

Wisdom Pt10

2010-07-24T17:53:00.001+08:00

I've decided to post some of the simple wisdom my married friends have shared with me over the past few weeks. Their insight, kindness and support was exactly what we needed in the last (mildly stressful) weeks leading up to our wedding.

The final instalment was my favourite piece of, well, not advice really - just a beautiful example of two of our married friends looking past the irritating things we all do and getting on with loving each other.

That (annoying) behaviour is just one of your quirks. And I love you for it!

Wisdom Pt9

2010-07-23T17:53:00.001+08:00

I've decided to post some of the simple wisdom my married friends have shared with me over the past few weeks. Their insight, kindness and support was exactly what we needed in the last (mildly stressful) weeks leading up to our wedding.

Just some random ones for today and tomorrow.

You might laugh all your wedding day and cry when you leave. That's ok.

Accidentally punching your spouse in the face when you're asleep. It happens.

There is such a thing as a two-sided quilt. One half is warmer than the other.

Wisdom Pt8

2010-07-22T17:53:00.001+08:00

I've decided to post some of the simple wisdom my married friends have shared with me over the past few weeks. Their insight, kindness and support was exactly what we needed in the last (mildly stressful) weeks leading up to our wedding.

Today's topic is children:

"Have some."

"They're a blessing, even when pregnancy is hard."

"Have at least half a dozen."

"Never let them forget that you loved each other before they came along! They'll add to the fun too."

"Practise making them."

Wisdom Pt7

2010-07-20T17:52:00.001+08:00

I've decided to post some of the simple wisdom my married friends have shared with me over the past few weeks. Their insight, kindness and support was exactly what we needed in the last (mildly stressful) weeks leading up to our wedding.

Today's topic is FIGHTING!

"Keep your voice quiet, it stops the fight from escalating!"

"Fighting always leads to great make up sex!"

"Never go to bed angry and always fight back."

"Never fight dirty, don't say things that will hurt beyond the argument."

"Don't go to bed without resolving a fight!!!!!"

"Win, even when you make it look like you're losing. ;)"

Wisdom Pt6

2010-07-18T17:52:00.001+08:00

I've decided to post some of the simple wisdom my married friends have shared with me over the past few weeks. Their insight, kindness and support was exactly what we needed in the last (mildly stressful) weeks leading up to our wedding.

Today's topic is the IN-LAWS:

"Honour them - they gave you your man!"

"Speak the best of them, look for the positives."

"Never let them cause arguments between you."

"Speak of them in love."

"Always love and respect."

Wisdom Pt5

2010-07-17T17:51:00.001+08:00

I've decided to post some of the simple wisdom my married friends have shared with me over the past few weeks. Their insight, kindness and support was exactly what we needed in the last (mildly stressful) weeks leading up to our wedding.

Today's topic is CHORES:

"Always share them."

"Put the music up loud and do them together"

"Divvy them up and share the load!"

"Share the household jobs, don't end up doing 'his' jobs because he doesn't do them straight away."

"Never let them come between you - better a messy house & happy husband than visa-versa."

"Always do the ones you hate when you're mad."

Wisdom Pt4

2010-07-16T17:50:00.001+08:00

I've decided to post some of the simple wisdom my married friends have shared with me over the past few weeks. Their insight, kindness and support was exactly what we needed in the last (mildly stressful) weeks leading up to our wedding.

Today's topic is "Old Boyfriends":

"Never think about them when you kiss."

"Always say how much more amazing your husband is."

"Never bring them up!"

"Old boyfriends don't matter - keep them in the past, the grass ain't that green on the other side."

"Keep their phone number handy." ;)

Photos.

2010-07-15T01:13:00.003+08:00

Not sure if our photographer will post anything (I think she's in Europe!) but if you want to be the first to see our photos, be sure to check out her blog:

http://www.nkphotographyblog.com/

Wisdom Pt3

2010-07-14T17:49:00.001+08:00

I've decided to post some of the simple wisdom my married friends have shared with me over the past few weeks. Their insight, kindness and support was exactly what we needed in the last (mildly stressful) weeks leading up to our wedding.

Today's topic is honesty:

"Be true to each other - take the time to get to the heart of things. Don't ever push things down."

"Answer tricky questions with a question of your own." ;)

"Honesty hurts, but it's better all round - it is always the best policy for a happy marriage."

"Honesty, always, always, always."

"Be honest about all the areas of your life."

"Never say anything too harsh about his mum."

Wisdom Pt2

2010-07-12T17:49:00.001+08:00

I've decided to post some of the simple wisdom my married friends have shared with me over the past few weeks. Their insight, kindness and support was exactly what we needed in the last (mildly stressful) weeks leading up to our wedding.

Today the topic is "Money" (that old chestnut!)

"Always let Zac think he is in control of the finances" ;)

"Never let money rule your marriage... it's really not as important as our culture says"

"Never worry about it, you've got each other"

"Talk about money openly and be honest. Unity on this subject will keep the peace."

"Ask Zac for money, even if you have some in your purse." ;)

"Always trust God to provide. Never be afraid to be generous."

Wisdom Pt1

2010-07-11T17:46:00.002+08:00

I've decided to post some of the simple wisdom my married friends have shared with me over the past few weeks. Their insight, kindness and support was exactly what we needed in the last (mildly stressful) weeks leading up to our wedding.

Today the topic is "The Wedding"

"Always CELEBRATE each year - Go all out... make it the most important date in your year"

"Enjoy your day- ban stress - if something doesn't go to plan just laugh"

"Never worry about what others think"

"Have a special moment by yourselves during the chaos of the day - soak it in!"

"Savour every moment - you only get to do it once + take a moment to be alone."

"Smile and stay calm if something goes wrong"

Us.

2010-07-10T00:41:00.000+08:00

Today is the day we get married...

Zachary and Clare 10 July 2007-forever

Street love.

2010-07-09T08:40:00.000+08:00

Dear Zac,

Only vandalism could express my love for you at this moment....

xx
Clare

Moving House.

2010-07-08T08:25:00.000+08:00

So yesterday we moved all our gear into our new house!

(WARNING: this post will have bulk exclamation marks!!)

It was tough getting everything in, but Zac called in a favour and we had heaps of people come and help us. Although, I think Ryan (his bro & groomsman) managed to spend the whole time putting together 2x ikea bedside tables with lots of blood sweat and tears... haha!

So all our stuff is in, besides our suitcases, some of my clothes and my bed.

Last night we unpacked the kitchen (our favourite room) and it was SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!

We're going to unpack everything else once we get back.

Also, today the couches and some of our wedding presents get delivered!! :)

oh, and yesterday the necklaces arrived! YAY!

Daft.

2010-07-05T20:38:00.000+08:00

My brain is addled, the last week has been shocking! Sorry for being a bad blogger and not posting... To my one reader, I'm truely sorry! haha!

Did I tell you about the Anthropologie saga? About how my friend in CA is shipping me some presents for my bridesmaids? Well, I ordered them 10/06/10 and they got sent out 2 days later to Ali.

6 days later I check the postal tracking and I realised something horrible. I sent had sent them to the wrong address. It wasn't completely wrong, just 1 word was wrong - I had written "Sea Mist" instead of "Ocean Mist".

As Ali emailed me, "Same body of water, different word, sweetie."

Seriously.

So I emailed and emailed and emailed Anthropologie and they finally got back a week later, letting me know that they had received the package back and would I like to correct the address? At the same time Ali emailed me, "We're going away in 3 days (the 1st of July) for 10 days.. any word on the package?" So I emailed Anthropologie back, Yes Please, OCEAN Mist and Make it Overnight Express.

Well, they didn't send the package for 2 days. Wonderful! *sarcasm*

Ali and I emailed back and forth. Thank God she has a cat and it needed to be fed while she was away, because she organised a friend to take care of it. She sent the package and while it's cutting it fine, they're meant to be arriving this Wednesday. One month later.

Sigh... my brain has turned to mush!

via

It seems I'm not the only one, Zac spent last weekend down south with his mates. He went down with a developing cold and the next evening when I spoke to him briefly, he mentioned swimming, the ocean, boating, lack of jumper (it fell in the ocean) and, wait for it....

Sea Biscuiting.

He still has a cold, it has developed into a fully-fledged man-cold.

We also took a trip to the Physiotherapist this morning to get some work done on his shoulder because one of his friends decided it would be great to drag Zac behind the boat at 30 knots. Of course, Zac flew off and landed on the rock hard Indian Ocean, shoulder first.

So he's strapped up, with 2 more sessions to go before Saturday and warned not to lift anything.

Too bad we're moving house on Wednesday and Thursday.

This week is so messed up.

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Tomorrow.

2010-07-02T11:14:00.000+08:00

via

Tomorrow I'm going to a bridal shower the girls are throwing me. As per usual, they are VERY good at keeping secrets and I have no idea what's going on.

Thanks in advance to Chantelle and Sarah for being so lovely!

Speeches.

2010-06-27T01:24:00.000+08:00

As far as speeches go, this one has to be up there with the best!

"Come let us go, let us see, throughout a thousand worlds weightless love awaits..." so romantic! But then, can it really get any more romantic than a prince marrying a commoner? I always knew fairytales always had a seed of possibility in them...

Accessorizing.

2010-06-24T10:22:00.000+08:00

Last weekend the girls and I went out to look for accessories for their dresses. Honestly, I am realising more and more than it's not that I just don't like styling fashion - I'm clueless! I feel so sorry for my girls because I can't look at their outfits and know exactly what I want/what would look good/what would work. I'm terrible to go shopping with!

So, after about 3 hours traipsing around the city we came up with these ideas:

The Dress:

The Legs:

via

The Shoes:

Either...

or...

We're leaning toward the latter

The Arms & Shoulders:

At first we really wanted a capelet/bolero/shrug but we just couldn't find one that would be appropriate to wear all day/that was nice/that was in AUSTRALIA. The girls are inside most of the day, so in the end we decided just to bring along a cardigan and they won't wear it during the ceremony....

The Waist:

We got our dresses from Aurelio Costarella's sale. We decided to style them with doubled-up belts a la Costarella SS08/09. We chose light grey and cream coloured belts to lighten up the look... They look awesome.

The Jewellery:

This necklace is from Anthropologie and adds a little bit of visual interest to the simple dress... and I think it's just pretty.

Jazz.

2010-06-23T11:59:00.000+08:00

"Well you can't have a dream and cut it to fit... But when I saw you I knew... We'd go together like a wink and smile" - Harry Connick Jr

Excited.

2010-06-22T10:27:00.001+08:00

Oh the count down is well and truly on... Sometimes I still feel like I'm marrying Zac in 6 months time, or a years time, but definitely not 2-and-a-half weeks.

via

It's a funny thing, being a bride-to-be. On one hand people expect you to be SUPER-DOOPER EXCITED and all you talk about is weddings 24/7. I've known brides like that, there isn't anything wrong with it at all, but as a bystander you do wonder what happened to the rest of their life. Then the other thing is that if you do get super-dooper excited about your wedding, the details, creative things (that require precision) people are very quick to bring out the word "bridezilla" which is like a slap in the face if you're trying to stay normal while planning your wedding.

I am so excited to marry Zac, you have no idea. I'm just so aware that when I'm having a conversation with someone they may not want to hear about my wedding... they may just want to talk about books or religion or boys or friends rather than discuss the intricacies of whether my florist is grumpy or not.

I'm so conscious of showing my over-the-top excitement that I think people think I'm a bit too chilled out about the whole affair.

Except the people closest to me. They know I'm keeping it in. Sarah and Chantelle tried to get it out of me on Friday while having a coffee at Tiger Tiger.

"Sorry," I said, "If I let out my excitement now, I will make a fool of myself and everyone in this cafe will stop and stare at us."

So we're going down south this weekend, all us girls. And we're going to let out my excitement on a Winter Beach somewhere....

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Honeymoon.

2010-06-21T11:42:00.002+08:00

On Thursday night we had a major glitch happen with our honeymoon. The last leg our flying if from Rarotonga to Aitutaki, flying Air Rarotonga. We had scheduled everything pretty well considering there are such limited options for connecting flights from NZ-Rarotonga-Aitutaki

They emailed us saying they had had to bump us from our Aitutaki flight to an earlier flight, the only problem?

Our Air NZ flight didn't touch down until after the new flight had left.

Well, we emailed them back, saying that yes, it was a pretty big inconvenience as we would now have to find accommodation on Rarotonga for the night, cancel a night on Aitutaki [ :'( ] and or leave 2 hours after our reception (not ideal!) and spend all of Sunday in airports. Ugh!

So we emailed that to Air Rarotonga, our hotel on Aitutaki giving them a heads up as to what might happen and we researched hotels on Rarotonga and found a couple of options.

The next day Air Rarotonga emailed us back, they hadn't realised that it would mess us around that much so they canceled the whole thing, got us back on our original flight, delayed it by half and hour (in case the Air NZ flight runs late) and generally backflipped.

Which is lovely of them, I don't think a major airline would ever do that. But I think Zac may have some gray hairs now, going through that little 12 hour experience!!

Fabric&Light.

2010-06-21T00:37:00.001+08:00

via

Makeup.

2010-06-20T13:50:00.000+08:00

Loving these looks for makeup, but I have no idea what will work out....

I've never been very adventurous with makeup, whenever I get mine done for an event they always seem to give me a smoky eye. After a couple of hours though, that smoky eye starts to look a little whinehouse-esque and I end up with makeup all over my face.

I think what I appreciate about these looks is the bright/light shadow on the eyes with a prominent liner and nude lips... Kinda clean looking.

I especially love that third picture.

Ps. I was naughty and saved these pictures without a reference. If you know where they are from, let me know!

Puppies.

2010-06-19T00:12:00.000+08:00

What is even the point of having pets unless you can dress them up for your wedding?

Image #1 via , Image #2 via Image 3&4 via

Seriously, our Alsatian could wear that pearl collar, she is the most delicate sissy-dog I have ever met. Zac's King Charles Cavelier would rock the bowtie, he is so sophisticated, he even drinks coffee. Lattes only though...

Brides-people.

2010-06-18T00:26:00.000+08:00

Chantelle and Sarah are the best bridesmaids in the world! Not only because they are so helpful, supportive and encouraging but also because they are such good friends and are helping keep it real and lovely in their own unique ways.

Taken while on a retreat in New Norcia... I have no idea whose sunglasses I am wearing!

Love you girls!

Jason and Aaron are the best bridesmen in the world! They listen to me rant when I need to vent and they make understanding noises and say funny things that make me laugh all the time.

Taken at Perth Domestic, just before Aaron moved away..

Love you bros!

Money.

2010-06-17T10:00:00.000+08:00

From an email conversation yesterday:

Clare: Also, I've transferred the money from our wedding account to our credit card. Thanks for the reminder babe! What would I do without you?!

Zac: Go bankrupt.

Clare: Touché

Hair.

2010-06-16T02:18:00.001+08:00

Last week I sat with my Nana in what was probably the last warm sunny day for the next few months. We sat on her back verandah and went through piles and piles of family jewellery. I listened to all the stories, all the history that is kept in non-descript boxes.

We were looking for something I could clip to hold back my fringe and I narrowed it down to these lovely things:

The sure don't make things like they used too.

I took this box to Jude and we've narrowed it down to 2 brooches that we'll modify into hair clips and we'll just decide on the day which one to go with. I'm not wanting to go tooooo vintage-y, just something nice and simple I think...

Welcome boxes.

2010-06-15T14:10:00.000+08:00

Last night I stayed up writing some notes, I had such fun drawing and writing, I have never successfully drawn a aeroplane, so I'm quite proud of these ones! I've included information like phone numbers, a general map and a few places where we think they can find the best coffee/cake/Italian/sights.

sorry for the rubbish phone pic...

I have this idea of using my friend's MAIL ORDER HOME-MADE BAKED GOODS to accompany the note.

The boxes are always beautifully wrapped with brown paper and string and I'm going to tuck in a little par avion mail envelope under the string and have a travel-themed package waiting for our friends and family when they arrive.

white chocolate and raspberry blondies...

dark chocolate fudge brownies...

brown paper packages, tied up with string...

all 'miss jones' pics from the Miss Jones website

I don't think anyone will complain, those brownies are to-die-for good. Maybe I'll get some date, walnut and chocolate chip cookies too. Just for me.

Ribbon.

2010-06-11T00:13:00.001+08:00

Remember how I was pining about a certain ribbon a while ago?

Well Zac just called me and guess what? HE WON IT! It's worth $445!!

We are now the proud owners of 45 metres of gorgeously black and white striped ribbon. Some of it will go around my bouquet and Zac's boutonniere, and I'm sure we'll figure out what to do with the rest! Big thanks to Wedding Style Guide for picking Zac to win!

Poor Zac is now wondering why the only thing he has ever won is a darn RIBBON and not a guitar... haha!

via

Life is beautiful...

1 Month.

2010-06-10T00:00:00.001+08:00

Dear Zachary,

One month to go until we get to be married! How wonderful!

Right now we are super tired, sick, busy and stressed, but just think - in three weeks you'll be finished that long, long prac. The day that it finishes, your friends will kidnap you to Dunsborough and my friends will kidnap me to a bridal shower and then...

then it will be the week we get married...

and then in a few more days, we'll be husband and wife...

and then in a few more days after that, we'll be on an island...

Just you and me.

Always,
xx

Two Presents.

2010-06-09T23:21:00.000+08:00

I had ordered a present online for my bridesmaid, now the company emailed me to say that's they are backordered.... until August.

That's not very helpful!

BUT>>>> I found something else I thought they may like.

BUT>>>> They won't ship that particular item to Australia... unlike everything else :)

I'm going to contact a friend in California to see if she can help out, otherwise it's back to the drawing board.

BUT>>>> Sarah gets back from India tomorrow, so (in a way) I don't really care about all this stuff, I just can't wait to catch up with her for the first time in about 3 months. Seeing her will be a gift in itself.

Amazing Lake Hotel in Udaipur, India. via

This week.

2010-06-08T23:22:00.000+08:00

Well, this week has been a bit of a write-off!

I've got a cough that won't quit and Zac has some crazy stuff going on with his ATP - like getting his students ready for a visit from K.Rudd at his school tomorrow night. There goes his lovingly-planned teaching programme!

As far as wedding stuff goes it's ALL LOGISTICS, ALL THE TIME.

Via This Is Glamorous

We have been working out deliveries and pick up of flowers, furniture, people. Where are things placed in the reception room? Is there something to hold pens for our guest book? (Thanks Lisa!) Seating charts. RSVP management. Extra invitations. Following up internet orders. Calling around for photo location permissions (expensive). Registry updates x2. Post-wedding admin (insurance, cars, internet, phone etc etc). Confirming who are our go-to people on our wedding day and clarifying their roles. Packing belongings into boxes and clearing out cupboards. Re-plating my engagement ring so it's nice and sparkly and new-looking for July.

It's all happening and most of it is mundane, but necessary.

T-minus 31 days. Wooooohooo!

Sleuth.

2010-06-03T11:37:00.001+08:00

We have been getting RSVPs in my mailbox all of this week, however one arrived yesterday without a name on it. I had read somewhere that you should number your RSVP cards in case this sort of thing happens, but I only remembered once we had sealed our envelopes. Toooooo late.

So, the Sherlock in me will begin sleuthing:

Clue #1: Postmark.

Visible word "REGION MC" across the stamp. Black envelope makes it hard to see, but ink is shiny. If I hold envelope just so I can make out the word "HUNTER", so altogether it says, "HUNTER REGION MC".

Conclusion: RSVP is from NSW, this means that it is a member from Zac's family or it's Kym Rolle, probably not Stephan and Carla because they live in Sydney, probably not Di, because she lives a little more north than the Hunter, although it is entirely possible her mail went through HUNTER REGION MC.

Possible RSVPers: Clare family, Scarfe family, John and Pat Gageler, Alan and Donna Gageler, Di Gageler, Kym Rolle.

Clue #2: Ink stamp.

I can make out a square border in the centre of the envelope at the top. So I hold the envelope under a halogen lamp, yields great results. I see a rectangle border with "30 MAY 2010" written within... I also see the letters "AMP" further along, which I can only assume is the end of "STAMPS". Why does it say stamps? Is this a vital piece of the mystery that I am missing. I MUST FIND OUT. Closer inspection reveals a jumble of letters, the ink is already starting to degrade... "AL" "ISE". OH MY GOSH. IS THIS A SUBURB OR SOMETHING? No, it just says "PERSONALISED STAMPS NOW AVAILABLE". Darn advertising.

Conclusion: This RSVP was sent 30th May. Not much to go on, really.

Clue #3: The way the dot was done.

Ball point mark was meant to be a dot, they didn't tick. This must have some psychological meaning but I have no idea what it could be... Sherlock would probably say it's because they are a neat person - a girl perhaps, or a boy who can do away with unnecessary flourish. The dot has been gone over a few times, possibly to make the ink darker. Ball point pens don't work so well on the soft cotton paper. The frustration is evident, I can see they've gone over the same spot 2 or 3 times. This must surely have a psychological meaning, but I don't know what it could be...

Conclusion: Not much really.

Clue #4: Writing on RSVP card.

Black ball point pen used, no name, no number of guests. God forbid they have an allergy to peanuts because we'll never know their dietary requirements! And, they are attending our wedding. Yay! If only we knew who they are and how many there are.

Conclusion: Kym Rolle did not send this RSVP. She is arty and creative, she would have whipped out all sorts of pens and because she is creative and knows it, she would have written her name all over that junk. The Clare family's RSVP would have been written by Michelle, who will at least have written the amount of people coming along (which we know to be 4). The Scarfe's family response would have been so thorough that they also would have written how many were attending, they are very thorough people. I'm betting John and Pat Gageler would have written their names and dietary requirements and that they are both attending.

Possible RSVPers: Alan and Donna Gageler, Di Gageler.

Final Conclusion:

This RSVP was most probably sent by Alan Gageler (which would explain the frustration of grinding the ball point pen over the same spot and missing the other things to fill out. Perhaps he was frustrated because he had already filled out an online RSVP before he got the invitation and didn't want to do it again?

OR, it's Aunty Di, who was so excited by getting the invitation (as she has mentioned on facebook) that she grabbed the nearest pen, realised it didn't work and in her haste and excitement forgot to write whether she is allergic to peanuts or not.

Case Closed.

Irritating.

2010-06-01T10:47:00.007+08:00

"It’s easy to view your wedding as one long to do list but it’s vitally important that you don’t make decisions (especially regarding visual elements) without considering other aspects to ensure there is a thread of continuity running throughout your celebration. For example, it’s easy to rush out and buy a dress before you’ve really thought about items such as your venue or entertainment. However, the style of your dress should be heavily influenced by your venue and how formal your celebration will be. This in turn will effect the type of entertainment you choose, the style of your flowers and even the type of menu you serve. As bizarre as it sounds, it’s really important to consider all of these items together because if you don’t your wedding will lose its sense of flow and can end up feeling as though it has lost it’s soul."

Not only is the grammar lacking, this is the sort of anonymous, un-nameable pressure that girls get from magazine writers and wedding planners who blog. I LOVE planning parties and events, flow and theming come easily to me, but (excuse me if I say it out loud) a wedding's "soul" is the love of the bride and groom and their families and loved ones. Rant over.

Dates.

2010-05-26T01:10:00.000+08:00

image via ffffound

Go here for 50 great alternatives to dinner&movie.

Don't forget to date the one you love :)

PS.

2010-05-25T20:01:00.000+08:00

Zac's suit arrived along with his parents and about 100 photos of Hugo Boss stores all over Europe - just to rub it in, I think?!

The suit fits. Thank God. Zac looks great in it and the fabric feels fiiiiiiiine.

via The Man

If my dress budget was $25K more, this Vera would be lovely to try on... via.

Oh, and I got my dress pinned today so that it can be altered. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this for anyone remotely thinking about buying a dress (wedding or otherwise). Just having it fit properly, hemmed and shifted slightly made me fall in love with my dress, I liked it before, but now I am really excited and I feel much more confident wearing it.

Drive.

2010-05-25T19:39:00.001+08:00

So this is google maps from the last couple of days.

We hit the central suburbs together on Sunday night, Monday night I hit the southern suburbs, this afternoon was north&east.

via

Driving clears my head and that's exactly what I needed this week - just getting away from work, singing, being amazed by Safety Bay at midnight, Waterman's Bay at midday, kangaroos in a field near Ellenbrook, Darlington pine trees, wondering if you'll make it home before you pee.

I have 2 invitations left to deliver. I need to re-do their envelopes, woooops.

RocknRoll.

2010-05-23T12:55:00.000+08:00

This is Zac.

photo by Cassie Smith

He's very attractive isn't he? Especially when he plays his guitar. I think our first conversation was about that guitar, I think I asked if I could touch it, or look at the birds or something and he just looked at me as if to say, "As if."

Haha :)

He is probably really embarrassed right now. Too bad!

This week.

2010-05-20T23:47:00.001+08:00

So this week is going faster than expected - which is becoming a regular occurrence as we get closer to the wedding...

We have:

Paid our photographer in full. Goodbye money, it was nice knowing you. Hopefully you will come back and say hello when you have magically transformed into kick-ass photos!

via Natasja Kremers blog

Talked about weddings with our friends (single and married) it was great just to laugh and chat and know that the problems we're facing are universal.

Printed out table numbers. That's right, we're getting into the nitty-gritty now, this sort of task typifies how I feel about so many of the little wedding tasks. BORING, YET STRANGELY EXCITING.

from Martha & Darcy

Finished painting the glass vases for our flower arrangements. Finally.

Visited our printer again, I'm picking up our invitations tomorrow... Kind of nervous/excited to see the finished product!

Prayed I would win a competition that would give me 100m of wide, striped, grosgrain ribbon. I'm so cheap.

via Wedding Style Guide

Zac bought some cufflinks and a belt. They are very classic and manly. Like this guy here:

hot hot hot

Checked the mailbox everyday for a revised quote from our florist which still hasn't arrived.

via Decorology

Drew out how I see tables and rooms set up. We're getting to a stage where we are seeing things work differently and then we confuse each other about what exactly we are doing with the place cards and cupcakes and other stuff? Drawing it out always helps me to clarify with myself and helps Zac understand what I'm talking about/seeing in my head.

Been listening to Johnny Cash to relax. This song cracks me up every time, I'm not usually a big country music fan, but I always make time for the man in black. What a legend!

We are both working so hard at the moment so that we don't come back to chaos when we get back to work after the honeymoon. At the moment I just want big sky, nothing to do, stars and waves and sand and shade and aeroplanes.

via A Cup of Jo

Hung out with friends at Youth and made a fool of ourselves being 'bad' in leather. Yep, we're THAT cool.....

Kisses & Keats.

2010-05-19T00:14:00.000+08:00

all images from Le Love

"You are always new,

the last of your kisses was ever the sweetest."

- John Keats, taken from a love letter to his sweetie...

Handkerchieves.

2010-05-18T20:56:00.000+08:00

My mum's mum is the sweetest, she wanted to take on a crafty wedding project so that she could be involved in our wedding. What a darling!

After some too-ing and fro-ing about what to make (uhh, can someone tell me what a 'dilly bag' is?!) we came up with a solution that was both classic, meaningful and not too difficult.

This is the result.

In the corners are my grandma's wedding date and their initials, my mum's wedding date and their initials and my wedding date and our initials. She embroidered one for herself, for me, for my other grandma (with her wedding date etc) and my mum. I'll give it to them before the day so they can bring it along.

They'll probably end up being more practical than pretty, we come from a long line of criers :)

Hair.

2010-05-17T21:14:00.001+08:00

Stopped by Jude's place on Thursday to pay for something and then she FORCED me to sit down and read through some magazines and find pictures that inspirrreeeeddd me.

I hadn't really given my hairstyle a thought. Usually I say, "Jude do whatever you want," "Jude I want a fringe, do whatever you want," "Jude, blonde, do whatever you want" and that's it!

Now I have to think about my hair. It sucks. What a pain.

Here are the pictures I photocopied, Jude showed me the Victorian/Leia/Queen of Clubs and although we won't go that extreme, I like the look.

texture and folded and tucked hair. love.

I love the way the fringe is pinned here. Now I need to find a brooch. I want an onyx one...

I have my hair trial the week of the wedding, I'll post pictures then :)

Fun times.

Loving.

2010-05-12T00:15:00.000+08:00

This week I'm loving this video from Austria, combining two of our favourite things, snorkeling/scuba and walking in fields...

Two Months.

2010-05-11T13:27:00.000+08:00

Wow.

Two months to go, today.

It feel weird that I'll be married to Zac... that we'll be moving out of home, paying our own bills, cooking every night. Sometimes I get caught off guard, as if to say "is this really happening?" It's kind of like I never expected that I would get married - haha! Whenever we order furniture, or assemble it, I feel like we're still 'playing house' rather than getting ready for something real and huge and bigger than just us two.

I guess that sounds like I'm airy-fairy about the whole thing, I'm not. We're floating on air, but we're bunkering down too. We're getting emotionally prepared, we're working on our communication, how we fight, talking about all the little things that we can so we go into our marriage with as many clear expectations as we can. That kind of sounds sterile, but we are just learning more about each other every day. As painful as that can be, it's wonderful too. Couldn't have asked for a better future-husband than Zac.

So yes, in 2 months time we'll be at the altar (or a black table, whatever). I'll be wearing a dress, he'll be wearing a suit and our friends and families will be watching us say vows to each other. Amazing.

2 months.

8 weeks.

61 days.

Tomorrow we'll be able to say, 1 month, 30 days (if we wanted to). It feels strange and so close to say 1 month!

The thing I'm looking forward to the most? Not having to drive home at the end of the night. That 20 minute drive home kills me every time.

I can't wait to say goodnight instead of goodbye.

Weather.

2010-05-09T00:08:00.000+08:00

Been checking the long range weather for a couple of years now. It's silly really, you can't control it, so why worry about it?

Our venue is beautiful when it's raining, and everyone is undercover, so there really isn't a problem... I think I'm just curious.

I wish I could understand this rain forecast:

from Elders

This Week.

2010-05-06T10:47:00.000+08:00

The past couple of weeks we've been busy little beavers.

Our cupcake boxes arrived, and saved us a pretty penny because Ebay is so much nicer to us than a brick-and-mortor store, about $50 nicer. Unfortunate but true. I almost had a picture but we ate the cupcake too quickly...

I had another meeting with the florist this week. I had emailed her the pictures that I showed her in our initial meeting, but she thought they were really different? Went in to clear up any confusion and hopefully bring the price down by simplifying the bridesmaid's bouquets. Found out all sorts of lovely information like when we can pick the flowers up etc.

We sent our paper off to the nice, scatterbrained man at the Print Shop. We are getting some films made up at the moment which he will turn into plates and then magically - voila! - Our invites will be done. Probably a week later than I initially hoped. I have been addressing envelopes all week. Sick of it. But I feel a great sense of accomplishment. I still have to line and stuff them....

I bought my girls a gift. It's on it's way. I hope they like it.... but I won't post a picture because they both check the blog. Haha, sorry Sarah - sorry Chantelle!

We had a meal tasting at The Old Brewery with Mum, Lisa and Phil. It was lovely and will make a good Winter lunch. I got full very quickly and promptly got grumpy because I needed to sleep it off. I'm glad I found this out before the wedding day. Poor Zac! I won't each as much on the day or else I will be like a sleepy winter bear! Sorry no pictures. Was too busy eating.

We also found out that they have changed the carpet and painted the big, huge, ugly red wall in our function room. I am thankful for small mercies. I had no idea how to decorate with that red wall clashing with all the neutral tones in the room. Yik!

Did I tell you we found some friends with nice cars to use on the day? I can't remember, but we have. They are even grey-coloured. How coordinated is that? I do feel a little bit bogan though. Riding in a Holden. Haha!

Photo via

We filled out our Notice of Intention to Marry form. Laughed when we had to tick Yes or No when it asked if we were related.* Mentioned to Paul Morrison about getting together to talk ceremony specifics. Trying to find a time to talk with him about it is like nailing jellyfish to a wall. Impossible! Haha... love that guy :)

Perhaps the biggest thing this week is that Lisa and Phillip bought Zac a suit in the UK, again. The UK is a much better friend than AUS. About $600 worth a better friend. Here is the suit on an model who has a seedy-looking-porno moustache:

from Hugo Boss UK

Perhaps the best thing about Zac getting a suit is that we can know for certain that he will be wearing something at the wedding. No more jokes about wearing his 'birthday suit'.

*We ticked 'no'. Just clarifying.

Ninja.

2010-05-03T11:15:00.000+08:00

Yesterday we ventured into the city yet again, guess why? To look at suit stuff again.

We always end up at Hugo Boss concession in David Jones.

We always get served by the same young man.

It's embarrassing really, he knows what Zac is going to ask about now, before we even say anything.

So this time we decided to go to Myer instead. But yet again, we are drawn to Hugo Boss. Ridiculous.

So we're flicking through some suits, looking for sizes. Zac takes one to their little change room to try on a jacket and as he comes out, GUESS WHO WE SEE?

That's right. David Jones assistant was in MYER!!! Argh!

So embarrassing. So we high-tail it out of there to David Jones to make sure that we have a shopping experience without looking like Hugo Boss Desperados.

So I visit the Clinique counter at David Jones and then we make our way up to Men's Formalwear.

And we're walking toward Hugo Boss when all of a sudden WE SEE HIM AGAIN!!

We dodge behind Ben Sherman and make our way through Armani Collezione, past Ermenegildo Zegna, Ted Baker and around the corner to Studio Italia to try and see if he's still in Hugo Boss.

And he's gone.

Like a thief in the night. He appears and disappears like a ghost haunting us in our pursuit of white shirts and ties.

Our personal ninja shop assistant. So strange!!

Avenue.

2010-04-30T11:30:00.000+08:00

The time has come.

Anyone who has been in the loop about the couches we want knows that it has been a titanic struggle of back-and-forward decisions... not about which couch to get, but what fabric we should get it in.

It's hard when you haven't lived in your own house before.. when you haven't developed your own sense of decor-style.. when you have 'warm neutral' on the wall, but you like soft grays, charcoals, bright white walls and rustic, weathered woods.

Yeah, try deciding on a couch colour with all that swirling around in your head! Zac would occasionally visit me in Freedom during my lunch break. We would flip through the fabric swatches and argue about what to get.

He didn't want a light-coloured couch. I was ok with white.

Leather or fabric? Fabric at the moment, although we prefer leather.

"What about Essence - Pepper?" he would say, "No, it is dark brown and has orange flecks in it. It's too tribal for me. Besides, the Malones and the Dineses have orange and brown decor." I would reply.

"Custom fabric from another range?" I would suggest, "No, it costs more and I don't like them anyway," he would reply.

So it went on like this for, oh, 8 months... by which time all my Freedom friends thought I was the most pedantic, silly girl when it came to couches.

But yesterday. Oh sweetest of days. We found a fabric.

Zac came in to drop me some lunch money (another story) and I whisked him off to the back of the store to show him some dining chairs that were covered in....

A dark charcoal fabric...

With...

A neutral-coloured fleck peeking through...

"Yep, I like that" he said.

"Really! Yay! I like it too!" she said.

(2 hours later over sms)

Clare: So you're cool if I buy those couches?

Zac: Sure. Go for it!

(10 minutes later)

Clare: we have couches!!

Here are the couches, the range is called 'avenue':

Both of us can sit side by side on that armchair! It's big :) Below is the 2.5 seater, which 3 or 4 people could fit on... it's also big!

Here is the fabric we chose:

Biggest furniture saga ever = over.

Here to Stay.

2010-04-28T22:07:00.000+08:00

We love our jazz standards. In highschool I feel in love with Louis Armstrong and wished that I had been born a few decades earlier. Maybe 5 decades earlier! I always wanted to be with someone who appreciated Jazz.

What do ya know? I'm marrying a jazz music teacher. Funny how things work out...

We've chosen this song to play while we sign all our documents during the ceremony:

Ladies and Gentleman, Gershwin Bros by way of Billie Holiday:

Glitches.

2010-04-27T15:16:00.000+08:00

Not everything goes to plan when you're planning anything. What I mean by that poorly constructed sentence is that I love the little glitches that have happened during our planning - the change of venue, a photographer being booked out, Post not having the dress I liked in my size, not printing our invitations back in November.

Each time something has gone wrong, we've found something even better, that suited us more, that worked out better value, something that we absolutely love.

Not everything goes to plan and that's just fine by me!

ps. I have no idea where I got the above image. Let me know if you know where it's from, or if it's yours!

Young.

2010-04-23T12:08:00.000+08:00

Earlier this week Zac mentioned that he saw an interview on Sunrise about young married couples. Koshie seemed to be a bit surprised that people would willingly and considerately choose to get married young.

I can relate to the couple in the interview - everybody's reaction to finding out that we are getting married and our age is always the same, "Oh my god!! But you guys are so young!" People have this general idea that getting married at a young age restricts your freedom, you'll never be able to travel, you won't be able to have a chance to get the career you want to have and you won't get to 'experience' life (whatever that means, I think how you choose to experience life is a highly personal thing!)

It's true, we are young compared to the national average and there are certain disadvantages to getting married young - life experience is at a minimum, Zac will still be studying full time for 6 months so only one us will be working full time. We haven't got established careers and we'll be moving out, getting married and living with someone new for the first time in our lives.

Not to mention babies. They just absolutely freak me out. How many methods of contraception can you use at any given point in time? I'll let you know.

That being said, we have been very careful about this decision, we knew we wanted to get married about 2.5 seconds into our first conversation but we waited 3 years because we knew that we wanted to be sure about this person, about how we worked together. We wanted to share a lot of views about all sorts of topics and we wanted to get past that 'honeymoon' phase in dating and have some real doozies of arguments so we could see how we would act under pressure.

We started working on our relationship, talking about topics we would never thought to have talked on before** expectations about what role we would take in a marriage/household management situation, discovering what we bring to our relationship and celebrating our differences rather than trying to make a copy of ourselves.

We have had pre-marital counseling, we discovered some things that we are very strong on, some things that aren't so strongly developed** and why. Talking with an complete stranger with whom we could be comfortable sharing everything, was so refreshing and hearing a different perspective (while it wasn't always right for us) was challenging and fun.

I think there are some very definite advantages to getting married young. I think it's great to move out together into a new house and develop patterns of living that involve another person - it helps that we aren't so independent and stuck in our preferred method of running a household, we get to make those sort of decisions together. Another thing is that we will have a combined income while we are still young. Sure, we might not make the wisest of financial decision but we'll save a heap too. Travelling together is something we're both looking forward to - I prefer to be with someone I know when I experience new things - no matter whether it's NYC or camping at Margaret River. I'm sure there are other benefits, but this is already a long post!

You can watch the interview here, don't worry - it's not very long and the psychologist makes such a funny face when she thinks the camera isn't recording ;)

**Obviously, we're talking about babies and parenting here. ugh.

This week.

2010-04-19T18:57:00.000+08:00

We had the best time last Tuesday, I can't believe it has been a whole week since we celebrated! Time flies when you're having fun I guess :)

This week marks one of the major deadlines I had in my head. We had wanted to get all of our major planning done by the time Zac started his prac and guess what, that day was today! Which means it is 11 weeks until we go down south with our friends (separately, of course. Girls only at our place thanks!) and 11 weeks until we move houses, 11 weeks until my hair trial, 11 weeks until the last week of being single. It really doesn't feel far away now!

We have most of our stuff done, now it's just a few little things and Zac's suit. I know, I know we still don't have anything for him to wear on the day. Zac keeps joking that he could just wear his birthday suit, but yeah. Probably not the greatest idea, especially being Winter - haha!

We have booked an appointment with The Old Brewery to taste our menu - yum yum! We bought our wedding bands, and our paper arrived! It smells so good, there's nothing like the smell of good stock.

Chantelle has been a busy beaver designing, designing, designing and I am going to the printer on Friday with Ann and Chantelle to swap wisdom and be inspired by our mate Phil. We'll be dropping off the paper and designs so he can make plates. Maybe in a couple of weeks I can show you photos of our invitations being letterpressed!

Venues: Town Halls

2010-04-17T12:09:00.000+08:00

On Fridays I am going to be posting about some venues in Western Australia. It is hard sifting through hundreds of different websites when you are looking for a wedding venue, so hopefully this will help someone out there! Let me know if you are hunting for something specific and I will try to help out.

This week we are looking at town halls! These venues are often underrated and with a little bit of sprucing up they can look magical. I think town halls suit a couple who want a very personalised wedding - let's face it, town halls are a bit of a blank canvas! The key to getting a town hall ready for an event is lighting, lighting, lighting - whether it's soft candlelight or a huge rig to light up a dance floor it doesn't matter, but fluorescent lights never did anyone any good! The best part about town halls is that they are generally cheap to hire.

North Perth Town Hall

This is a quaint town hall in the trendy area of North Perth. I have fond memories of a friend's 30th party here where she had one loooooooooong banquet table covered in butchers paper and candles, with a saxophone busker on the stage with a single spotlight on him as he played. Baileys, donuts, cigars and dessert were served, it was the last stop of a walking-multi-venue-party and it was amazing. My friends throw the best parties!

Via Google Maps

Website: http://www.vincent.wa.gov.au/1/6/1/facilities.pm

Leederville Town Hall

This town hall is another historic venue and much like North Perth, you can make it suit whatever style you want.

via

Cost: from $66/hour

Website: http://www.cambridge.wa.gov.au/content/Public/Leisure/What_can_I_do/Leederville_Town_Hall.aspx

Perth Town Hall

This venue is HUGE and has several areas fit for a party. I would love to see someone use one half of this space for a ceremony and then move into the second area for the reception.

via

Cost: 6am-6pm $130/hour, 6pm-12am $160/hour

Website: http://www.cityofperth.wa.gov.au/web/Living/Community-Services-and-Facilities/Perth-Town-Hall/Hiring-the-Perth-Town-Hall/

Guildford Town Hall

Gorgeous Art Deco building in Guildford that can hold 200 people.

Image 1 via, Image 2 via

website: http://www.swan.wa.gov.au/docs/documents/1214/Guildford_Town_Hall_421032.pdf

Fremantle Town Hall

Victorian-era hall with beautiful main area, foyer staircase and gallery seating. How cool would it be to have a gospel choir singing in the gallery as guests arrive?

Image 1 via, Image 2 and 3 via

Cost: 8am-5pm $80/hour, 5-2pm $140/hour, 8am-2am $1050

Website: http://www2.freofocus.com/services/html/halls_town_hall.cfm

Happy 21st

2010-04-14T01:43:00.000+08:00

Dear Zac,

You are the best a girl could hope for. I like that you play real-life where's wally with me when you wear the red and white t-shirt. You rock.

"there he is! Found him!"

Happy birthday :) :) :)

Love Clare

Glass Vases.

2010-04-13T14:45:00.000+08:00

image from Martha Stewart Weddings

We really want to emulate this table arrangement from Martha Stewart Weddings (spring 2008) but we weren't able to find any cheap, black, glass vases. One of my colleagues from Freedom suggested searching at Gone Bazaar (a knick-knack store) and getting something there.

They didn't have any black glass, but they had a plain vase that was roughly the same size/shape we wanted, so we bought one and I painted it the other day.

What we used:

Black opaque glass paint 50 ml, $2 from Art Attack (this was enough for 2 vases)

Vase, $5.95 from Gone Bazaar

Step one: Clean out the inside of the vase. Martha recommends doing this with rubbing alcohol, I used a, eerrrr, paper towel... Rubbing alcohol will get rid of grease and dirt, though. If you're doing this, probably best to go with the rubbing alcohol.

Step two: Pour copious amounts of black glass paint into the vase. I was worried about losing excess paint, but I figured that in the end I could just drip it all back into the pot - which is what I ended up doing. I kept adding more paint into the vase; it made it easier to do the next step.

Step three: Twist and swirl the jar around until every part of the inside of the vase is coated evenly. The lip of this vase was a bit tricky to get it covered without going onto the outside, but we got there eventually!

Step four: Let it dry. The glass paint pot said 3 days and it was touch dry within a couple of hours. I also turned the vase upside down every so often because I noticed the paint was slowly starting to gather at the bottom of the pot, it wasn't really noticeable but I am a perfectionist sometimes...

Voila! Black vases. Finally.

Exciting.

2010-04-11T20:15:00.000+08:00

A little sneak peek of something special:

That is all :)

Inspire me.

2010-04-10T20:17:00.000+08:00

This week I'm loving:

This quote:

via

This Blackboard:

via

This idea:

via

This cupcake:

via

...And this cake:

via

Finally, these cheeky shadows:

Via

Venues: Outdoors

2010-04-09T15:00:00.000+08:00

This week we are looking at outdoor venues in Perth, we'll focus on gardens later on, so these are just venues for hire with a killer outdoor space.

Camelot Theatre

This is such a great art deco theatre in Mosman Park. It has a great outdoor cinema area that is lined by pencil pines and I always imagine a gatsby-style party here, with exposed light bulb string and champagne coupes flowing around. Maybe you could show some classic black and white films throughout your party... I think there are tonnes of options for this space.

via

Website: www://camelot.com.au

Quarry Amphitheatre

This Quarry is used for ballet and theatre performances and is in a central-ish location in City Beach. It has an inherent beauty and is such a unique and special venue! I can imagine the side rock lit up and a clear-span marquee at the bottom so you could admire the venue all night.

(1) via, (2) via, (3) via

Website: www.quarryamphitheatre.com.au

Point Walter Recreation

So there aren't many pictures of this venue, but it has the most incredible outlook over the river and beyond to the city. It's perched on top of some limestone cliffs (near where I used to jump off into the river as a kid). You can just see through the buildings to make out the river... I think this would suit a more casual wedding where you had people stay overnight or for a whole weekend of fun.

via

Website: www.dsr.wa.gov.au/pointwalter

Paper Pretty.

2010-04-06T20:47:00.000+08:00

Been loving these styles recently, they are providing inspiration for our own design which we are yet to see. Chantelle is designing them and we know that they will be lovely!

We love the calligraphy, borders, modern interpretations of old fashioned ideas, patterns, colours, unexpected details...

from Studio on Fire

above: see the typeface we bought in action?

from Bella Figura

I love the envelopes in this suite, I wish I could buy them separately! Maybe Zac could buy me this desk set for my birthday?! Perhaps!?

Via Elum Designs

Can't wait to see what our invitations will turn out to look like... I just love surprises!

Note to Self.

2010-04-06T12:40:00.000+08:00

Dear Self,

Remember when you first started dating Zac and the fun in life was all you cared about, and you baked every 2nd night because it was just so darn fun and then you woke up about 200kg heavier one day?

Well, opening the book from hell and making MAPLE SYRUP CAKE WITH MAPLE MERINGUE AND PECAN ICING doesn't help your weight-loss endeavours because now you will want to eat the leftovers for breakfast.

Just saying.

Yours sincerely,

Self.

**UPDATE: I resisted until 3PM, when I had a piece with a cup of tea**

Venues: Wineries

2010-04-02T20:07:00.000+08:00

Today we're going to look at some sweet wineries around the Perth metropolitan area. I have been trying to find another one that is more than a shed-with-vines, but it's too draining to trawl the internet - so without further ado:-

Sandalford Winery

Sandalford winery is HUGE and they have a few different options for wedding ceremonies and receptions. My favourite is the Oak Room, which has walls lined with oak barrels. I know in the US, there is a 'barn wedding' craze but we don't have many barns in Australia and I think this would make such a nice alternative for a rustic/chic wedding.

Photos via Sandalford Winery website and here.

The Sandalford website has 360 panoramic views of each of their spaces, so I won't double up -here are my top picks:

Durack Room: On the second level, with french doors, balcony and rustic styling. 80 seated guests.

Underground Cellar: Similar to the oak room, but less wood around the place - I could see a more modern celebration happening here. Seats up to 250 guests.

Of course, there are also the lawns (Merlot and Verdelho), so expansive and beautiful.

Website: www.sandalford.com.au

Millbrook Winery

Millbrook Winery has a gorgeous function room on their 2nd floor that has a deck overlooking their lake and vines. The function room can cater for 100 people (seated) or 150 (standing) and is decorated really nicely, wooden floors, stone detailing, high ceilings and a fireplace - really light and airy.

Photos from Millbrook Winery website and The Wedding Network.

Website: www.millbrookwinery.com.au

100.

2010-04-02T01:09:00.000+08:00

Woah, when we wake up tomorrow we'll be in double digits.

But who's counting? So much to do before that hits zero!

Alice.

2010-03-31T22:20:00.000+08:00

I know I'm a little late on the band wagon, but I love Alice in Wonderland!

I saw it a couple of weeks ago and I was expecting the amazing makeup, the wonderful computer graphics, the quirky interpretation.

What I wasn't expecting was the A-M-A-Z-I-N-G costume design.

Alice herself goes through about 6 costume changes (from what I can remember). We can all thank Colleen Atwood for combining whimsy, imagination and beauty into her costumes for this movie.

Here are some stand outs:

Alice shrinks and her petticoat becomes a dress, so nice!

My favourite, the Mad Hatter whipped it up :)

Notice her cute little slippers with bows around the ankles? Great detail!

I LOVE fashion sketches!

images via Rebels Haven, alice kingsley livejournal and flickr

A lot of things going on.

2010-03-31T00:10:00.000+08:00

Sorry for the lack of posting, just had heaps going on this week!

Work has been crazy and we have been trying to smash our wedding-related task list so that when Zac goes on his teaching prac in a couple of weeks we're in the best possible position to focus on that, rather than wedding stuff...

In other news,

This bouquet is beautiful:

Wedding Style Guide via Polka Dot Bride

This shoot is where I want to be:

via A Glamorous Little Side Project

And we have found a font we like.. it's kinda girly, but not toooo flouncy, a little musical (think Bass Clefs) and Chantelle has already bought it because we liked it:

Jessica Hische

Consoles.

2010-03-25T22:51:00.000+08:00

From what I can decipher from the email Orielle sent me, those console tables are $28 to hire.

For both.

Done.

love.

2010-03-24T23:57:00.000+08:00

I am so in love with this man.

My heart gets that funny achey feeling just looking at photos like this....

Brides in the News.

2010-03-24T09:53:00.000+08:00

So wrong. Why is it that that these women are driven to crazy by planning their wedding? I say they should go visit Meg to get some sane back.

Headline: "ANGRY BRIDEZILLA TRASHES US BRIDALWEAR SHOP"

Stand Out Quote: Three men later turned up at the store accompanied by the bride-to-be and a huge brawl erupted, in an incident caught on CCTV ... mannequins in the store were picked up and used as weapons.

Headline: "LEANNE WALKER'S DRUG EMPIRE PAID FOR BRIDE'S BIG DAY"

Stand Out Quote: Police said the drug money helped paid for a stretch hummer to come from Melbourne, bridesmaids' dresses and the wedding cake.

Headline: "LESBIAN BRIDE SHARON HANCOX ARRESTED"

Stand Out Quote: Her lawyer, Steve Burnell, said she did not "fully appreciate" that the stiletto was in her hand when she lunged at Mr. Jenkins.

Furniture.

2010-03-23T20:53:00.000+08:00

Legged it to the south of the river this afternoon to visit a few small stores to see if they would consider lending/renting me some of their furniture. My theory being that it may be easier to rent a couple of black queen anne console tables (on the cheap) from a small business owner than from an established hire company.

I visited:

French Vanilla, Applecross

They have 2 rounded console tables, but they are that 'shabby/chic' white. After seeing some lovely black furniture they had, I think I am convinced that black will work better within our colour scheme. They just look a little more streamlined and masculine, the shabby/chic look is very, very feminine and we aren't the biggest fan. They didn't seem opposed to the idea of renting, but I decided to call back later because they were moving the shop around.

Orielle, Como

I have driven past this store so many times, but it was only today that I realised they had changed the signage in their window to "Orielle White Wedding" and now have an active hire business. They have quite a few pieces of French-style furniture, a website and they have 2 black console tables that we can hire (no pictures unfortunately). Still waiting to hear back from the lady as to how much they will be to hire.

This chaise lounge is quite nice: hire price is $180. I can't deny it would look lovely for some photos and somewhere to sit while champagne and canapes are being handed around.

Black furniture: See how it is a little more understated? Still quite strong, though...

Their typical wedding set up, apparently they can cover the chairs in whatever fabric you like. That's a pretty cool hire feature. You can see a white version of the console table in this photo:

They also have this birdcage that caught my eye, not that we need it. I can't decide if it is more impressive, rather than pretty. Do you know what I mean? A bit over the top for my taste.

all images from Orielle

A couple more places to go and see:

Corner Store, Claremont

Queen of Theme, North Perth

All that being said, none of these things are essential to getting married, I won't even be worried if it doesn't pan out. Although, the former Events Girl in me says, "Why not try if you have the time?"

Float.

2010-03-20T23:47:00.000+08:00

This is one of those, "If we were getting married in Summer...." things.

What a nice way to visually represent how you can feel when you're head-over-heels-floating-on-air love. Could totally see this as a ceremony decoration in the Pioneer Women's Park in Kings Park, or on the South Perth Foreshore or at Voyager Estate in Margaret River.

Via Apartment Therapy.

Created by landscape architect Gustafson Porter for the 2008 Venice Architectural Biennale.

New Series.

2010-03-19T22:03:00.000+08:00

On Fridays I am going to be posting about some venues in Western Australia. I enquired about so many venues when I was looking for somewhere to get married and it was hard because there weren't many places that you could just google that had a huge list of contemporary or nicely styled venues. It is hard sifting through hundreds of different websites, so hopefully this will help someone out there! Let me know if you are hunting for something specific and I will try to help out!

So without further ado - here are some venues that I think would suit someone looking for old-world charm, with some modern sensibilities. These particular venues have both a lovely outdoor garden area and charming inside rooms for other functions.

Peel Manor House

Located outside of the metropolitan area, this venue has a lovely garden area and a nice driveway to arrive in. The inside of the house is a little old fashioned, but it's finished in neutral colours and you could decorate it really nicely. You can book accommodation at Peel Manor House and there is a beautiful lake area that would be nice for an outdoor ceremony.

Website: www.peelmanorhouse.com.au

photos via Peel Manor House

Cottesloe Civic Centre

Another popular wedding venue, because golly, look at that view!! The huge grass area overlooking the Indian Ocean is gorgeous, the ceremony staircase is romantically styled (Zac and I even explored there just before we got engaged!) the formal gardens offer a whole bunch of outdoor reception areas, marquee areas and there are indoor rooms if you prefer (or if you think it will be cold at night). The whole complex is style, style, style... I love the Civic Centre, even if no one else is around and you're just exploring with your honey :)

Website: Cottesloe local government

photos via (1) (2) (3)

Caversham House

One of the more popular wedding locations in Perth, but of course, there is a reason for that reputation. Beautifully maintained limestone walled formal gardens and a beautiful french-styled interior in the reception area. Did I mention this place has it's own boat and dock if you want to use it? Oh, did I also mention it has a massive waterfall you can walk behind? So beautiful...

Website: www.cavershamhouse.com.au

All photos from Caversham House

Pranks.

2010-03-17T17:10:00.000+08:00

There is a horrible tradition on my Mum's side of the family that I am really hoping doesn't carry through to our wedding day...

Pranking.

My Aunt Katherine, who was working in a lab with rats doing science was greeted on her wedding day with two chauffuers dressed as rats. They whipped off their costumes to reveal suits just before they walked into the church, but golly what a shock!

My Uncle Kevin HATES cats. He woke up the next morning to cats crawling all over his car, someone had tied some bait fish to the engine block.

My Aunt Michelle was blocked in her driveway by two Luigi's (i.e. "Sava da Money") with flannel hats, bonds singlets, work shorts and thongs telling her to "backa away from da car, donna scratch my car wid your car!"

I think she yelled out, "YOU BASTARDS!!!" and ran after them. The whole street came out to watch and laugh and clap. The Luigis had their suits in the trunk too...

The ultimate was my poor mother, who married last. They didn't do anything, but on purpose. My poor mum was fretting about it the whole day, wondering what they would do!

That is why I am being very tight lipped around my extended family when it comes to how the day is running and what is being planned. Hopefully the first exact information they know will come from the invitation! haha :)

It's hard being secretive around my Nana, but she is the worst! She loads the guns and then blames everyone else for firing....

Tennis Fail.

2010-03-16T19:23:00.000+08:00

I played tennis against a wall today. I think the wall won!?

SIGH.

Lacoste, via

One day I will be a tennis-playing-Stepford-woman. With pearls.

Gala Darling

Also: unrelated but amusing

Cherie.

2010-03-16T08:45:00.000+08:00

I want to live in Paris in the Springtime, riding bicycles, eating macarons, trying on dresses, skipping down stairs and taking off under a big bunch of pastel balloons!

Earring update.

2010-03-15T10:39:00.001+08:00

I went into Oroton during my lunch break again on Saturday and bought the second pair of earrings that I posted about (the pearls). They look great, really happy with them.

The gentleman in the store was VERY excited that I was getting married. Here is how the conversation flowed:

me: Hey, I'm trying to decide between a couple of pairs of earrings, but I'm leaning toward--

him: NO! those ones are TOO GAUDY for a wedding, you want to be CLASSIC, CHIC, you don't really want to be looking back in 20 years and asking, "Why did I wear those earrings?"**

me: Uh, yes - that's why I was leaning toward these ones - do you think they are a good size?

him: Yes, absolutely, CLASSIC, CLASSY! What is your dress like?

me: It's an Aurelio Costarella--

him: OH MY GOD, COSTARELLA!! *dying noise* was it expensive?

me: Uh, no, cheaper than some monstrosities I tried on in the bridal stores...

him: Wow, oh that will be amazing. When are you getting married? Where at?

me: July, at The Old Brewery

him: Oh wow - Winter wedding! I think I've only been to 1 Winter wedding and that was when I was like 6 or something. OH MY GOD, THE OLD BREWERY IS SOOOOOO NICE.

me: Thanks

him: So what made you pick July?

me: Well, my fiance is still studying and there is a uni break then, plus we both really like Winter

him: What does he study?

me: He is doing a Jazz degree at WAAPA and an education degree at ECU.

him: ECU? Isn't that AGES away? Does he have to drive far? I study marketing and advertising.

me: The WAAPA campus is in Mt Lawley, so it isn't too bad.

him: Oh cool, JAZZ IS SO COOL. I'm a drummer, but I could never do Jazz, too fast.

me: Yeah, the drummers are insane!

him: So your fiance must be pretty young huh?

me: Yes, *slightly embarrassed* he is 21

him: OH MY GOD - how old are you?

me: *even more embarrassed* I'm 24 - slight cougar

him: NO WAY, that's not a big difference, but you guys are so yooooung!!

me: I know, "young love" and all that. It's pretty sweet. Zac says it's all about the person, rather than the age, though so I'm sticking with that!

him: Oh yes, definitely, and if the GUY is saying that then it's all good and it's all on!

me: Uh yeah, I guess so!

him: Ok, are you a member of the "O Club"?

me: No...

him: Oh you should be, definitely. OH MY GOD!!!! I'LL SIGN YOU UP UNDER YOUR MARRIED NAME!!!

me: Ok....

him: *squeak* how do you spell it?

me: g-a-g-e-l-e-r

him: There all done! Let me know how it all goes!!!!!!

me: thank you :)

I seriously, wasted so much of my lunch break in there. But it is nice when people are excited with you...

**hopefully this isn't what I will be thinking about in 20 years?!?

Ode to Floor Time.

2010-03-13T09:57:00.000+08:00

I have a list of things that I love about Zac.

I know. I'll just let that revelation of dorkitude sink in for you.

Anyway, this list started when I was still scared about being in a relationship that I saw 'going somewhere' to reassure me about all the things that I loved about Zac, so I wouldn't talk myself out of it. I've added to it and sometimes I look over it to feel all those 'falling in love' feelings again.

Right now, Zac is having 'floor time'.

It's funny, he gets annoyed, frustrated or overwhelmed and he hits the floor. Some people call it a "Dead Man's Drop" but we call it Floor Time.

Floor Time is so endearing. I love it. Sometimes I join in. Things really do seem better when you're lying on the floor with the one you love......

So Floor Time is going on the list :)

Etiquette.

2010-03-12T01:06:00.000+08:00

I was remembering back to about a week after we got engaged, Zac and I walked in the door after church and my parents had some friends over. Dad and Mum explained that we had just got engaged and Donna said, "Congratulations" to Zac and "Felicitations" to me.

I thought that was pretty cool and she explained that traditional etiquette was to say 'felicitations' to the lady because you wanted to celebrate her happiness, rather than congratulate her on her 'achievement' of advancing up the social and economic ladder.

I had heard of some etiquette do and don't requirements before, but this one was new to me.

4 Months!!

2010-03-11T13:17:00.001+08:00

Oh my gosh!

It's exactly fourth months until we get married.

Time absolutely flies!

Earrings.

2010-03-11T10:15:00.000+08:00

I am going sans necklace on our wedding day, I'm thinking I might wear some drop earrings and possibly a bracelet (but I'm not sure about the bracelet).

I saw these in the Oroton store during my break last week and they look nice.

Oroton 3 Hoop Crystal earrings. $150. Via

These are a bit more classic:

Oroton Audrey Pearl and Crystal earrings. $65

These are from an online store that copy celebrity earrings. I've always liked this style of earring that Oprah wears:

Hollywood Style Oprah earrings. $34.95

Any thoughts?

Bubblegum.

2010-03-09T23:23:00.000+08:00

I'm loving this look, not sure if I could pull it off, but I like it regardless!

Via Junebug Weddings

Altar.

2010-03-09T00:44:00.000+08:00

I'm not sure how we are going to decorate our ceremony area, we really want the view to be the main visual interest, but I keep feeling we need to dress the space, somehow.

At the moment, we are thinking a console table would look nice with a couple of flower arrangements. That way we can have a cool piece of furniture to sign our documents, rather than a poxy cafe table covered in 2x tableclothes and a coloured overlay. Something like this, perhaps even black?

Lucite or glass?

Or some blocks

photos from: 1) Corner Store 2) Elle Decor 3) Freedom 4) Style Me Pretty

or just some tall flower arrangements?

Decisions, decisions....

This week.

2010-03-07T16:02:00.000+08:00

Woops, haven't done one of these for a while! The last few weeks have seen us complete the following, looking back it seems like a lot!

Met with Chantelle to talk about our invitation suite, finalised our wording etc.
Picked a new colour scheme for our wedding day. Golly, I love planning parties!
Met with Sweet Floral, Applecross Studio Flowers and Lesmurdie Florist and Gifts regarding our flowers. Expensive, wishing I could be talented enough to do this myself.
Paid the deposit for The Old Brewery
Chose the music for our ceremony and reception - Zac is a legend! We are really happy with our ceremony songs. Jazzy and sweet. Maybe I'll post on them later...
Found a makeup artists - Jane Wong, recommended by my friend, colleague and fellow bride-to-be Bonnie
Bought Clare's shoes, yes I got them. This new season in shoe-land was really uninspiring. Too many buckles, studs, velvet and horror. As Sarah so aptly put it, "one side of the shoe says SWEET, the other side is WHORE WHORE WHORE". Yeah, not great for a wedding. Considering dyeing them to be a little less "bridal".
Picked up Clare's dress, Zac has not seen it yet. Miracle.
Went out a few times trying to find bridesmaid dresses - proving to be a difficult task! Morrison, Myer, Review, Aurelio Costarella, Alannah Hill, Forever New, nothing nice in our price range so far.
Bought a bed frame, mattress and linen with money we had saved and gifts from our engagement party
Acquired a 2 year old washer and dryer from a place down the road for $80. Bargain!
Got a free-standing wardrobe from Freedom that they were going to chuck out (because they didn't want to pay for delivery anywhere). Free. Bargain. We are going to put it in our entry as a linen cupboard/extra storage.
Booked in hair appointments right up until the wedding. I heart Identified Hair.
Wrote all of our thank you cards from the engagement party. We are still handing them out - bit of a nightmare!
Adjusted our guest list, task list and budget in response to our change of plans. Not so fun. Loving google docs though, so handy to have one copy, rather than always sending each other updates!
Paid off the flights for our honeymoon, now it's only 1 more night of accommodation to organise and everything for our honeymoon is done...
...besides my passport, started filling out the application. I promise I have started, Zac!

Aurelio.

2010-03-06T08:26:00.000+08:00

I simply love Aurelio Costarella's designs. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Clearance sale on Monday, we're going shopping for the girls, but I'm secretly hoping there might be something for me, too!

This one below is probably my favourite, it's on sale, now it's only $1000 because no one has been able to fit in to it, it's a size -1. le sigh. The beading on the bodice is perfect and the layers of fabric in the skirt are dreamy......

All images from Aurelio Costarella.