Only 10 weeks left

The past weekend I realized that there are only ten weeks left before it is my wedding day! It feels like yesterday that we began the count on nine months. I must say, at this stage almost everything is arranged and in it's final stage. I went for my second fitting for the dress and we had a meeting with the venue to finalize the menue and some details of the day.

The whole time so far it felt as if it is not real yet, and I asked myself when is this going to feel real? When do you think the idea of you getting married becomes a reality?? I must say, this weekend was the trigger for me! And seeing that we are on the topic of ten weeks till the wedding, make use of this checklist for ten weeks before the wedding to keep on track:

1) Select wedding rings and order engraving

2) Break in your new pair of shoes

3) Send invitations with a destination guide and the gift list

4) Check who needs a hotel room and ask your wedding planner to book the rooms

5) Decide on a photographer

6) Fine-tune the wedding procedure with your wedding planner

 

The wedding dress

Need I say more? We all know women and dresses, especially when it is your wedding dress. Where do you start with the design? I found it very inspiring to page through bridal magazines to get a picture and idea of exactly what I want and do not want. But other women know from a very young age exactly what their wedding dresses should look like one day. They have it all planned in their heads.

Because I decided that I want my wedding dress made for me, the first step was to get a picture of a dress that I would like. It is also nice when you can put different parts of different dresses together to create your own unique design. When you have the whole idea in your head, it becomes a little bit more difficult to put it down on paper. That is where designers come in handy. Luckily I got a complete picture of the way I want my dress. I also have a great designer who is going to make mine.

For others it is just better to shop around until you see the dress, already made, in bridal shops. One way or the other, the dress is a very important and exciting part of your wedding and you want it to be perfect. Luckily we have so many resources where we can search to put our dream wedding dress together.

Take a look at the following link. Maybe you will find your dress here:  Wedding dresses

Trash your wedding dress?

One of the newest trends for brides is to trash their dress right after the wedding. This involves to get it dirty, to get it wet, to drench it in the ocean or any other way to get it dirty! Now I am not quite sure that I would be able to go that far... The dress is such an expensive part of the wedding that I would not dream to harm it in any way.

Trashing her dress in the ocean

Another great example of trash your dress

Another couple trashing the dress in the ocean

Graffiti is also another option

Most people see only the fun side of this whole trashing your dress. You can get such fun and fabulous photos!! Some people reckon you have made your commitment to your husband and will not need your wedding dress ever again. Others also feel that your daughter will not wear it twenty years later, so why suffocate your dress in plastic and throw it in a closet?? Well, tell me what you think about this one...

Cutting down on wedding stress

Every bride and even the groom experiences some kind of stress in some stage for the big day. That is perfectly normal! The important thing is just to be able to handle that feelings very well and I would like to share a few tips for you to help with the stress levels.

1) Plan for the stress. Going into your wedding planning with open eyes will allow you to be pro-active. For some people, this may be seeking out a weekly yoga class; for others, it may be about focusing on eating extra well and getting plenty of rest. Exercise is also a great way to manage extra stress.

2) Make time as a couple. Even with everything you’ve got on your plate, don’t forget to make time for each other that has nothing to do with wedding planning. It may be a phone call during the day just to say hello, or having a glass of wine. It is so easy to focus just on the wedding that you lose the “spark” of romance that brought you together in the first place.

3) Face your emotions. As your wedding approaches, you may experience a range of uncomfortable emotions. This is natural; you are about to make the biggest commitment of your life and fears and doubts are natural.

And for me personally one of the best ways is to take three deep breaths and take a look at things again!

My feeling about the way I got engaged

Firstly I was totally taken by surprise.. Some people hate to be surprised, but I love it. My fiancee arranged with me to keep the evening open because he wanted to do something special for my birthday, which was the following Monday. So that was the first reason I didn't expect anything. He made a few stations on campus where we would go and sit for a while, each decorated with a rose and card. At the first station was champagne and roses and at that moment I thought "this is it!" But then we just drank the champagne and sat a while until we moved to the next station. There was another rose and card and a chocolate. After a while we took a walk and sat down again at the next place. Then he said well we should probably get going and get something to eat on our way. But he just wanted to make a last stop, on the roof of the library. Then I thought there would have been another station with a rose or something and maybe my birthday present. When we got up there there was nothing prepared and I was kind of disappointed! At the back there was some stairs and he said we must go their to take a look at the view from the top. I turned around to look and when I turned back he was on his knees. And I was totally shocked. There he was with the ring in his hands and he proposed. After that there was a whole picnic spot that he created and we sat down and ate something and had some wine to drink. It was so so so special and if had a choice in this I wouldn't do anything different! So I was really more than satisfied with the way that I got engaged....

Engagement ring surprise...

I was never the type of girl that had my wedding ideas in advance in my head. But one thing that I was very sure of for a very long time, was the design of my wedding ring. So when the time came that my fiancee and I began to talk in this direction, I started to collect pictures. These pictures would show him exactly what I like and what not. But not for one moment I thought that collecting pictures would be my only part in this whole process! He actually gave me a deadline for pictures and then he told me that I must trust him. I'm not going to deny that it was very difficult for me at first. Because it is my ring and I am the one that should wear it for the rest of my life, so of course I want to be part of the making. One thing that I actually admire of my fiancee is that he wanted to make the ring because he wanted me to be the only the one with such a ring on my finger. I saw that I stood no chance and it was not worth a fight or anything. So I just trusted him, gave him the pictures and waited. He had the ring for almost four months before we got actually engaged and not for one moment I got suspicious. And when the moment came and I saw the ring, it didn't even matter that I was not part of the whole process because it was exactly what I wanted!! This was the result...

Give your wedding invitations a personal touch or not?

I decided that I would like to make our wedding invitations by myself. One of the reasons is that it will be lighter on our budget but more important, I would like to give my personal touch to each and every invitation. About two months ago my mother and I went on a shopping spree for paper and material for the invitations. I found that it is better to buy in bulk. Now I have the materials, but need the time to actually make the invitations. I chose a rather simple design but it would still look classy and elegant. You will be amazed by the very different and exotic paper that is available! I found it hard to make the choice.

Here are just a few examples of invitations, for more follow the link http://www.celebration.co.za/services/wedding-invitations/

For me making the invitations myself is all part of the experience. What would you prefer if it is your turn?