Wedding Planning Meetings…

I’m very much still in denial about how time seems to be flying towards the wedding…

I spent Tuesday in a series of wedding planning meetings – 10am cake lady, 12pm stationer, 2pm florist.  It was a really busy day and I was frazzled by the end of it but do feel much better for doing it.

Firstly, I have a cake! (Plus I may have convinced myself to get a few cakepops for the children…)

Sneak peek...

Secondly, I’m 80% of the way there with flowers (just struggling with inspiration for the bouquets and buttonholes but I have lots more ideas now thanks to the flower fairy).

Finally, the lovely Teri will make samples up of the stationery I need by May! She even came up with an ingenious way to use the little wooden birdhouses I bought.

In other news, the bridesmaids are sorted apart from their jewellery which I’m about to order, my veil and tiara have just arrived in the shop and I need to stop buying table decorations 

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End of Dukan Phase 2 – Week 2  Stats:

• Weight – 151 pounds 147.5 pounds! (-2 pounds)
• Waist* – 35.5 inches  34.5 inches  (-0.5 inches)
• Hips – 42 inches  41.5 inches  (no change)

* I measure my waist around my belly button, not at my natural waist, as this is where my weight tends to accumulate and where I want to lose it from!

Wedding Cake… Almost a decision!

Following various lengthy discussions with my mum and a flurry of emailled pictures, I think we *may* have come to an agreement about the style of the wedding cake.  It’s been hard because I really wanted a pale green cake with the sugar flowers done in white but mum doesn’t think a coloured cake is either elegant or wedding-y (don’t shoot!  her words not mine!).

This was an echo of the same arguments she made about coloured wedding shoes (and I let her have her way on that one, because it wasn’t something I was particularly fussed about either way)  so I told her I really wasn’t sure what she meant this time and that if she didn’t like the cake designs I picked, she needed to be more specific about what she didn’t like and provide example of what she did like.  Which apparently, is a blue cake with white icing a la Wedgewood style… So, coloured icing and not in a colour that matches my theme. *sigh*

However, whilst we iron out our remaining differences, here are the cakes that made my shortlist.  Minus the one I think will be picked (because that’s a surprise!):

1 – Like the style of the flowers on this one…

2.  Like the colour scheme of this one, particularly getting the colour in via the use of ribbon around the tier separators:

3.   I loved the style of this one and the way the flowers are arranged but it has been the least popular one with the rest of the family!

What I *can* tell you is that there is an element from each of these cakes, albeit a tiny one in some cases, to be found in the final design.

On the subject of cake, or the lack of it…

End of Dukan Phase 2 – Week 1  Stats:

• Weight – 151 pounds 149.5 pounds! (-1.5 pounds)
• Waist* – 35.5 inches  35 inches  (-0.5 inches)
• Hips – 42 inches  41.5 inches  (-0.5 inches)

* I measure my waist around my belly button, not at my natural waist, as this is where my weight tends to accumulate and where I want to lose it from!

Exciting parcels… Birdhouses…

Look what turned up in the post today!

I’m wondering whether to customise them or leave them plain.  BUT they are adorable! Very pleased I chose to buy them – now I just need to decide what I’m going to do with them!

Square or Round Wedding Cake…

This entry is probably of no interest to those of you who had or plan to have cupcakes!

Did you have (or are you having) a round wedding cake or a square one?

When I went for my initial cake consultation, after flipping through magazines and discussing styles and tasting, we turned to the issue of the quotation which Andrea confirmed she would send by email in the next couple of days. She commented that she would provide a quote for a square cake and a round cake, but then asked if I already knew which I would like. My immediate reaction was to blurt out ‘oh square, of course’, like it wasn’t even a question. However, I don’t really know why I reacted like that and the longer I’ve thought on it, the more I’ve come to realise I don’t actually have a fixed preference.  (Or do I?!)

Square vs Round (as I see it)

* A square cake is easier to cut into neat portions which can be boxed up

* A round cake might better suit the design with the flowers flowing over it, is square too ‘hard-edged’ for this sort of style?

* A round cake is a bit cheaper, but not so much that it is a decisive factor

* I just *like* square better…I think.

 

I don’t know if this is a bit bridezilla but I thought asking the venue about the shape of their cake stand might help and they sent me (after laughing that they’d never had this request before!) a picture of what is definitely a square cake stan. BUT I’m sure a round cake would sit nicely on it (certainly better than a square cake on a round stand in my opinion). So that doesn’t take me much further! Is this even really that important? I’m possibly getting bogged down with little decisions because there’s nothing much to do at the moment!

Should I just go with my gut and choose square?

Entertainment…Magician? Garden Games?

I am still considering the options for entertainment (and should probably get a move on) as I currently only have a DJ and nowt much else.  I know it’s not essential as people will mingle and chat, many not having seen each other for some time, but I would like there to be something ‘else’.

I haven’t yet fully decided what the ‘else’ will be, but I’m considering a magician – I know some can be a bit cheesy but I do think sleight of hand, when well done, is great – interactive and entertaining    However, I am hesitant to go ahead with this plan without a recommendation and wonder if anyone has hired or been to a wedding with a magician in Derbyshire?

The following sites have caught my eye initially:

www.nickrushton.co.uk

www.mattcolman.co.uk

www.paulgrundle.com

Does anyone have any knowledge about these guys?  I particularly like the photo on Paul Grundle’s site where the bride is laughing and he’s standing in the background with a card on his head – that’s the sort of guy I’d want!

Also, does anyone know what I should expect to pay for a magician?  It appears to be a closely guarded secret on the interwebs!!

Failing this, if you all think a magician is a really bad idea, what other possibilities should I consider?!  (I don’t want a caricaturist, and garden games were a possibility but not so good if it rains… Again, I’ve no idea how much it costs to hire garden games but I’ve emailled for a quote for 4, so I’ll keep you posted!)

Operation Not a Fat Bride – Dukan Phase 1 Results…

Well, it’s been a tough week food-wise though not in the way I was expecting.

My overriding thought on the ‘attack’ phase of the Dukan diet is that it is very limited as to what you can eat, so there is very little scope for variety in your meals, no matter how the book tries to deny this.  There’s only so many ways you can disguise an omelette, and you still know you’re eating an omelette!  However, the maximum amount of time you should be on this phase is about 8 days I think (it’s worked out based on a few things, including how much weight you have to lose) so if you have a fair amount of willpower, I think it’s doable. Disclaimer:  I’m beyond fed-up of chicken.

I was quite nervous about the sheer amount of potential side-effects noted in the book and bemoaned by the users of the Dukan forum, ranging from constipation to bad breath via cramps and fatigue.   I did get a bad headache for a couple of hours on the evening of the second day.  Very bad actually.  Plus I am generally quite lacking in energy after 6 days.  I feel it mostly when I try to go up stairs.  Other than this though, it’s really not been that awful.  I wasn’t hungry, I didn’t crave sugary things or carbs anywhere near as much as I thought, and no other real side-effects noted.  Did I mention I’m sick of chicken?

The real question though, did it work?  See for yourself:

End of Phase 1 Stats:

• Weight – 158 pounds 151 pounds! (-7 pounds)
• Waist* – 36.5 inches  35.5 inches  (-1 inch)
• Hips – 43 inches  42 inches  (-1 inch)

* I measure my waist around my belly button, not at my natural waist, as this is where my weight tends to accumulate and where I want to lose it from!

Blimey!  Much better results than I expected given I didn’t really ‘feel’ the diet.  I’m pleased because I stuck to it pretty much to the letter and remembered to drink lots of water.  It’s motivated me to continue on to Phase 2 and see how that goes.  So, onwards to 77 days alternating pure-portein and protein&vegetables.  It will be interesting to see if this really can work.  I’m trying not to set my hopes too high, as the diet claims it will take me to a weight of 134 pounds which is a weight I haven’t seen since before university (shockingly more than 10 years ago).  It will be interesting to see though…

Phase 1 of Operation Not a Fat Bride is officially a success!

It’s All About the Girls… Bridesmaid Moodboard

After a few weeks of dithering, a false start with the dresses and a still undecided number of bridesmaids, I have at least got to the point where I know what they will look like on the day!  Tah-dah!

Pretty in Pink (and green...)

The only area where I remain undecided, is their flowers.  I can’t decide what will look best.  The options appear to be…

1)  We all have the same (pink):

2) Bridesmaids have pink, I have white… (But I love pink, so that’s no fun for me!)

3) Bridesmaids have white/pale, I have pink/bright:

I think I like the latter option best but I’m not sure how ivory/white flowers will look against a pale green dress.

There also seems to be an option of both my and the bridesmaids bouquets being mixed, though with the bridal bouquet having more of the white and a bit of colour and the bridesmaid bouquets having mostly colour with a few white flowers.  Seen below done with sunflowers:

I think this has the potential to look really lovely but I am concerned that the bouquets will look a little too much how the centrepieces are planned to look and secondly, it has the potential to look a bit ‘busy’.

I think I need a chat with my flower fairy!!