8 months to go

These are some DIY things I have been looking at. 

When I get back home, mid December I am looking forward to spending some quality time with my mom. I am so lucky because my mom and I are like best friends and I love her more than anything. She has been helping me by riding around in South Africa and calling people to get information and sewing things.

One of the things she has started sewing is the tiebacks of the chairs she got the colours blush pink and mint green. We are only using the colours on half of the chairs.

Another thing she has been sewing is hearts to hang on the tree in the chapel.

Things we will be working on together when I get home 

Program fans ( Although the wedding is at 9am I am sure it will start to get hot and people use programs as fans anyway so why not make it a fan)

The cardbox (simple show box that is painted and has a ribbon around)

The garter (cheaper to make one, it's going to be tossed anyway)

Napkin rings (simple ribbon rings)


Here are ideas for decor maybe at the entrance of the church, the entrance of the reception, the cake table, the guestbook/ cardbox table

 I like this idea of an old watering can holding flowers, It's simple and reusable










We have old black rain boots in the garage( not sure if they are still there) but spray paint them white and then another colour and then tada you have another reusable decoration

 This is a tea cup and saucer that has some oasis inside and can be used as a decoration on a table.









Thinking of having something like this on the guestbook/ cardbox table. It's an old frame, you plaint a piece of cardboard using blackboard paint and then write in white chalk " Please sign our guestbook"







The final piece I am thinking about putting on the cake table, it have flowers in it that I will use later to toss.









I am all about things being reused, so using old teacup and teapots and boxes that we have already is a quick and easy way to save money and make everything look rustic/ vintage which is the look we both like.

9 months to go

This post is just to update all the things I spoke about in the previous post. 

This picture has inspired many of my ideas

Invitations

We have made our digital invitation and will sending it out soon, we are just working through our guest list to figure out who gets an email and who gets a message on Facebook but the invitation will be sent out soon which is linked to our wedding website we have created where people can get directions, information about accommodation and most importantly RSVP. 

Dress

There have been some changes with regards to the dress, I will be ordering one online and then sending it to South Africa, where I will try it on when I get home and if it is too small or if it's ugly I will sell it on bid or buy and then try and find a dress in SA. Jurie and I both agreed on this(actually Jurie talked me into it)

Bridesmaid dresses

I finally decided that the bridesmaids will find their own dresses, and I will pay for them. This way they can buy something that they will wear again. But I do have this kind of style in mind...

I have also asked my cousins, Megan and Elaine to be bridesmaids and they accepted :) 

I like how they are the similar colour but different styles

I like how they are all different, but still  work

Groomsmen

Jurie has yet to speak to his groomsmen but I am sure that they will find their "outfits" easily. When it comes to finding clothes men have it easy!

Wedding Favours

We are still sticking with the honey pots but one of  our friends mothers has offered to make fudge for us too which will be a nice little extra. 

Hair and make up

I have booked a make up artist but booking someone to do my/my bridesmaids hair is proving to be tricky. Because the wedding is in Oribi Gorge and because it's a morning wedding. I have been trying to find(or rather mom has been trying to find) someone who is willing to travel out to oribi at about 6-6:30 in the morning. 

Centerpieces

Is still the same as the previous post, but I am thinking of having it in metal jugs like the picture. Mom and I had a chat about the table layout and we decided that because it's morning we will have a plain white cloth and the flowers will have the focus point. But this could change...

Photographer 

We will be getting the photographer booked this week. We have decided on a package that is half photos and half video. We made this decision because we are going back to Korea we don't want to have to lug photographs(and the books that they offer) in our luggage, that could be ruined or stolen(I don't put it past people, whatever they want to steal they will steal) so we would like to have just a DVD with our pics on and a DVD with the video,plus they do give us an album which will either come with us or stay in SA. 

The Decor

Mom has been shopping around at craft stores and looking in shops, she has already bought me my guest book, which is stunning and I am truly grateful for all her help. She has been taking pictures of things in shops with her phone and then sending them to me( even though people have been giving her strange looks ^^) 

There is a dead tree in the chapel, I was thinking of hanging  fabric hearts on  it

We will only be receiving cards at the wedding and here is a  vintage idea that I like 

Maybe hang something like this on the main table?

That's it for now... if there are anymore changes( and I am sure there will be) I will update the blog. I am actually thinking of updating it on a monthly basis, so here's hoping on the 19th of May will be the next update. 

Less than one year to go

This is the final year of engaged life for Jurie and myself. We have now started the wedding day countdown and have been very busy getting quotes and trying to decide who and where to book. Jurie has been put in charge of the cake, invitations and the honeymoon. We have set up a wedding website but as soon as we have all the details filled in we will put the link on Facebook to those who are invited.

We have our minds set on Lake Eland as our venue for a these reasons
1) The natural beauty will mean less decorations
2) The photos will be awesome
3) It's indoors with a balcony to view outside (in case of rain)
4) The nature (Which we don't get in Korea)

http://www.lakeeland.co.za/index.php/functions/weddings

Lately I have been focused on what works best for both Jurie and my personality. Having said that Jurie is doing digital invitations, I like this idea it's inexpensive, convenient and new (Jurie is great with technology and I totally trust him) He is taking his tasks seriously and I am very proud of him.

The dress is the next big thing and I am going to have to buy it when I get home. It's very nerve wracking but it has to be done. I don't want to have to lug a dress from Korea to South Africa and I am not sure I trust warehouses on the Internet. Shoes I will be wearing my own shoes,I have cute green shoes that I will wear, I will not be in heels because I don't want to be taller than Jurie :)

Bridesmaid dresses, I am thinking of having my bridesmaids choose their own dresses or having it made. I have to see how things go.

Wedding favours: Because it is a morning wedding we thought the little pots of honey would be best.

Groom and groomsmen: Jurie already had a nice light green shirt that he can wear we just need to get him nice  pants in South Africa. The groomsmen will have to find some light green shirts too.

Because it is a morning wedding it's very informal. That is exactly our personality, we are not fancy people and so this is best for us.

Photography: We are looking for a photographer at the moment and it's proving to be a little hard. We have had some quotes and we will see how it goes

As for music: All I can say is IPod  play lists, all we need is background music as there will be no dancing.

Flowers: Thinking of seasonal flowers and at the moment I am inspired by wild flowers and arrangements that aren't fancy and staged

That is all I can think of at the moment...watch this space as the countdown begins

Peace

Bits and pieces

I haven't written in a while and that is because I have been super busy with work, school and other projects. So now while I have some time I can put somethings onto the blog for people to look at comment on etc.

 

The first thing being photography. This is really important to me as I am sure it is with every future bride because the photographer will capture certain moments that will be kept to cherish forever. I have been to previous weddings as a guest and waited nearly forever for the bride and groom to come back after their photo shoot... there has been snacks on the table which is a must and I will chat about later. You get to check out the decorations and chat to family members and friends about their lives and the what they thought of the wedding of course and this goes on for about 30 minutes...oops you have now run out of things to say to each other. Well my idea is having 2 photographer. That seems expensive right...well I am lucky. I will hire the professional photographer and then get a family member(yes that's you Neville) to take pictures too. So while Jurie and I are hanging in trees and rolling around in the grass there will be a fun photo booth at the reception where friends and family can have be in group photos wearing novelty hats and sunglasses with chalk boards with some messages on them for the bride and groom. This will keep the guests entertained and not thinking about food for at least another 30 minutes.

The next thing is the food the guests will eat whilst waiting. Because this is during summer I was thinking some homemade lemonade or ginger ale. This can be put in jars, with some fresh mint and cute straws.

To eat I was thinking one or two cookies. Just a nibble to keep the hunger pangs at bay.

So this is what I have been thinking about so far. Just lately I have been thinking that I am not going to turn into a Bridezilla I am totally going to let people help me out if that is what they want. If people have ideas or think I should do something differently that is great, I would love some advice. The only thing that I won't compromise on is who is invited and who isn't. That is something between Jurie and myself.

The most important thing about this wedding is Jurie and I celebrating our love for one another with the people we love and who are important to us. We want to have fun and I don't want to stress myself out. 

A splash of colour

So the thing I have been thinking about is colours. I think I am going colour crazy. Light or bright, same or different, accents???? All of these things I have been thinking of.
So in any case if I go with a morning wedding I have been thinking of either having a palette of colours or just 3 colours 2 being the main colours and the third just being a supplementary colour.
The thing I am having problems with is the fact that Jurie and I have chosen green and pink as our colours but those I think are possibly the hardest to work with. All the pictures of green and pink wedding I have seen have been....well... bleh. I think the problem stems from the fact I don't know if I want pastel colours or bright colours.Morning weddings do they usually have light colours or bright colours. I mean I don't want to incinerate any ones eyeballs so early in the morning. If I do go with pastels I was thinking of having the brides maids(2) wearing different pastel shades like pink, purple. Then the flower on Juries shirt will be blue and the one on Gert's will be yellow or something like that.
However if I go with just 2 colours with  one supplementary colour I think I will go with pink and coral and green.                   

The day/night wedding

Jurie who usually does not give any input has told me he wants to have a late afternoon night wedding.
Something I am very much against. I have always wanted a morning wedding, because everything is fresh in the morning, especially me. I know there are some downfalls to a morning wedding: the wedding party has to wake up early, my hair and make-up will have to be done early, people traveling from far will have to wake up early or travel from the day before.
The thing is a went to a morning wedding some years ago and I knew from that day, it's what I really wanted.
I love breakfast, people can stay longer because they don't have to travel home in the dark. I have the rest of the day to chill and then the next day we can worry about the honeymoon.
The reason Jurie wants the morning wedding is because of the "party" it usually is afterwards. He wants to drink with his friends and dance. I don't want an evening wedding because of the father daughter dance(which I will not be doing).

Another problem is that if I change to an evening wedding pretty much all my planning has to change. I have to change my dress, my bridesmaid dresses, the table arrangements.

A morning wedding is way more colourful and vibrant and the food is light.The evening wedding is more formal and festive plus the food is heavier. The whole dilemma is do I give Jurie this one thing he wants, or do I do what I want???

The invite or the E-vite

So, I haven't been very focused on the wedding lately, this is not because I don't want to get married...because I do, it's just that it's hard to please everyone with the wedding plans. People say it's your wedding do what you want. But that's a lie. You have to invite all the family so no one is offended.Even if your wedding budget doesn't allow it. You have to make it convenient for people, I mean the time should it be a morning wedding or an afternoon evening wedding. Thus I have become somewhat despondent with the plans.Anyway the subject says invite or e-vite. What I mean about this is that with more people having computers and Internet at home, is it better sending an e-vite that would be easier cheaper and more convenient for people. Or should I do it the old school way where about 3-4 months before the time I send out snail mail invites.I say 3-4 months but I don't really know what the standard time is to send out invitations for a wedding???? Plus if it's an invite people can keep it for something sentimental. But I am limited by the "human factor" of the post office. The e-vite I am limited by the people that don't have computers.
Having said that, I would like to speak about the invite I ahve attached. I would really like an invite like this.
Number 1: I can personalize it with our own pictures.
Number 2: It's simple and not too fancy
Number 3: It's cute

Let me know what you think, if you have any information about e-vite because my knowledge is very limited.