Hello again...

Ok it’s about time I brought everyone up to speed on what has been going on. Don’t get excited – there has been no drama: just everyday life.

Dress shopping has commenced. It’s amazing how the experience varied from shop to shop. I know where I definitely won’t buy a dress, where I’d love to buy a dress but didn’t find “the one” and where I want to buy “the one”, whether this is the cheapest place I can find it or not! I have had so much fun dress shopping – much more than I thought I would. I took my sis, 13 year old niece (2 BMs) and Mum and had prepped everyone well before we went and warned them if they weren’t in the best form that day or weren’t overly enthusiastic they had to pretend to be for my sake. Diva, moi?
So I think the one has been found. I fell in love with the first dress I tried on in Chantilly Lace and got so excited I could have squealed with joy! A few dresses later I put on what was perfect on the hanger and looked fab on, but for me didn’t have the same specialness that the first did, even though my helpers preferred this one. So for the last 2 weeks I have been looking at the same online photos of these two dresses over and over again.
Just a couple more shops I want to go to before I commit but I’m fairly happy and certain that one of these will be ordered.

I’ve been busy researching videographers and watching sample DVDs. The one I want is £1650 and that is a specially reduced price because I grovelled. Mr M refuses to even discuss paying this for a wedding video!

I'll share this photo with you:

I've been playing around and trying to find things I can do myself rather than paying out for them. This was made using a £2 bunch of flowers from Tesco and some florist wire I got on ebay for about £1. I was pretty happy with how this turned out and it lasted a good 3 days before wilting.

I’ve been busy building our wedding website which has been right up my street. I did fancy having a go at using Mr Site and waited to hear from the lovely Loulabelle about how she got on with it. (Loulabelle, as well as being a fellow bride to be, fab blogger and sweet lady, is launching her new wedding planning business Loulabelle’s Wedding Belles and I’m so excited for her.)

Before I managed to buy the Mr Site software I discovered that gorgeous stationery designers Wedding Paper Divas had a special offer for a year’s free hosting in conjunction with Nearly Weds worth $49. How lucky was that! I’m so pleased with it and can’t wait to finish and launch it for all my guests to nosy at.

Thanks for hanging around to the end, I know its been a longer than usual post. For all who still leave me comments, thank you so much. I know I’m a lazy blogger and I appreciate that you still visit!

I'm very excited...!!

I just have to quickly share my excitement with you all today!

As if I wasn't already v. excited today to go wedding dress shopping for the very first time ever (and I've been thinking this morning already about how emotional I will probably feel when I put that first one on), while doing my usual blog cruise around my favourites, what do I see.....?

My face on Elizabeth Kartchner's blog, Dear Lizzie! A scrapbooking goddess! Get out!

I took part in her Shades of Summer European leg, facilitated by Kristen Reinhard and took my snap one day on a trip to the Irish seaside at Kilkeel, Co Down. The idea is that the shades make their way around Europe before making it back to Kristen, unfortunately they got lost somewhere in around Scandinavia I believe, but my snap made it all the way back to Lizzie in the US.

Its going to be a good day I think :)

An epic to do list...

This is the dress that put me in the mood for wedding dress shopping.

An Oleg Cassini number (discovered on Style Me Pretty) that doesn't seem able to be found anywhere in the whole of Ireland which is just my luck. It's got everything going for it in my eyes - soft and pretty, tulle, no train and with corsage detailing.
I've made two appointments for 5 June and I have to admit that now the appointments are made I am so excited.

In fact, the whole wedding of this gorgeous bride was so pretty in colour and detail that I bookmarked it for future reference. If you want an insight into what I am currently obsessing over look here.

A band has been booked. Let me hear you say it... Hallelujah! This has been an ongoing saga since last October and the one thing I dreaded organising from the day we got engaged. (We have yet to see them play live but the booking is made subject to that viewing.)

Today I made a "Done" and "To Do" list. The good news is that there are 9 things on the "Done" list, and the bad news is that there are 93 things on the "To Do" list. Rather than freak me out though, I find some comfort in this and hope it will keep me focused. It is *very* detailed and as long as I have a list I'm a happy girl.

I'm counting on this list to keep me sane!

photo credit

A cupcake story...

Today I was off work as I had some work to get done on my car and after a lazy morning I got to baking some cupcakes for visitors who cancelled in the end. Now we are going to eat them and that is not in any way good for the pre-marital figure.

Of course I had to take a photo to share with you and I tried out some tips from the lovely Ishtar Olivera who is currently doing a series of photography tutorials on how to style your own photoshoot. I think I've a long way to go but had fun anyway. (Ok I admit this is the only reason you are getting to hear about the cupcakes otherwise I would have secretly scoffed them like I usually do! Don't judge me.)

The simple things...

Isn't it funny how the simplest things can make you happy? Yesterday evening I went to bed with the biggest smile on my face because Mr M and I had had our first barbeque at home. After years of talking about getting one, he eventually splashed out on Saturday and after a few false starts with the gas cylinder (yes, you may say its cheating) we had a meat feast of smoked hickory ribs and vintage cheddar and chive burgers. It was so lovely to eat outside, just the two of us, relaxed and happy.

I told you I was a cheap date.

And because I didn't take a photo, you get to enjoy Mr M's Lennox and his huge tongue :)

One year from today...

One year from today I will be becoming Mrs Marshall. Exciting isn't it?!

The sky is grey, threatening rain, so not the bright morning I was hoping for that would inspire me with confidence.

I booked my make-up artist this week, a local girl who was so sweet when I met her and I'm meeting with the florist, a friend of Mr M's, on Saturday. God help her - she let me know she would be bringing along photos of her past work so I could get ideas but little does she know I have practically a full folder of flower photos I want to show her. She'll not know what has hit her!

Looking over all the inspiring pictures I have kept since I got engaged, I noticed that at the start there isn't one photo of flowers and at that stage I would have said they weren't important to me at all, but recently nearly every one I've kept is of floral centrepieces and bouquets. Funny.
At the beginning I mostly collected screenshots of colour palettes, but now I'm focusing on a specific colour scheme there is definitely a recurring theme in what I collect. Here's hoping my bridesmaids suit the colours I have in mind!

I've got a contact for my card and envelopes for the stationery I'm doing myself so I'm making some progress with the small stuff and it feels good. Still no dress shopping yet though! I'm dreading it.

We're going to see a band play at our venue on Friday night and hopefully we'll be happy with what we see to move that forward.

I have such trouble making decisions and then when they are finally made, I reconsider and reconsider them until I drive myself mental instead of letting go and moving on to the next thing. That's the hardest part of wedding planning for lil' over-thinker me!

photo credit

My new favourite blog...

Today I discovered what is officially my new favourite blog... THXTHXTHX, where Leah Dieterich writes thank you notes to everything. These are some of my favourites.

Dear Benign Objects,

Thank you for introducing me to THXTHXTHX and brightening my day. I love when you do that.

Until next time, Angela