Australia Made - Pretty Invites

I'm always on the look out for Melbourne based wedding vendors that are incredible,  I recently discovered Santiago Sunbird - they make simple, personalised and stylish invites with all the trimmings so you don't have to think about it. Which is lovely since you already have enough to think about leading up to the big day. Check it out, so PRETTY!! Not just for wedding either, I'm tempted to just invent a party so I can use these. 

Bride Crushes

I am so keen on this white dungarees look, as an avid dungaree wearing and a wedding collector this floats my boat on many levels. Plus the Groom wore a sweater vest....AMAZING!

From the incredible 'A cup of Jo' blog

You have to admire a bride who is not afraid to have amazing looking bridemaids, I'm not sure if it's due to confidence or the fact that they make her look even more insanely beautiful but it works. Extra crush points go to the fact that she is wearing pink, had the wedding at a Bowls Club and managed to get a vintage style photobooth for the day. Swoon

From Polka Dot Bride 

I don't know about you but I love camping and so to have a camping wedding particularly in a full gold sequin gown is like a dream. I mean full sequin gown is enough by itself but romantic tent, cheese wheel cake,  middle of the bush with an extremely romantic groom - dream! 

From Love My Dress

TUTU!!!! - That is all

From the incredible Hello May Blog

This is more of a bridal party crush - Beehives and I mean particularly blue beehive! Try this look yourself for everyday hair wear - A Beautiful Mess will show you how

Speaking of beehives - I have a massive bride crush on this bride and her purple suited groom. Everything is right about this look from the red hair to the faux leopard print coat 

From Offbeat Bride

Testimonial for December 1st Wedding

You know how some people will try to tell you that your wedding day is going to be the best day of your life? Well I always thought that was utter rubbish.

Until I got married, that is.

I was lucky enough to get hitched to an utterly wonderful man, in the presence of our beautiful friends and family, by a celebrant who made the day a joyous – yet relaxed – occasion.

Planning the wedding was a lot easier with the assistance of Kitty’s practical, down to earth advice. Throughout the process, she reminded us that weddings are about fun and love. With Kitty’s help, we planned a ceremony that was a simple, heartfelt affair.

But it wasn’t all about simplicity… Kitty’s creative flourishes helped us make the wedding a unique occasion. 

 For example, my husband-to-be had always wanted to get married by Elvis. Our ever-helpful celebrant accommodated this desire by donning a gold jumpsuit and quiffing her hair for our big day. She even arranged for Pricillia to get in on the act! 

On the day of the wedding, I walked in to a courtyard of smiling faces, and none of them could have looked happier than Kitty’s. Her ceremony was beautifully written, and reflected our relationship to a T. I feel very privileged to have been married by her – she certainly helped make our wedding day even more special than I hoped it would be.    

Photographs taken by Jonathan White - Photographer. 

Writing Vows

Writing your own vows is one of the perks of getting a Civil Celebrant to perform the wedding ceremony for you, it can sometimes be hard to start, sometimes hard to finish and sometimes seemingly impossible but here are some important tips to remember. 

1. Keep it under 10 minutes - You can make all your finer points during your speech when everyone has a beverage in their hand and some potato chips in their tummies (or fancy canapes if that's the way you are heading) Keep the vows concise, simple and effective. 

2. Don't be afraid to get a bit mushy - Weddings are highly emotional events and everyone is there to celebrate you and your relationship, don't be afraid to put in some romantic hopes and dreams, things you adore most about your beloved or a nice metaphor about your love being like the ocean or the stars. This is the one day you won't be judged and people like to get all grossed out on love and sentiment at weddings. 

3. Don't be afraid to not be mushy - It's your day if romantic notions make you feel queasy - avoid them! Be funny or warmly sweet or add a touch of realism instead, if my fiancée vowed to wash the dishes whenever I didn't want to that would be romantic enough (hint hint if you are reading this) In fact that would be all he needed to say. 

Juggling romantics 

4. Try different mediums - who says you have to read aloud your vows, if you are private types you could write each other letters and read them in your head at the same time, if you are musical you could sing a song that represented how you felt, if you are arty you could project a series of picture stills, you could even perform an interpretive dance to demonstrate your love. The sky is literally the limit (sky writing might take longer than 10 mins but it'd certainly be effective) 

5. You can read vows off a piece of paper or a napkin or the back of your hand - it's 10 am your wedding is in 1 hour you go for coffee and have a moment of doubt about your vows and write down something beautiful and more in line with what you want to say on a napkin. Just put the napkin/smart phone/coaster/bank statement/crumpled muffin bag in your pocket or give to your celebrant and read directly off it when the time comes. 

It'll be sweet and no one expects you to remember your vows off by heart! You are in a vortex of love and heightened emotion and probably just want to kiss your beloved, remembering lines can be left to the actors. 

I promise to...

6. You can mention something sad - If your beloved grandfather has recently passed away and you want to mention him in your vows and the inspiration he bestowed upon you, you should. It's OK to bring up sad things if you are honouring someone important to you. 

7. Its OK to cry and blubber through your vows - I can tell you now I will most likely cry during mine, so I think it's OK...right? RIGHT? 

Article on weepy Grooms and Brides 

As long as you are sticking to what feels right for you, highlighting your relationship and your love for your partner and most of all being sincere, anything goes, whether you want to make promises to each other or know that those promises are implicit and would rather spend that time making googly eyes at each other is up to you. 

Good luck engaged couples and if you have any of your own experience with this, I would love to hear about it. 

Some Links about Vows
Steal these vows
20 tips! 
Real Vows
Non-traditional Wedding Vows

Beautiful Chicago Wedding

The Perilous Guest List

So your handsome fellow or lovely lady has asked for your hand in marriage and you've rung your Mum, Dad, close friends and Nana Joan with the news.

Treehouse engagement

 You've gone ring shopping and practised your possible new signature, swooned about in lovely soon to be a wife or husband bliss thinking about all the wonderful things you want for yourself on your special day. 

Gorgeous Green Saphire Ring - Katherine Bowman

You've asked your nearest and dearest to be your best men or women and have started to shop for the prettiest waistcoat or most dapper dress and then you realise......

YOU HAVE TO WRITE A GUEST LIST!

If you are anything like me and have a reasonable sized extended family, a multitude of dearest friend groups and minimal space in your little outer suburban backyard where you plan to chuck up some balloons and hold the affair, the guest list becomes an absolute nightmare scenario. 

Apple orchid wedding

Do you invite all of your extended family? 
Can you invite some of your work mates and not others?
Can you invite friends and not their partners who you have never met? 
Do you let people bring their children? 
Should you let your friends invite their parents? 

On and on the questions go and you dread offending or excluding anyone, it's enough to as my mother says 'make you get the ladder out and elope'. But take a deep breath and know that you can't really make any great mistakes unless your workmate has had a deep seated crush on you for years and chooses your wedding day to let that be known...to everyone. 

not everyone has this much space

I asked a very wise friend who had just been married to shed some light on her methods as her day was spectacular and she gave me this simple advice. 

First her and her partner figured out the amount of people they could reasonably invite - due to capacity of venue and what their budget entailed.

Then they divided up their guest list into 3 categories.....

1. Family and Friends that they couldn't do without - essentials
2. Extended Family and Friends who she and her partner wanted to come 
3. Friends and others that she and her partner really wanted to come but could only be invited if room allowed

then they invited their first list and waited for RSVPs for their next lot of invites and so on...

not everyone can afford a royal wedding

Ultimately it's your vision and your choice to invite 30 or 300 guests and who comes is up to you and whether you can find the right venue size. 

After the guest list is decided on and the invites sent out you can't have any regrets about who you have and haven't invited, and as long as your guest list 1 is coming then everything will work out swell whatever happens!
Here are some more links on guest list advice for further reading, GOOD LUCK engaged couples and let me know how you went - message me on facebook. 
Yahoo
About.com - http://weddings.about.com/od/getorganized/a/StartGuestList.htm
Canadian Living! 
Anna Post
and how to cut down the list with Glamour

$50 and a ladder

Blog Links

Inspiring Wedding Blogs 

1. Green Wedding Shoes - here

This is a wonderful resource of DIY ideas, gawp at pretty vintage/quirky weddings of really unique individuals and they have amazing inspiration photoshoots. Get ready to Pin them all!

2. Ruffled Wedding Blog - here

Also wonderful DIY Projects, real weddings to covert and they are particularly keen on the idea of recycling your wedding which I think is a wonderful idea to encourage. 

3. Offbeat Bride -  here

Offbeat bride is for all those who love a wedding with a lot of indivual quirk, there is advice and real weddings to gaze at but also they have an offbeat groom section too so it's inclusive (men like to be involved too!)

4. Polka Dot Bride - here

-This is an Australian Blog, so local! With great bride and groom sections, wedding directories and wisdom on how to have a stress free wedding 

5: Hello May - go here immediately!

This is an Australian based website/Magazine/Blog to die for - not only is it local but it's the prettiest and most unique wedding resource you can find. I cannot recommend it enough! It has real Australian based weddings, local directories and truly glorious photographic eye candy

Fees and Legal Bits

Fees

Free - Initial Consultation 
- Having a quick chat about direction, ceremony styles and getting to know each other

$450 - Wedding Ceremony 
- Creation of unique, customised ceremony 
- Lodgement of Notice of Intention to Marry 
- Rehearsal of Wedding 
- Information on anything you need or require
- Filling in of Legal Documents

$350 - Simple Ceremony 
- Filling in of Legal Documents
- Lodgement of NOIM
- Simple Ceremony with Legal requirements met 
(Great if you want to do the ceremony yourself or have a friend you'd like to do the ceremony without the legal capabilities) 

$300 - Vow Renewal 
- Creation of unique, customised ceremony
- Creation of renewal certificate 

Legal Requirements

- A Notice of Intended Marriage 18 months - 1 month, 1 day before the ceremony
- 2 Witnesses over 18 years old
- Signed Declaration Form 14

Documents Needed 

- Original or Certified copies
- If born in Australia - Birth Certificates
- If born outside of Australia - Passport or Birth Certificate (Translated if required)
- If previously married and divorced - Divorce Certificate
- If previously married and widowed - Death Certificate