Little White Chapel

Happy Monday!

2010-07-26T21:34:00.000+10:00

Today we received our pro-shots from Shaun - what a fantastic start to the week! My to-do list went out the window as the slideshow kept flicking over on our TV all evening - WOW there are some fantastic memories there - and some I hadn't seen yet like when Trav and the boys were getting ready. We're really looking forward to looking through them all properly over the next week (to our wedding music playlist!). I even convinced Trav to give our dance a go in the kitchen this evening, we remembered most of it too!

To the special women in my life

2010-07-19T17:03:00.002+10:00

This journey was made all the more meaningful and enjoyably by the women who surrounded me. How can I possibly put all my feelings into words? I can only do my best to let you know how you are appreciated...

Thank you Mum

2010-07-19T17:01:00.000+10:00

My hero. Mum there's so much to love about you. Apart from having the absolute biggest heart in the whole wide world, you are truly the most generous and selfless person I have ever met. I have had so much fun preparing with you over the last 2 years and will treasure these memories forever. Who else's Mum got dressed up as the Queen of Hearts at their bridal shower? As I continue to grow I hope that I can learn enough from you to make my daughter just as proud as you make me, I love you.

Thank you Marian

2010-07-19T17:00:00.002+10:00

I am so honoured to officially be a part of your clan! Your support, ideas and love are so very important to me. There's still so much I know you can teach me and I look forward to our friendship continuing to grow. I know I can rely on you for advice and as our marriage and family grows, I'm sure I will! Marian, there's nothing you can't solve with the POP of a bottle and the clink of glasses.

Thank you Deborah

2010-07-19T16:59:00.007+10:00

There is no one else we'd choose to stand up at the altar with us, officiating our wedding vows. It really made our wedding day all the more special knowing such a close friend had been there with us along the way, creating our ceremony. I know our friendship will continue to grow over the coming years, distance won't be a barrier for us.

Thank you Louise

2010-07-19T16:59:00.006+10:00

You helped keep me on track if my worries got the better of me and your advice from your own experiences was always received gladly. Now I'm also married and I can appreciate everything you said. There wasn't one minute of our engagement or our wedding day that I took forgranted and I think this is why I can relive it all so clearly today. It's easy to get caught up in the wedding hype, but as I suspected all along, at the end of the day it's about two people sharing their special celebration with their closest family and friends. I hope we can continue to learn from each other as the years pass.

Thank you Tamra

2010-07-19T16:59:00.004+10:00

Your friendship over so many years has truly been an amazing gift. We are constantly learning from each other and I look forward many more years of that! You have been such an amazing woman to have by my side - the thought you put into my Bridal Shower and Hens Party was incredible! During our whole engagement and on our wedding day you were completely selfless and devoted to helping me celebrate the beginning of this exciting new chapter. I'm looking forward to sharing your special day sometime in the future and I wish for you all the happiness that I have enjoyed over this journey.

Thank you Michelle

2010-07-19T16:58:00.009+10:00

From the beginnings - when we stepped into Brides of Melbourne and found THE ONE, to our wedding day, 585 days later when you kept me steady as we walked up the aisle together. Your love, help and support has been wonderful. I was so excited you could be a part of the preparations in such a big way - and you took on every crazy project I sent your way with such grace! Although you would have had so much fun at my Bridal Shower and Hens Night, I couldn't have asked anything more of you. No matter how far apart we live, you can always count on me.

Thank you Kate

2010-07-19T16:58:00.005+10:00

My new sister! Kate you've been a calm voice of reason and my unruffled confidant. I still remember your face when you saw me in my gown for the first time. I'm so grateful for our quick lunches, after work catch-ups, for the dancing lessons, our hens outfit shopping trip, your help with the placecards, your moral support at Brides of Melbourne, the photos and for never being too busy. But above all that I'm grateful to gain such a cool little sister, our friendship began many years ago but we become closer every day. I just know our adventures will continue and our bond will deepen, our door is always open for you.

Tuesday

2010-07-16T16:36:00.001+10:00

Ooooh I was so excited and nervous this morning! The alarm went off at ten past six and I was too chicken to ring James so texted him and Kate. It was much easier to get up after peeking out the window - it was light outside already! We dressed in a rush and Trav looked so handsome in just his shirt and pants - with his hair mussed up and some light stubble on his face.
I tiptoed downstairs and quietly opened the door - and who happened to be was standing right outside the door perusing the brochures but Trav's dad! We both looked at each other, I gasped and quickly shut the door! What did I think - maybe he didn't see me??
Sheepishly I opened the door and there he was - grinning from ear to ear and looking us up and down with amusement as we stepped outside. 'Shhhhhh' I smiled.

As we stood at the front of the Villas, a familiar car was parked at the entrance to the beach. Shaun! What's going on? Does nobody sleep in around here?? We wondered whether to wander down or wait for James. As we stood there we came up with a few scenarios - if we bumped into him we could either approach him in astonishment and say 'Shaun! hi! What day is it???' or we could bluff with 'OK, ready? Let's do this!' As it turned out we needed neither - James drove up and Kate stumbled out to join us moments later (looking glamorous at even that hour!)

We drove a bit further down four mile beach and got out of the car - with amused looks from the PT class that was passing by.

As we stepped onto the beach I didn't hesitate once and walked right down to the waves with my skirt over one arm. The water was pleasant and refreshing. We wandered up and down the beach and Kate asked if I was happy to let my skirt down. Ooops! Was I still carrying it? I let it down and the breeze was just strong enough to flow through it!

We jumped onto a beached catamaran and climbed up the lifesaver's lookout. Kate and James were a great team. We wrote some messages on the sand and James said he'd caught sight of what must be Shaun's flash in the trail up to the lookout. The sun slowly cracked through the clouds.

Soon we headed down to Anzac park - this was the bit I'd really been looking forward to! We'd run out of time and daylight to come down here on our wedding day.
It's funny how you can be standing there with the camera going and you think to yourself - I wonder how this will look? Well they were some of my favourites. James must have been having so much fun and he must have been almost laying on the ground to get some of the angles. Kate would add the parasol, move the parasol, fan out my skirt, take the parasol away. In others the palm trees create a beautiful frame around us. In some shots we look like we're standing in a field or on a hill. There's nothing else - no palm trees, no water. The sky is huge.
We played around on the swings and the picnic table before heading up to the lookout.

When we returned to our Villas, it was nearly 8:30 and we snuck back into our room without being noticed.

After packing we said our thank you's to Toni & Bruno and relaxed in Egan & Marian's Villa with avocado and bacon sandwiches for lunch. Soon everyone arrived back from their trip to Mossman Gorge and we enjoyed the last few hours together with some quiet drinks and looking through the photos.
Trav and I presented our parents with the gifts we'd carefully picked for them - including that bottle of wine I'd nursed from Adelaide to home, then home to Port Douglas.

Soon it was time to go, the shuttle pulled up as we said our last goodbyes. As we climbed aboard and took our seats, Trav took my hand and we smiled at each other, ready for a whole new adventure...

Monday

2010-07-16T14:31:00.001+10:00

Wow. We really did nothing today. Almost all the guests were gone and We finally got down to the shops to pick out a couple of gifts. It was a grey afternoon and we spent a lot of it watching TV. Really - I'm only feeling a little bit guilty because I think it was time for us to switch off for a while. James and Kate came over in the afternoon and we plotted the following day's secret photo shoot.

Of course we managed to drag ourselves to Zinc for an amazing dinner with family and friends!

Sunday

2010-07-15T17:02:00.005+10:00

We knew the weather would be turning a bit today but hoped it wouldn't completely ruin our day on the reef. Bruno thought it would be 'the best of a bad bunch'. I had to catch a lift with Jason again this morning - as polite little me ensured everyone else (even my HUSBAND) was on the shuttle before me. So I missed out! No matter - I rode in comfort and as I stepped out at Marina Mirage I said to Jason 'well Jason I know i can count on you for last minute lifts!' 'Christie, you can count on me for anything' and with that our adventure at sea began. We sat on the top deck heading out, and soon the waves were crashing over each side of the boat. Michelle came out 'because the lady said I was looking a bit green' and I spent the rest of the hour huddling her to try to stop her shivers and make her more comfortable. It wasn't too great on the reef - the grey skies meant everything underneath the surface of the water was muted - not the beautiful strong colours in all the photos. The current was so strong that after paddling away from the boat - you zoomed right back in just a few seconds. My snorkel would fill with water as I was bobbing around but the water was warm. When you got out you could warm yourself up by sticking a hot water hose down your wetsuit - that was the best bit of the whole trip! Although it wasn't the perfect day - there were lots more stories to tell than if it had been - Dean trying to walk forwards in his flippers was a good one (all that moon-walking forgotten so quickly!).

As we lined up to step out of the boat the crew were pairing our shoes up outside. 'Watch them try to find mine' said Ryan - it was hilarious - they'd check the bins, check the deck, check again - look at each other in worry, until Ryan came out with his crutches and a big grin on his face!

On the way home we picked up the last of the stubby holders and things and were lucky enough to be spotted by Anthony on the shuttle so we caught a ride home.

We had dinner at Mum's place as Michelle and Ryan were leaving early the next morning, it was great spending time with Aunty Irene and Aunty Yarg and we enjoyed a mountain of delicious fresh prawns. After catching up with friends at Rattle 'n' Hum I snuck out and put a goodbye note on Michelle's car as a suprise in the morning.

Saturday

2010-07-15T17:02:00.000+10:00

I laid in bed for a while when I awoke on Saturday. I glanced over at Travis - he looks so sweet, dozing with his new ring on. Soon we we greeting some sleep looking suspects in our transformed outdoor dining room, and Tamra set to work on her pumpkin scones. Bless her!

I positively beamed whenever anyone said 'so how is Mrs McIntosh this morning?'!We heard all sorts of tales from the day before - the frame had even made it home in one piece after a dance at the Iron Bar! Eventually everyone dispersed - most people heading to the beach so Deborah came down to collect our leftovers from the chapel and Lure. A wedding was just finishing as we ducked in the back door at St Mary's - Shobha was all smiles as usual and we chatted about how the rest of the day went. The sand looked so lovely as it was in the vase that I wondered if there was some way we could keep it in there. At Lure we picked up a lot of cake and Joan's sunnies along with a few other things.
Trav and I were finally sitting on the beach just after 3pm - and the shadows were already stretching across to the water's edge.

But as it always does, the Port Douglas clock took it's sweet time and we found ourselves ready to head out to dinner about an hour before our booking at Nautilus. We took our time getting ready, and then took a very slow walk down Macrossan Street, hoping to bump into a few friendly faces on the way. And we did - Louise and Kylie were at Mango Jam - they did NOT want to have a sandwich at home like Leon on their last day on holidays!

We were still half an hour early as we climbed the path to Nautilus. I recalled the last time we'd wandered up this shady path on our 5th anniversary. As we were shown to the bar, we passed Louise, Daniel, Kim and Eileen - I remember the big beaming smile on Louise's face.

Our dining spot was just at the top of the path and we indulged in 3 courses! Everything was again, simply decadent!

Happy 18th! (The Groom's View)

2010-07-04T16:20:00.002+10:00

In the morning the boys came around to Mum and Dads and we when to a quiet little cafe and sat out the back. All 3 of us were quite and a little tired. I dont think we expected it to be such a late night. But it was a good way to get rid of a little hangover.

We went back to Mum and Dads to get ready for the photographer, a quick suit change and we were ready to go. The other guys had never worn french cuffs before and were in the bedroom looking at each other for ages trying to work out what to do, it was so funny. We had a couple of pics at the villas then headed to the beach.

After we were done we changed back into boardies and started with a few beers. Dad whipped up some lunch and then we realised we should start getting ready to go again. But as we tried to leave at 1.40, Christie and the girls left to get some photos taken so Dad wouldn't let us out. At 2.15 I said to Dad "I don't care if I see here or she sees me, either way I'm leaving now"

Happy 18th!

2010-07-04T16:19:00.014+10:00

The Morning
I woke up at least 4 times last night. I was tossing and turning and had some nonsense dreams. At one point I made a concious effort to try to think of Rossi, and how he was snoring so peacefully on Saturday night. I tried to imagine patting him and finally fell asleep again. At about 5:30 am I heard the shower turn on above the sound of the ceiling fan in my room. 'Strange' I thought, it's a bit early. I lay there for another few minutes before getting up to find no one in the bathroom, it WAS rain! big old fat rain was hitting the leaves outside and it sounded so heavy! Instead of starting to stress about the day ahead and whether or not we'd have to move the dancefloor, I decided it was a great opportunity to drift off to sleep again, I just love falling to sleep when its raining at home on our tin roof and this would be just as good. It worked. I woke up before 8 and soon got up, knowing I wouldn't fall asleep again. Soon Kate joined me on the couch and Stacey wasn't far behind. We watched tv - all that was on was Miss Australia's Q&A blooper and the David Jones CEO in hot water. Over and over again. Kate offered to make me another delicious omelette for breakfast and although I didn't know if I could stomach it I found myself wolfing it down.

Soon they headed off and it was about 9.15 when Louise said she was on her way. I jumped in the shower and she was on the couch when I emerged from the bathroom in my beautiful silk robe and a cloud of Fracas. I was still feeling very uncomfortable during the morning. Louise gave me a beautiful crystal encrusted heart to carry with me down the aisle and a card filled with lovely words and the strains of 'So happy together... I can't see me loving nobody but you - for all my life....'

Tamra arrived soon after, sporting her very tame pale pink fingernails and then Mum and Deborah dropped in. Deborah was keen to know the name of my florist - I told her and asked if there were any problems? Nope, she shrugged and disappeared downstairs again. I finally pressed play on my carefully selected 'Christie's Wedding Morning' playlist and the first song was 'Baby got back!'

Kristy from Blush arrived before 10 and got started on Deborah, Michelle and Mum, soon her friend Stacey joined us and Louise and Tamra were getting prettified. There was a male voice at the door and when Shaun walked up the stairs with his camera I got the biggest shock 'What's the time?? I panicked... 'Relax it's only 10:30, I'm just checking out the place' he replied. Phew!
Shaun seemed quite impressed with our postcards - I'd brought a set as well as the journal I was keeping and a few other things to have photographed.

Next it was my turn in the hot seat and Kristy decided to forgo the extensions, confident that she could get my hair 'as big as I want it.' Deborah reappeared, this time with Chris, Lacey and a huge pink bouquet! Really, this thing was longer than my arm and was full of oriental lilies, easter lilies, pink gerberas, singapore orchids and some beautiful pink waxy torch like flowers that were locally grown - I have yet to find out what they're called!

Shaun saw this as a perfect photo moment and kept snapping away as Kristy worked on my makeup. Fake eyelashes and everything!

We went outside and checked the colouring in the sun next to the pool - I hadn't been outside until now and it was turning into the most beautiful blue sky day. Our flowers arrived shortly, Angie warned me that we hadn't gotten exactly what we wanted, there wasn't enough pale pink orchids to make our bouquets so we had a combination of pink and white and she discounted the flowers. I didn't mind a bit, everything looked beautiful and I couldn't want to see everyone wearing their bloom.

The girls dressed and we all headed over to Mum's villa for photos - it was a lot brighter on the mezzanine and my dress was hanging from the skylight. Remembering Trav's gift, I asked Louise and Tamra to take it over to him while Mum helped me into my gown, then we had pics of the girls buttoning me up, and then I put on my jewellery and was ready for my bridal closeups. The strange thing was that we could check out the photos as we went, Shaun would show me some in the viewfinder straight after taking them, it was quite surreal.

With the boys ordered to stay in their room with the curtains closed, we made our way across the road for some photos in a nearby garden. A few passersby gave me an approving look, and a little girl with her mother seemed quite in awe!

When we were sure the coast was clear, we ran back to Coral Sea Villas and I waited at the driveway with Aunty Lee frantically making arm gestures to everyone. Back in Mum's villa, I noticed a missed call on my phone - I read out the 07 number - 'it's Dad' Michelle said flatly. My eyes darted around the room, could I call him? Would I get upset? Louise offered 'call him later, call him later' giving me an encouraging nod. I put the phone down. I picked it up, Michelle said, 'you're better off calling him now'. Deep down I agreed, I knew this was the last chance I would speak to him before our wedding. I walked onto the balcony, took a deep breath, and called him back. 'Hi Dad' 'Hi Sweetie, how are you, where are you now' 'We're about to leave for the ceremony' I kept my voice even 'That's great, I just called to wish you all the best and I love you both very much' 'Thank you Dad, thank you' was all I could say, and all I had to say.

I walked back into the room, where everyone stood quietly, not sure whether to look or not. I gave Tamra a smile and she smiled back and held my hand.

Downstairs Bruno and Toni caught me before we jumped into Jason's car. They were both so excited and hoped to get down to the chapel to see some of the ceremony. Soon the flowers, parasols and us were bundled carefully into Jason's car and we drove down Macrossan street. Getting into the car was one of those heartbeat skipping moments, I'd realised then just how much I'd been relaxing as the day progressed, I think the distraction of hair, makeup, flowers and photos helped, it was a nice calm feeling though. Jason dropped us off outside the Central Hotel and with my veil and dress over my arm, and parasols in hand, we all wandered past the Iron Bar and Courthouse Hotel - I could see Shaun and Jen waiting on the other side of the road. I don't know if anyone called out to us or even whistled, I guess I was in the zone.

We crossed the road and made our way through the park towards the chapel. 'What if Trav sees you through the window?' I heard, 'Won't happen' I laughed as I saw James and Stacey blocking his view with their cameras. Jen said she'd heard I was notorious for being late so it was nice to see I was planning an on-time entrance.

At the front of the Chapel, Deborah and Shobha were waiting for us, Deborah's brother Chris appeared and started snapping away like a proper papparazo. There was a strange blonde woman with long hair sitting on the bench watching us, and she started taking pictures too, weird. 'You look beautiful' Shobha whispered. 'Feeling good?' Deborah asked, 'Yes' I managed, mouth dry but smiling. 'Apparently everyone's expecting me to be late?' 'Nah, Trav said it'd be alright because you're already dressed' Deborah quipped. 'Ready to go in?' 'Yes' 'Shall I start the music?' Shobha asked, 'Yes OK'.

The Ceremony

The music began, we all looked at each other, Louise took her cue and stepped up into the chapel, this was it! It felt like forever until the verse finished and Tamra finally followed. Standing halfway up the steps, I could see lots of familiar faces smiling at me from the back rows, lots of cameras started clicking. That also made me feel at ease, I think not seeing anyone until I saw them all at once would have been much more daunting!

With Michelle timing the music, we made our way up the steps and stood at the entrance, we began to walk down the aisle together slowly. I looked around at everyone, there were so many familiar faces smiling at me, at the end stood Louise, Tamra, Deborah, Anthony and Daniel. And Travis. Once I set my sights on him I didn't look anywhere else. He looked calm, assured and we smiled at each other all the way.

Michelle and I stepped up to the altar and she kissed Travis and I before sitting down. Travis took my hands in his, I remember they felt so strong and assured. The ceremony began, when Deborah asked our parents if they accepted us there was a resounding 'Yes, definitely' from Marian and Egan. Kate's reading was beautiful, so loud and clear, we were both watching her and she told us later that if she'd looked at us she was sure she would have burst into tears. Our mothers then came forward for the sand ceremony.

Trav said his vows first, voice unwavering and confident. I remember wondering why we'd picked such long ones. Then it was my turn, I'd always wanted to speak in a strong, clear voice, having been to weddings where I couldn't hear the vows at all. I began, my strong voice giving me more courage. At one line I almost cracked, I hesitated, took a deep breath and composed myself, blinking back the start of a tear and finished my vows.

James came forward with the rings and before I knew it, Deborah announced us husband and wife, and Travis took me in both his arms and kissed me! We then began the signing of the register. As Anthony was signing I noticed a big green ant crawling along the collar of his shirt. I looked at Trav, he was looking at it too, I didn't know whether to try to flick it away or not, Trav leaned past me and brushed it away. After Anthony and Louise had signed, Deborah invited us back to the front, I looked at her quizically, Daniel and Tamra hadn't signed our certificate yet. Deborah presented us as Mr and Mrs Travis and Christie McIntosh to all our guests and we got a huge round of applause as 'You're my best friend' began. Before she let us walk out of the chapel, Deborah hung two homemade silver bells over my arm (sequinned with our initials which I didn't notice until later). We stepped down and gave all our family hugs and kisses (Uncle Les with a tear in his eye) and Marian and Kate slipped their horseshoes over my arm.

Later on, Rebecca and Andrew said they could see the sheer relief on our faces as we turned to face our guests before walking down the aisle together. She's sure only a married couple can recognise this moment and she thinks a couple behind them had also noticed it.

As we walked out of the chapel as newlyweds Shaun and Jen were at the bottom of the steps. 'Celebrate!' he yelled - we were grinning from ear to ear as we stepped down into the park and soon were surrounded by friends and family, congratulating us and emptying their petal cones over our heads. Tracy and Megan had a different approach, grabbing Trav's shirt and tipping petals down his front!

Shaun gathered everyone for a group shot, making sure they all got a handful each of the leftover rose petals. Standing on his step ladder, he tried directing everyone when Peter yelled 'its like herding sheep!' 'Cats.' Shaun corrected, 'Like herding cats!' He then paused, blaming his second dizzy spell of the day (the first was when reaching for my dress hanging from the skylight earlier!). Jen helped him out by shaking the ladder.

We began our family shots, when we were standing with Trav's family Shaun said 'it's Michelle isn't it?' 'Michelle you're in my shot!' he called past us, 'Michelle you're still in my shot!'

When posing my family Uncle Les grumbled under his breath as he was directed this way and that, and Michelle would have scored zero points when she got Ryan in the photo as well!

The Photos

Trav and I then took a walk behind the chapel, with Shaun shooting from inside that huge window behind the altar. 'Just take a little stroll along the water - Christie lead him along a bit'. Then left us - we strolled slowly, then we strolled back - then Trav had an idea, turned around and got down on one knee - I knew I picked a good husband!

Soon we met our bridal party at Shaun's car and upon discovering that Trav had pushed the guys past the bottle shop so they wouldn't be late for the ceremony, (good husband!) we made a quick detour and filled the eski before heading out of town. I was riding shotgun and When the boys returned to the car, Trav said 'Shaun do you mind if we have a drink in the car?' 'Nah that's fine mate' - next thing I heard were Kshh-Kshh-Kshh as three bottles were opened in a row! Jen followed us out as Tamra cheered from the very back row 'Hey beautiful bride!'

First stop was Diggers Bridge, we made our way down a dirt road as Shaun asked me 'How do you feel about dust?' Hmmm. 'Not sure?'As we passed a pile of old tyres on the side of the road, he said 'I might get the guys to roll those tyres down the road later...'

We pulled up before the bridge, it was an overgrown area and as the sun was slowly sinking, everything was beginning to get a warm glow around it, it reminded me a lot of the tracks behind our old house in Macedon. With Shaun calling out instructions, we all walked up the hill toward the car, we all got to chat and giggle everytime we did this!

Soon Trav and I were standing on the 90 year old bridge. It was made of old wide sleepers that had major gaps between them and rumbled when a car went past. It was a bit tricky wandering around, trying not to fall through a hole and avoiding the odd cars. We did get lots of waves and 'congratulations!' - everybody loves a wedding! Shaun and Jen were perched on the river bank downstream. I remember thinking 'I hope we're making this look good!'.

When we returned to the car we found out Jen had hit her head when climbing back up the hill - it didn't stop her from sticking to Shaun through every intersection though!

As we drove back through the forest all the undergrowth was just covered with dust, Shaun said there was a quarry nearby and there was always this beautiful washed-out look on everything.
'That's the dust I'm talking about' as I looked back the car had left a cloud all over the road - something really special when the light is filtering through 'it is a lot of dust, I'm sure one of the boys would have revved it up for us'.

We chatted about doing things backwards - house kids/dog then marriage. Soon we arrived at a cane field with a big tractor at the start. 'Up you get' Shaun said, looking at Trav. Trav laughed. 'Well...' Shaun said. Trav grinned awkwardly and went to put his beer down 'Just kidding!' HA HA HA!

We made our way through a narrow track and I couldn't help wondering how this would all look when it came together in the video and photos. On the way to our next location we found out what the saying was that the boys came up with that was guaranteed to always make them laugh all day. 'So is it true?' Shaun asked 'They're just jealous!' I responded. 'So it's true!!!'

Next stop was Four Mile Beach - shoes were off and out came those parasols and I was finally game enough to open a piccolo - my first drink of the day! This is where we made our thank you cards, Shaun's idea took our original inspiration a step further and I can't wait to see how they turn out!

We made our way back to Port Douglas town and parked at the Sugar Wharf. As we got out of the car, Shaun said, 'let's see how many...' tourists?' I volunteered 'weddings' he replied. Uh oh. It's a pretty popular spot. We rounded the corner to find.... just a few kids and fishermen! Shaun seemed amazed once again. Where were all the other weddings today?? So many passersby called out and wished us congratulations, even from the boats!

I grabbed Louise and Tamra for some fun shots and went to kick a piece of trash out of the way. It flipped over and it was a Mrs Mac's pie wrapper! yeah I don't usually get so excited about trash!

Soon it was my turn for some bridal portraits - I got many looks of approval from the nearby fishermen - and even a 'You look stunning'!

The sun was disappearing as we drove into the carpark of Marina Mirage. Time for a quick freshen up (I had it easy in the toilets compared to Tamra & Louise!) and one last dance practice...

The Reception

This was it! James came out and collected our extra bags and the eski - Shaun was already at Lure and we were about to arrive. We crossed through the mall to the boardwalk, and soon we could see everyone from a distance, it was dark outside now, but the boardwalk was all lit up with pink and red lights on the palms, and torches and our path of candles. Our guests packed the boardwalk and though I could hear a few familiar voices above the rest, I couldn't make out anyone from here.

There was a country singer at another restaurant who made it hard to hear Nick's announcement - but soon Tamra and Anthony made their way to the dancefloor, arm in arm to lots of applause. Louise and Daniel soon followed, the applause grew - then we were announced to a din of cheering, whistles and clapping!

We got ready to begin our dance - and the music had started before we even knew it! We missed our first dip and made a couple of little mistakes, but we did finish on time! It was an amazing feeling - I wasn't nervous at all and it felt like we really were swooping and twinkling across the dancefloor, just like I'd wanted to. I hope we made Kate proud!

Our bridal party joined us to dance to Jack Johnson next, and then Trav's folks and Mum and Michelle. And then EVERYONE was up dancing! I know the first 2 songs were You make me feel like dancing and Some kind of wonderful by Joss Stone (because they were my requests!) but after that it was just party song after party song. Marian danced with Matt (Kat said their eyes met from across the floor) and David - removing his glasses which he wasn't too pleased about (I returned them to him!).

We soon made our way to the tables and as we were seated first, I got to sit and observe everybody in this room we'd created - full of our friends and family who were all having such a great time in Port Douglas with us! Except two. I really missed Louise and Daniel a lot that night. Kylie greeted us and filled our beautiful crystal champagne flutes and she said she woke up to the rain too this morning - worrying about me!

Nick read out the telegrams we'd received - from Liz, Maureen, Mum, Marian & Egan, Deborah, Angela and a few others. They got a laugh!

Dinner was soon served - and we handed each platter around for everyone to try. All the food was cooked to absolute perfection. The Fillet of Beef stuffed with semi-dried tomato, pine nuts,oregano & Persian Fetta was superb - so tender and moist! The Chicken Breast Supreme
served on a sushi rice cake with steamed bok choy & massaman curry sauce was so succulent and the Barramundi on a crab mousseline crêpe with orange beurre blanc was a real treat!

I sat back and observed again. Tamra and Anthony were both tucking into their meals happily, across the room I could hear so many familiar voices chatting and laughing in between mouthfuls. Not long after the meal Egan was at our table, raving about the food and how well the ligher styled Shiraz Viognier complimented the beef (I knew I was on a winner there!). In fact - so many guests just loved the food and the way it was served!

Soon it was time for speeches, my 'military operation' as Nick referred to it, was running right on schedule. Mum's speech was touching, and I loved that she led the Polish guests with 'Sto Lat'. Egan's words were lovely too and he got lots of laughs! I didn't know what Trav had in store but his speech was so simple and thoughtful, he mentioned everyone who played an important part of our day and thanked them. And that's exactly what I would have done too. Our appreciation of every single person there was amplified by the distance they had all travelled. When I think that all these people had invested their time, money and annual leave just to be with us today I am overwhelmed by how much we mean to them. We certainly have a solid circle of friends and family around us. Daniel and Anthony took it pretty easy - it was all about Trav thank goodness!

As we got up to cut our cake, Susan was coaching us 'Christie put your hand on his - we want to see both rings in the photo!'. After we'd cut the cake Jen asked if we'd like to cut a slice and feed each other a piece. We looked at each other 'Nahhhhh' we said in unison.

Soon we were back on the dancefloor for our 'Parents' dance. Uncle Les and I, Marian and Trav and Mum and Egan danced to As the Days go By (well OK the 2 of us shuffled) and then the Anniversary Dance began, I had to help Nick explain the dance but when he got the hang of it it was really lovely. I spotted Daniel at the table - just as Louise disappeared and urged him to go get her and join this dance. Nothing happened. It was a pretty crowded dancefloor and we hung in there for our 11 years. At the end only Joan & Wayne and Susan and Gary were left, and Susan was trying to count how many years they'd been together. Finally she and Gary admitted defeat and then Joan and Wayne followed - I raced over to Joan to congratulate her and present her with my bouquet.

The dancefloor opened up again and I soon spotted one of the waitresses showing Anthony how to do the Macarena. There were so many people up that we spread out onto the boardwalk! Throughout the night I remember hearing a few requests and trying to remember who's they were - I grabbed Louise and Hilda for Dancing Queen, Nick made his own request and summoned us up for Dirty Dancing's the Time of My Life - Jason held Kate above his shoulders! Then he had to do it again for the cameras! Anthony wouldn't be beaten by his younger brother so he picked Tamra up and whirled her around a few times. Then there was the unexpected request. I couldn't believe it when I heard the first few bars of 'Pony'. I protested at first, but eventually sucked it up and Trav and I slid around the dancefloor with our best pony interpretation!

We nutbushed. We bus-stopped. We conga'd. And we nutbushed again! There were lots of bare feet on the dancefloor (oooh I'm getting goosebumps remembering it all again!) I'd heard a lot of 'beautifuls' and 'stunnings' throughout the day but I received my one and only 'ethereal' from Andrea. That girl has a way with words!

I ducked around the tables quickly - though there weren't many people left seated and I noticed that there was already a queue forming for the chocolate fountain. Dean was just finishing off a mighty fine moon walk when I wandered up to the smokers' end for a chat. Lucky I got dessert next - there wasn't much left! The best idea was the ice cream balls! Our cake was also absolutely delicious and the ice cream balls were such a fantastic idea to accompany the chocolate fountain. I sat down next to Allison and noticed a dinner plate filled with chocolate in front of David!

As I headed back towards the dancefloor I noticed James near the frame photo spot. I raced over and jumped in some pictures with Kate and Michelle. James said 'Hey Christie -are you busy right now?' Nope. He headed over to the DJ and next thing I heard was 'Whoever would like a picture with the bride please head over to the boardwalk...'. I had a queue! Allison & Ben, Lara & Tennille, Mum and all my Aunties, Marian & Egan, Stacey, Maree, Anthony, Louise and Lucas all came over. Oh and Trav too.

We then took the frame over to the other side and Trav and I got some shots with Tamra and Anthony - they are such a beautiful reminder of how much fun we were having! I can even remember us all standing behind the frame (goosebumps again).

Soon, with Kate in charge, no one was safe! The frame went from table to table, catching all our friends and family and it even had time for a boogie on the dancefloor. I love the shots where you can see Kate concentrating and holding it as far as she can - while the people in the shot are doing something random. It's an interesting contrast. Kate really framed these shots beautifully! It wasn't long before I recognised another request - and I think we all know who ordered AC/DC's You Shook me All Night Long! Yep Mich was up there wiggling her tush all over the place. I tried dancing with her but it was hopeless. Dean even jumped back up to dance with me - he knew the words to this one! Then Trav and I were back together as my sister shimmied up and down our legs - and then sauntered over to Egan with her rock lock in the air. (I am crying with laughter as I'm writing this)

I am so glad for all the observing I did throughout the night, it neither felt too long or too short - and I think that's because I was paying such close attention to everyone and actually living in the moment. So although I was sad when a farewell circle was formed on the dancefloor, I didn't wish it to go longer, and I knew that I'd made the most of every single moment. One by one we said goodbye to everyone - but it wasn't too sad - I was saying 'see you tomorrow at breakfast!!' I was sad when Royce and Kylie told me they were leaving first thing in the morning - I hadn't spent any proper time getting to know them all night and if I'd known then I would have made more time with them. But still no regrets.
Trav and I met exactly halfway through - he'd been keeping an eye on me so we both finished together. At the very end of the circle, Louise and Daniel stood. We hugged and I gave them an encouraging smile. What more could I do? I said my last goodbye to Lara Thomas and tracked mum down for the key to our room. As Trav and I gave a final wave and wandered away from our party the funniest thing happened. A human arch grew in front of us - led by Kate and Tracy and we ducked down and squeezed through with me squealing in delight. When we were just about out of the arch, more people would appear and so it continued all the way down the boardwalk.

Egan appeared at the end of our arch and before I could speak he held his hand up and his words still stay in my mind 'You two made tonight, you really did.'

1 sleep...

2010-06-17T11:34:00.004+10:00

Let the pampering begin! Trav snoozed in bed while I got up bright and early to greet Jodie, Nick's gorgeous wife who would our manicures and pedicures. Soon after 9 we were set up next to the pool and my transformation began. Kate kept me company and I started to feel nervy all over again. I appreciated that feeling, it wasn't apprehension, I wasn't nauseous, I certainly wasn't worried about my decision and I wasn't worried about anything going wrong and I knew that everyone in attendance tomorrow was there in love and support, it was just butterflies. But not feeling those butterflies would have been a shame. I would have missed out on all that anticipation. So I sighed. Kate gave me a look.

I sighed again, Kate laughed. Jodie said 'She'll be doing that all day, now' Kate threatened to start counting!

Soon Michelle, Andrea and Tamra appeared and we all relaxed and chatted by the pool. As soon as I was done, I rallied a few girls to help with the ribbons and lanterns for the chapel while I enjoyed Kate's tasty tomato and bacon omelette.

Later on I finally began to experience one of the things I'd been so desperately looking forward to - as I wandered down Macrossan street I bumped into so many friends and family - there's Jason - there's Louise and Eileen at Mango Jam!? I picked up Michelle's birthday cupcake from Sugarloaf and on the way home caught up to Daniel and Kim - I explained that it was a suprise for my sister and of course, who do we see coming towards us next? Michelle and Ryan!

'What've you got there?' 'What is it?' 'Show me' she reminded me of a seagull as I dodged around the boys to keep the box hidden!

Trav and I made the most of a spare half an hour and snuck off to practice our dance a few times - whoever was living in the hotel opposite our park would have been well entertained!

Soon it was rehearsal time, we met our family and bridal party at St Mary's Chapel and hung back a bit as there was another wedding having their photos out the front after their ceremony. Funnily, I hadn't ever seen another wedding there in all the time I've visited. We met Shobha and all walked into the chapel. We started by practicing our entrance to the music (Louise had to get comfortable with being the first in line), I couldn't even pick the timing which I'd known so well until this day. Michelle told everyone to walk left-together-right-together and when we finally reached the alter Deborah read through a few lines of the introduction and we ran through the sand ceremony. We were all a bit fumbly so Michelle, lounged across the front pew and obviously unimpressed, drawled 'd'ya wanna take that from the top?'. Aaah did I tell you she's a wedding coordinator too?

When the time came to be given away, Marian and Egan stood up and said 'Ummmm, hmmmm, I don't know...' and everyone was in fits of laughter, - apparently my expression was priceless!

James used Egan's hat as a ring cushion and soon we were making our way back down the aisle together. The girls and I practiced our entrance one more time - Michelle seemed much more satisified with this effort and I remember it was timed so beautifully that Trav took my hands in his on the final note of the verse. It was just lovely.

We made our way to Lure to meet Kylie, Wayne and Nick - and soon I saw a familiar face sitting waterside. I came up behind her with a big HELLO and Aunty Irene turned around in suprise - Aunty Yarg, Uncle George and Aunty Halina were also there. It was a great reunion!

Trav and I returned to our room before dinner to write our thank you cards, and soon Uncle Les dropped in to say hello. I gave him his special handkerchief and he almost cried right there. He agreed to join us for dinner and soon we met everyone else on the balcony of the Courthouse Hotel. It was very hard getting everyone to be seated at once and soon I noticed that Tamra and Kate had disappeared. I found them downstairs in the queue to order their meals. I tried asking them to come upstairs because if we all ordered at different times we'd get our meals at different times, they didn't seem to catch on too quickly. 'OK look, Trav and I would like to buy everyone's meals tonight so can you please come back upstairs so we can all order together??' Yep, they got it that time.

After our orders were taken, while everyone was still seated, I shakily stood up and said
'Travis and I have invited you to join us tonight so we can thank you for all your love and support so far. It really means a lot to us' (yeah that's about as far as I got before my voice cracked and a single tear welled up in my eye). One by one, I picked a gift our of the bag and asked Trav for the card, before presenting each and every person on that table with their special thank you.
Michelle said, 'It's not another postcard is it?' and made me laugh, giving me instant relief from my emotional state. Stacey was absolutley wrapt with her tinkerbell bracelet and put it on straight away, Deborah loved her card holder, pointing out to me her namesake, the bee on the front.
Kate and Michelle loved their pearl pendants but both were concerned with wearing them at the wedding, I'd seen the jewellery they'd both selected for their outfits already and assured them that they didn't have to - they might just like to wear it to the ceremony and then change for the reception. James was amazed that we'd known the exact specs for his camera and was looking forward to learning how to use the new lens. When I gave Anthony and Daniel their gifts I told them, 'Now one is to wear tomorrow, and one is for later - try to work out which is which'. Anthony soon came up to me presenting the pink string his gift was wrapped in and said, 'is this for tomorrow?' with his big grin.

Tamra and Louise were thrilled with their bags, I confessed that Mum had helped me a lot with making them and they were very excited to see their names on the inside.
Our parents received their cards and handkerchiefs, and we explained to both that we couldn't think up anything that would be enough to thank them, so we'd present them with an album each later on. Everyone's meals were delicious and we were a bit late heading downstairs to meet all the other guests. We took over 2 long tables on Wharf street and soon about 50 guests had joined us and we all chatted and laughed for a while. From across the other table Susan looked at me and said 'I know something you don't - there's a surprise at the ceremony tomorrow'. From this point a tiny thought grew at the back of my head, 'if he comes to the ceremony, would he really tell anyone? Would anyone really tease me with this? Would he really come?'. I never did find out what the ceremony surprise was.
By 9:30 I wanted to get out of there and try to get a long night's sleep. I walked home with mum after giving Trav a good-bye kiss. I hoped he wouldn't stay out too late and regret it tomorrow, but I didn't say a word.

I had to laugh when Kate told me that Michelle had been in a fluster before the rehearsal, worrying that she might be late. Well Mich - why don't you just take a look at that running sheet you didn't want to read!

The Groom's View:

After saying goodnight to Christie we stayed at the courthouse for a little longer and a couple more drinks. We then ended up at The Iron Bar. Before /i knew it I was receiving all different types of drinks from everyone. Shots and cocktails and beers and even a water. We stayed out a little later than i'd planned, but it was still a fun night. Anthony told me that he told all the staff to refuse me service and he was the only one allowed to get me drinks.

2 sleeps...thank you Mike!

2010-06-16T11:34:00.039+10:00

I woke up on Wednesday feeling no better, even after a solid night's sleep and yesterday's dip in the pool. Toni suggested a couple of masseurs who might be able to straighten me up a bit and I headed down Macrossan street to find either of them.

Michael Joseph at Deep Massage & Body Work was just opening the door when I arrived. He stood at about 6'6" and his friendly grin quickly turned upside down when he saw me try to sit down to arrange an appointment.

'So do you know what you want?'

'Well I'm getting married in 2 days and I can't stand up or sit down or even walk without feeling like a 90 year old' I blurted. He asked a couple more questions before declaring it was Quadratus Lomborum, and the good news is that it's easily treatable. Phew!
I headed across the road to pick up a couple of coffees from rehab. This place has the best reputation in town and I couldn't resist a pair of 'Outpatient' stubby holders. Like most places in QLD- you wouldn't want to be in a rush but the coffees were terrific and definitely worth the wait.

When I came back an hour later for the appointment Mike showed me the problem on the muscular chart and I learned about why it was starting to affect my legs and upper back. Generally if your lower back is sore, it means your thigh muscles are already tight as they've been carrying the weight. And as you try to brace yourself and distribute the weight away from your lower back, that's when your upper back starts to carry the extra, so it gets sore too. We started with 2 amazing but excruciating stretches that I was only allowed to use sparingly, before Mike got to work on a very strong 1 hour massage. It hurt. He knew. I winced and tried to bear it in the hope that I would improve faster. I have never felt that kind of power in knuckles or elbows ever before! I'd just try to brace myself as he repeated the movements. As an extra special treat, he put some hot stones under my back ('just because you're getting married').

When I stood up, I wasn't cured but I felt a lot better. I could even reach down and put my shoes on!

When I got back to our Villa Trav was content munching on his sandwich and as Michelle and Ryan had gone to Cairns for the night I persuaded Mum to join me for a bucket of prawns and bubbly on the decks of the Tin Shed. http://www.thetinshed-portdouglas.com.au/

Not to be confused with the Iron Bar, the Tin Shed is home to the Port Douglas Combined Club, and with a deck over the water, it's a lovely spot for a meal. Mum and I enjoyed our indulgent lunch - we'd been talking about fresh prawns for so long that it was about time we ate them! They were small but so sweet and juicy!

After the obligatory photos, we started making our way back home and I heard from Louise and Deborah that they had finally arrived. The first thing I did was knock on Deborah's door until Coral answered - explaining that Deborah was upstairs in bed, ill with a serious chest infection! Ooops. I retreated quietly and Mum, Trav and I prepared welcome drinks for the McIntosh's who would arrive soon. We greeted them with beer and bubbly (not that they hadn't already started on the way from Cairns of course!!).

It didn't take long for them to join us in the pool for the afternoon.

The skies greyed as we headed over to the beach for our first guest meet up - it started to drizzle! Spirits still high, we madly texted everyone we could think of, inviting them back to Coral Seas instead. Soon people started wandering up the driveway - there was Louise and Daniel, Eileen & Kim and Tracy and Dean! Dennis and Robyn - Kat and Matt and David and Andrea... more and more familiar faces appeared and we all toasted the beginning of this exciting adventure with drinks and snacks.

As dusk approached, the rain cleared and we found ourselves at the beach afterall, the boys kicking the footy and Kate and I wandered off to check out a hidden path through the trees.

We met most guests at the Iron Bar again that night, this time with tickets to see the Cane Toad Races. Our friend Nick wasn't running them but it was still a hoot. Kat got up, as did Dean and Kate - I'll never forget when the MC coaxed Kate towards the bucket (again) to pick up her toad, then madly shook the bucket causing her to squeal!

We stayed around for the band and had a few dances but moved on soon after as they weren't taking our requests! Next stop - the Courthouse Hotel where an accoustic performer was playing downstairs...SOMEONE kept refreshing my glass after every sip and I quickly decided I'd had just about enough for one evening. On the way back home Trav and I did an awful practice of our dance in the Port Village courtyard.

3 sleeps... Michelle's Birthday

2010-06-15T11:33:00.003+10:00

Everytime I tried to roll over last night I’d see another hour on the clock, finally finally it was time to get up. My dream hadn’t been quite as difficult as the night before, I think I was chasing someone on my bike.

I laid there for another minute or two, trying to feel if my back had miraculously improved, I really didn’t want to sit in cattle class for 3 hours as I was. No such luck, another smearing of Voltaren at least it’s not so stinky) and we were off.

Marian dropped us of at Tullamarine by about 5am – this was the time we had planned to leave originally! No sooner had we stepped out of the car than we heard ‘Hello Wendy’ and Leon, Kylie and Louise were at our side. This was it! It was all starting, just like I’d imagined for so long. We all lined up for check-in, I was mentally calculating how much extra we’d be charged as Anthony and his family walked up!

We got through check-in with a friendly warning and then held our breath as we approached the X-Ray for cabin baggage. We were nearly through…. Ahhhh sigh of relief, not an eyebrow was raised as all our bags, containing liquids, crystal glasses etc went through. It’s coffee time!

I was feeling kinda woozy at this stage, just nerves? I don’t mind flying, that wasn’t it… maybe its that ‘we’re getting away with this feeling’ – nothing wrong with that!

Finally we boarded our flight and the flight attendant asked to sneak a peek at my dress on the way out – Trav laid our clothes along the lockers as well as possibly, but there wasn’t much room. I got the window seat, with Trav in the middle and Mum on the aisle.

As the sun rose in the east, we were able to enjoy the view from the left side of the plane. Mly about 20 minutes after take off the pilot announced that we should be arriving about 15 minues earlier that schedule – this was getting better and better! I read, did brainteasers, tried to sleep. Tried to stretch. Tried to sleep.

We touched down at 9:10 – 25 minutes early and as we walked off the plane we got our first mouthful of that heavy, warm Cairns air. As we were finding our luggage on the carousels I handed out everyone’s welcome postcards – they were thrilled (I added Jason to Megan’s card before realizing I had spares, I just hadn’t had the time to rewrite his sans Alisha).

I waited with the bags while Trav and Mum picked up the hire car and soon we’d stopped off at 1^st choice and Coles and were finally on the Captain Cook Highway, paradise-bound.

It was amazing to be driving past all these familiar landmarks, the Sky Rail, go karts and crocodile farm – especially with Mum in the car too. I just kept turning to Travis in complete awe – we were actually doing this!

Rolling into Port Douglas we did a short tour before pulling into Coral Sea Villas. Bruno was out the front and I gave him a big hug. Our room was ready so we loaded everything in and also met their daughters Joni and Ella.

We wandered into town and dropped off the rest of the postcards, stopping to visit Shaun and show mum the Chapel on the way.

Finally, it was time to open a bottle of bubbly and celebrate! We took a dip in the pool (yes it was a cloudy day and I still went it) in the hope that it might relieve my back pain but once again, no luck.

By the time Michelle and Ryan pulled up Trav and I headed to Lure to go through a few things with Wayne and drop off all the supplies. Wayne talked us through where the tables might go, and a few other details and I was amazed at just how blasé I was about it all, nothing really bothered me and I couldn’t make a decision. His only bad news was that he couldn’t get any of our first preference wines – which also didn’t phase my in the slightest. We agreed we’d either meet him or Kylie on Thursday and Nick might come along too.

We raced back up to Coral Seas for a quick change and to pick the others up for dinner at the Iron Bar. With relief I heard Ryan grumbling that they’re always late in Charleville too, ha ha can’t blame me this time!

I marched down Macrossan st with Trav threatening to give me a ticket if I didn’t slow down to a meander. I guess I was still easing into Queensland time.

Leon, Kylie and Louise as well as Lara & Tennille were all out the front and we took our seats. Mmmm the scallops were good, if only I’d ordered two servings! As it turned out I got to polish off the chips so we were all happy.

We all wished Michelle a happy birthday and then halfway through dinner a flustered waitress ducked under our table in pursuit of a cane toad! Leon had felt something wet on his leg but thought it might be a dog’s nose.

Needless to say we all squealed and pulled our knees up to our chins as the cane toad was caught and returned to his bucket. We saw the start of Nick’s cane toad show but everyone was exhausted so we called it a night.

Mum Michelle and Ryan joined us in our room and Michelle and Mum helped me with scroll ribbons while Trav and Ryan made the little lanterns… I went to bed hoping like crazy that I’d wake up feeling 29, not 99!

4 sleeps... crazy

2010-06-14T11:35:00.002+10:00

Well I know I was feeling calm yesterday but after a shocking night's sleep and a couple of odd dreams, I woke up edgy, nervy and shaky.

In my first dream I got to hug Michael Buble (I know I know) but in the second dream I was trying to put our suitcases into our room though the upstairs window (which had a pool as a balcony so that didn't help at all).

I was so worried about forgetting all sorts of things and still had a few things to tie up - print the menus, get the wine list from Lure, send out running sheets to our dream team, print copies for us, make the reception music cd, do washing, change the sheets pack our toiletries and Trav still hadn't sorted out his shirt.

It was lunchtime. All I did was lean over to grab a tea towel and BAM! A piercing pain went through my back and from then on I was walking like an 80 year old. For no apparent reason my old lower back pain returned – just as Trav’s neck improved. He gave it to my back from his neck he said…

After lunch I was feeling a bit more relaxed about our to-do list, but maybe that’s because my attention had moved to my back instead. We managed to get away by 3:30, and after a short stop at highpoint for some last minute essentials we were finally on our way to Sunbury.

We started shuffling our suitcases with Mum’s stuff, whatever way we looked at it we were about 4 kilos over our limit. Time to have dinner with the McIntosh’s before we reassess. It was such a lovely evening, Mum proposed a toast to how well we all get along (compared to some In-Law stories) and we all agreed that we’d had a great time planning it all. A delicious roast chicken and vegie dinner was the perfect comfort meal for our last Melbourne night!

My back was still holding me back, even after a few sprays of Deep Heat and more Voltaren…please please go away.

Back at Mum’s she and Trav maneuvered our holiday packing again while I took a nice warm shower. We agreed to be up by 4 and out the door by 4:30 and were in bed around 10.

I'm still feeling really panicky - just want to be as relaxed as I was yesterday - I hope it goes away soon...

5 sleeps... Rossi goes on holidays

2010-06-13T11:35:00.002+10:00

On Sunday morning I woke up after a brilliant sleep. Long, warm and no noise to wake us up too early - just Rossi's gentle snoring.

He must have sensed something was going on because he didn't touch his breakfast at all. After a trip to officeworks and spotlight, we headed down to Grovedale to deliver him to Lynne, his breeder who was looking forward to having him stay. We went through his medicines and routine and Lynne promised to take a photo if he snuggled up with Bella.

Rossi was looking very confused as we kissed him goodbye and drove away.

I dropped in for a cocoa with Tamra on the way home and chatted to Louise after our delicious dinner of steak with caramelised onions and duck fat potatoes. Yummy!

6 sleeps... slow it down

2010-06-12T23:05:00.002+10:00

I know I'm relaxing when I have a bowl of popcorn and a glass of wine next to me as I write this on Trav's latop in bed!

I had the best sleep last night, Rossi was snoring peacefully and we weren't woken up by the sound of a skip at 7am. But what a typical Melbourne winter, I took both my umbrella and sunglasses along when I wandered down to Waxed & Relaxed for a morning of beauty treatments, and I needed both!

We dropped into North Melbourne to pick up my shoes before heading to Essendon, nice and early for our massages. We ducked into a factory outlet while we were waiting and I sent Kate some pics of cute silver sandals - it's been so much fun helping lots of guests with their outfits - from going shopping with Mum, shopping with Deborah and joining Kat for her high-heel training!

The massage was just lovely, my mind was still busy but I did my very best to concentrate on nothing else but the music and the hands. Our neck, back, shoulders and legs were all massaged and I wondered how Trav was going with the foot massage - he later told me that they'd skipped that after all, how did she know??
At the end a steaming hot towel was put on my back to soak up the oil - bliss!

We walked out of there completely relaxed.

We spent the evening packing everything into our suitcases, and with the help of Kat's scales, found that there would be some shuffling to do at Mum's place - we were pretty close to our quota, even though I was sure the scales were adding a few extra kilos!

7 sleeps... running around town

2010-06-12T22:35:00.007+10:00

What an action-packed day! It was one of those days that, when you climb into bed at the end of it all, you can't quite believe what you were doing at the beginning.

We woke up to the sound of construction works across the road, our sleep-in was shortlived - even though I was covering our ears with my hands.

We had a difficut start this morning, when Trav came downstairs in the morning he just caught Rossi having another seizure. We were both there together for the first time. I'm sure the last one was in April, which scares me because it's reoccured a lot faster than all the others. What else can we possibly try that might help our little man?

Once we'd all recovered from the rough morning, Trav and I headed into town where I met Kate at Brides of Melbourne for my FINAL try-on and dress pick-up. Once again I was so glad to have company. An overly smiley assistant named Cath helped me into the fitting room and all she could tell me was that it was all done. Hmmm, I asked to see Allison for my own peace of mind.

Before I even put the dress on I noticed just how nice it looked inside - they'd taken the cups and sewn them inside the lining, rather that leaving them tacked on as Wendy's team had. Bonus points!

This time I didn't even bother taking my leggings off and I stepped out of the fitting room to see Louisa for the very last time. She had no idea what had happened that week and as I took my final 'walk' she declared that my husband would run down the aisle to me!

Allison came out and confirmed that they'd fixed up the skirt without a problem and Kate and I could see with great relief that the skirt was very even, and the front lace panel had been moved up to match. Satisfied, I arranged to pick up the dress later that morning.

As Kate reluctantly returned up the hill to work, I met Trav at ADC and we wandered over to Laurent for a breakfast of croissants and lattes.

It was 11:30 by the time we arrived at Arthur Murray unannounced (for the first time today), the studio was closed and dark, we could hear the phone ringing and the answering machine kick in as we waited, deciding what to do. It was a bit surprising considering they advertised 10am to 10pm opening hours.

I returned to Brides of Melbourne with Travis, who graciously turned around as I inspected my gown to make sure it was indeed mine. He asked whether the puffy sleeves were being sent up directly, and quipped that he'd seen the road train carrying the rest of the dress leave this morning.

Trav offered to carry it for the first couple of minutes, before deciding that it wasn't doing much for his image and promptly swapping it for the bag containing our dancing shoes. I suggested that any young lady would melt at the sight of him carrying a VID (very important dress) and he agreed that they would sigh with regret that another good man was about to be off the market - why else would Louise and Tamra be wearing black dresses??

Our day continued with a visit to the Collingwood Football Club, where I luckily rescued one of the groomsmen's gifts from the Australia Post bag, only to find that they'd packed the wrong size, talk about timing! Next up - Boyles dance shoe store in Prahan, after finding that all the heel grips were still too big for my heels, we took their advice and headed to a shoe repair store in North Melbourne who would replace the cheap plastic heels with rubber-absolutely-non-slip ones.

We scoffed our pork rolls at home on the couch before I headed up the highway to see mum. Without time to try on the dress, we laid it out and were happy to see that the semicircles matched up this time. Crisis officially over.

Mum showed me the finishing touches she'd put on our little project and then I spent the rest of the afternoon with Kimberly of Karma Hairdressing, we set a date for my PWC (Post Wedding Chop) and Kimberley almost had a tear in her eye as she recalled my wedding gown and wished us all the very best. My colour was finished in record time - apparently it does take a lot faster if the client has a lot going on at the time. Our carefully planned colouring hit a high - we were both really excited with the result and I walked out of there positively beaming.

Hitting the highway I hoped I'd make it in time to catch a few of Trav's workmates before their drinks wrapped up and their long weekend began....
On the way I got a fair ribbing from Louise about my 'to-the-minute' running sheet but have to say, it was load off my mind when I sent it out. I knew that it meant I wasn't the only one who knows what's going on next week and I'll be able to happily put down my memory stick and pick up a Mango Daiquiri as I resign from my wedding coordinator role and Trav steps down from his TRAVel agent role!

Arriving at VU about 7pm, there were a couple of guys left and we chuckled over a drink with Dan, Warren (the fijian-indian), Trish and Mick before making our way back to the car.

Walking down the hill, Trav said the words "I think if we knocked out 2 good practices at home, why don't we go into the city."

....it took me a few seconds to understant what he meant. I
d totally forgot that we'd originally been asked along to the social night to peform our wedding dance tonight...he actually wanted to do it. He'd originally written it ff because he thought he;d havve too many drinls and didn't even expect to ave the bus-stop under control let alone our routine!

'Are you sure???" I panicked... he confessed he'd been feeling really low about our last practice and wanted to really show Sim that we knew wht we were doing. "OK" I offered, unconvincingly.

t home we moved the couches >again< and practiced. and practiced. and practiced. Rossi was under our feet so Trav moved him and hi bed to the couch and we practiced aain. and AGAIN.

To be percetly honest, after the fist 4, I didn't think we were readyu at all to make the trip downtown, but we persisted and after knocking out 2 good ones, I changed and we were in the car headed for Bourke st.

I couldn't believe he was serious! My Trav doesnt dance until I beg him, i started to feel like the whole night was a deam, my Trav - draging me onto the dancefloor, on a night we'd already declined once. I started to feel like I was in the end of 'Shall we dance' when Mr Clark showed up unanounced at the going away party...

I was still aving trouble believing it as we drvove into town, I was thinking to myself, "this will either be a xomplete success or a complete flop, it's up to us".

We stepped into the elevator. pressed "M" for Mezzanine. We could hear the music as soon as the elevator door opened. We looked at each other. This was it. I pushed open the door, my bag got caught as Francesca looked up from her group class and said

OH
MY
GOD
This couple will be presenting their wedding routine to us tonight!!!

The next hour was all practice, and again, and again. We did really well only a few minor slips and were both feeling very confident....

We were both having a ball, and soon enough we were on. We completed the routine to applause and there was only one time when I'd skipped half a step so we'd finished about 2 seconds before the music. Sim was so proud of us and Francesca walked in just as we'd finished - after all that excitement!

It was about 9:15 by the time we headed over to the dumpling place for a late dinner. It was the same one we'd dined at after our very first lesson too!

Disclaimer: Any typos are due to the fact I was using Trav's Mac rather than a standard keyboard. live with it.

8 sleeps...I'm on holidays!

2010-06-12T22:33:00.004+10:00

I was thrilled to be able to bring some cheese along when we visted Kate, it was her last night in a gorgeous little weatherboard house she was looking after for a friend.

We relaxed over a couple of beers and Kate, my city sister, presented me with a very familiar and exciting looking yellow paper bag. Anyone who knows me knows I have a thing for Lush! And Kate knows just how hard it is for me to visit the store now that I'm not working in town - inside was a 'Figs & Leaves' soap to use while we're away!

Oh Kate! You're a woman after my own heart! Big Hugs to you! We all marvelled at the fact that this time, in a week we'd be enjoying dinner on the balcony of the Courthouse Hotel after the rehearsal. Kate showed us her gorgeous dress and necklace she'd picked out and I decided she definitely needed to try out my silver sandals.

It's these casual, lingering catch ups that I love the most.

Soon it was time to head home, Travis whipped up some delicious chicken, avocado and punkin pies for us and I celebrated the start of my holidays by cracking a bottle of bubbly, (and finishing the whole thing!).

What a guy, can you see why I'm marrying him?

I had a little surprise in store for him later on that night...

8 sleeps...handover (letting-go) time

2010-06-12T21:32:00.008+10:00

My last afternoon at work was a strange one, my team were all in meetings until 3pm so I tried to keep myself busy and caught up with Belinda and Jess. Belinda reminded me that if I started getting agitated, i should think of how she regrets her attitude on the day and wishes she could have been nicer to everyone. She cant't have that time again and I much prefer to learn from others' mistakes.

Jess was very impressed with our sewing efforts and Callum, Sarah and Leon all dropped in to wish me well too.

After everyone returned to the office it still wasn't until about 4:15 that we popped the champagne (yes - Laurent Perrier!) and enjoyed some Tarago River cheese.

Joanne was just like a proud mum when she said the words 'Christie, you're a very special person' and presented me with a beautiful card and gift, which happens to be Matthew Evans' The Real Food Companion cook book! Now that she saw how excited I was she promised they would all sign it when I returned. I was so touched - and then Kyle ducked out and returned with a big beautiful bunch of orienal lilies, gerberas and other beauties! He confessed that they'd been surviving on mugs of water, hiding in his car since yesterday as we'd postponed the handover. Their words in the card were so touching and we had a lively chat about mothers taking too many photos, whether we were sleeping apart the night before and how my hair trial went. I explained my philosophy of being quite flexible during these last few days, so that there would be less things likely to upset me by the time the 18th rolls around. All I hear is how fast the time goes and I just want to be sure Im soaking up every minute.

I handed everyone their printed, highlighted copy of my handover notes and funnily enough no one had any questions - once again I put this organisation down to taking plenty of time to plan and prepare. Of course I still desperately hope that i haven't forgotten anything but that seems to just be human nature.

Travis arrived soon after and got to meet Kyle, before we headed off to see Kate in Kensington...

8 sleeps ... getting giddy

2010-06-10T14:04:00.007+10:00

...heart's beating fast...

9 sleeps...

2010-06-10T10:29:00.001+10:00

More cards and a gift!

After a work day that absolutely dragged, we met family and friends for dinner in Sunbury. It was lovely to see Michael before we leave for QLD and Marc and Amanda came along with Susan and Gary as well.

Susan presented us with a stunning handmade fabric card that she has embroidered herself using gold and silver thread and sequins from the lace on my dress. We opened it and there was a picture of St Mary's Chapel with our invitation wording printed across it, there was also an embroidery of the chapel and an embroidered message to us - complete with our little monogram that I'd come up with! There was also a little pocket made from the fabric of my dress which held some $.

Then we received our gift - an amazing tin chapel/birdcage that holds 3 candles. Susan said she could see this in our garden but I think it will look beautiful in our entrance until the weather improves!

It was such a nice evening to share with everyone and I think we might even be lucky enough to see the ring cushion at the rehearsal - I just know I'll hardly see it on the day and want to be able to really appreciate it beforehand!

Eight sleeps to go and today is my last day at work. It's kind of sad to think that everything I've been running through my head, how we'll spend each day up there and all the plans we've made for a wonderful wedding are almost here. It's exciting but I really do think that looking forward to something is almost as good as actually getting it.

I hope we take the time to relax and really soak everything up. I know the days will go fast and won't always go as I've imagined, but I've got a feeling they'll be better than I could ever have hoped for. Just go with it. Everyone will finally be up there together as we've all been preparing for and we'll all be ready for our 'winter holiday'.

You can't plan things forever, they eventually come around and become real memories, not just wishful thoughts. We've prepared well, we're not expecting a perfect day and I think we've allowed a lot of flexibility so nothing can go too 'wrong' on the day.

Yes I think it's finally time to kick back and relax and allow all this planning and imagining to become reality...

warm wishes

2010-06-09T16:52:00.003+10:00

Hi Christie,

I’m so excited for you!!! Are you putting disposable cameras on each table? The “unprofessional” shots can turn out to be so funny.

It wasn’t until a week later after my first wedding that I found out what went on after we left, the staff at the reception centre joined the remaining few and were dancing on tables etc.....lol would have been sooooo funny to see that.

I hear that it is quite lovely up around that area – lots of beaches and sunshine

Delegate as much as possible on the actual day because with all the emotion etc it can take on a dream quality.

Damien, Frans and the crew also send their best wishes.

Lorraine

Trav's new look

2010-06-09T11:51:00.001+10:00

Today is Trav's first day of leave! And it's going to be a busy on - dropped me off at work, met his dad at Formal Red for his suit fitting (he tells me he looks positively SMASHING!), a leisurely brunch together, back home, orthodontist at 4 to remove top front braces (!!) and then the dentist for a good clean. When I meet him in Moonee Ponds at 6 he'll be a new man! (for 2 weeks anyway, then those grills will go back on until February).

So with all the extra things I've asked him to do, there's be no rest for this guy on his first day off... he'd have less to do at work!

Mum came over last night to help me finish a little project or two, and tonight we're enjoying dinner with Susan, Gary, Marian, Egan, Mum and Michael.

10 sleeps

2010-06-08T16:03:00.001+10:00

I knew there would be a moment when I just started to chill and it happened today.

I’m feeling really calm now. Funny – it’s all the extra fluff that goes with it (reception) that worried me more than the actual ‘marrying’ part – I only just confirmed our flower selections and there may be one less guest attending which we might not find out until we arrive in Port Douglas but all that is just fading right away now too - I only need Trav, Deborah, Me and our witnesses to get married. All the rest of it can just roll along however it will on the day.

I saw my naturopath this morning and she is only about 5% concerned that I might 'crash' after the wedding - I'm sure it's natural to feel like something's missing after it's all over and you return home again but I know we've got so many things to look forward to that I'm not too concerned about it. We've got a week and a half at home and we're looking after Dudley for most of it. We've got a European holiday to plan and all sorts of other exciting things!

I dropped into Passionfoods today at Sharlene's request and they gave me a gift that Sharlene said she just cannot live without now that she has one. She said that she hopes I would love it and find it as useful as she does!

Yollie was there too and they both reminded me to just enjoy all of it. The attention, the fussing - 'this is the only day you'll have absolute exclusivity! It's all about you!' Sharlene said.

Diary of a Bride

2010-06-08T11:52:00.002+10:00

So what does a Bride do with 10 days left until her big day? Surely she relaxes, takes it easy with lots of baths and early nights? I wish! Considering we had nothing booked except for dancing and a haircut at the start of the week, here's what we've got on now...

Monday: Last minute alterations at Brides of Melbourne, and last dance lessons at Arthur Murray

Tuesday: Mum is coming over to help me finish some little projects, drop into PassionFoods at lunchtime

Wednesday: We've been invited out for dinner with Trav's parents and their close friends

Thursday: Christie work drinks, and visiting Kathryn at her gorgeous house-sit in Kensington

That's right - beautification starts way before the day! I was so excited to book in our massages for Saturday (and the 20% discount makes it that little bit sweeter!) Notice the 10pm appointments? I've set that for all week, let's see how many I can achieve!

Crisis averted (hopefully!)

2010-06-08T11:48:00.001+10:00

Soon enough the working day ended and I met Kathryn and Louise on the steps of the GPO.

As we walked into Brides of Melbourne Allison greeted us immediately and showed me to a fitting room. She was cool, she was calm and no-fuss. (I bet she knows how to handle bridezillas!)

In the fitting room I stayed calm and said I just couldn't believe none of us had noticed this difference - Allison said it was a common occurrence - usually the top half of the dress gets all the fussing. She just made me feel comfortable immediately and even helped me into my shoes.

I stared into the mirror as Allison spread out the skirt, pinning and measuring. She wasn't phased with raising the hem - it would only be a problem if I wanted it lower! With Louise and Kathryn looking on we agreed on the length of the front left side and as Allison measured the length of the skirt from the left and right bodice seams, we noticed more than a couple of inches difference - the left side of the skirt was at least 8 inches longer! That's not a circle! Allison promised to measure the whole gown to ensure it was even and she is even removing the lace on the front and resewing it after the hem is raised - I seriously thought she'd just trim the bottom!

I mentioned that I hadn't spoken to Wendy yet and she said she'd give her a call.

Leaving my dress in the fitting room, I approached the counter where we locked in 10:30 am Friday for final fitting and pick up - and it will be freshly pressed too.

Phew! I walked out of there confident but relieved that I'd brought along reinforcements.

I quietly sipped my tea at Grossi while waiting to meet Trav at our last dance lesson.

The practice class was great - we worked on basic foxtrot and rumba steps, underarm turns (with proper arms) and my favourite - swivels!

We enjoyed pizza at Tono's and service was lightning fast this time, it was fitting that we'd started here 9 weeks ago and were ending here - with a much better experience!

Our private class had it's ups and downs, we concentrated hard on the ending and it's now looking lovely - we still had the odd slip up or two during the routine but as long as Trav doesn't get that 'I just stepped in dog-poo' look on his face no one will be any wiser.

We practiced again and again and worked on the timing at the start, our arms and smoothing the whole routine. We then performed it for Sim, Francesca, Andrew and a couple of the other students and it instantly felt different - my mouth was so dry! The feeling of people watching was so unnerving, Trav said the whole time he was thinking that Sim was disappointed, then he'd miss a step - tell himself off and miss another one - the poor thing really got worked up. We'll take it easy with the practice I think, we both know we know the steps and if we drill it over and over it will just look robotic. We'll be just fine!

Sim has worked so hard with us to make such a fantastic routine! I love the music just as much as when we started and the dance is just so much fun! It's sad to think we won't be spending Monday night 'date nights' with her from now on, but I hope we hold onto all that we've learned.

As we left the studio the same song was playing as the first time we'd walked in - 'I got rhythm' and we thought it would be a fitting song for our Parent's Dance...

House of cards

2010-06-07T15:54:00.002+10:00

It's very easy for a Bride to become an expert at balancing a house of cards precariously on the side of a cliff.

Every card she adds is another card that can fall, bringing the whole house tumbling down with it.

A wedding is about two people, a celebrant, witnesses and wedding bands do come in handy but that's really all it's about. The rest of the day has been created from traditions, from hungry wedding industry that continues to grow with every newly engaged woman.

The more cards (flowers, cake, tablecloths, cars, weather, family expectations, outfits etc) she adds to that house of cards, the more unstable it will become. If she loosens her grip a bit, that flexibility will allow everything a better chance of working out well. The tighter the 'window of perfection', the more chance things won't fit into that window.

It's not too late to take a step back and say 'I don't care if the flowers aren't what I wanted' 'Too bad if the wine isn't available' 'So what if we miss a step or two during our first dance' as long as we're married at the end of the day everything will be perfect.

This is the week to slow down, relax, go to bed early, don't stress, eat well, don't rush, savour everything...

In other news...

2010-06-07T15:47:00.000+10:00

We received a very generous parcel from Dad on Friday. He had kept asking us to tell him an amount to contribute but as we just couldn't pluck a number he organised it for us.

Trav has been arranging our car hire for our arrival at Cairns Airport - this is the email I got from him...

Just looking at car hire for PD
Can get a Getz for $65 plus about $15 petrol, but not a lot of storage. 3 large suitcases and a big puffy sleeved dress
Can get a Tarago for $90 plus $20 worth of fuel.
How much running around will we actually do between Cains and PD on the Tuesday?
If we can get most things ticked of then its worth it
Is it better to get transfers?

A big puffy sleeve dress? Ain't he cute!

I enjoyed a lovely breakfast with old neighbours Andrea and David on Sunday morning at Duchess in Spotswood. It was really nice to spend the morning with them, talking about our plans just like the good old days.

Safety in numbers

2010-06-07T12:35:00.003+10:00

Well I've learned by now not to assume anything so I called for reinforcements. I put the call out to Louise, Tamra and Kathryn to see if anyone could come along for the ride tonight.

Instantly Louise was in. Not long after - Kathryn was joining us. Tamra's working late but 2 out of 3's not bad! I sent them both the background info and here are they're responses!

Louise

Now what did I say about things going wrong – just breathe… It will be fine girl they can’t charge you for something you have already paid for, its not like you have grown six inches taller or shrunken by the same amount.
I had the same problem with the bustle – my was I couldn’t locate it!
Anyway it will all be okay.

Kathryn

Right! Got it!
I’m working next Tuesday – so if it takes them longer to fix it I can pick it up on the Tuesday next week.
All good? Still breathing fine? Don’t worry – we’ll get it sorted!

What more could a girl ask for??

Anyway I only need Trav, Deborah, Me and our witnesses to get married.
All the rest of it is bonus fluff.

11 sleeps, one fingernail gone

2010-06-07T10:03:00.002+10:00

weather

I worked my last shift at Passionfoods on Saturday, I received lots of lovely wishes and hugs - and my boss Steven had this to say;

"Just enjoy every moment. Be in the moment. I know you've got all these last little things going around your head, but just enjoy it all."

Great advice at this stage in the game, and I'm reminding myself of it all the time.
It definitely is my mantra for today and I'll tell you why...

On Saturday night I tried on my dress again and practiced dancing in it. I still couldn't work out why I was standing on it all the time. And then we confirmed what Louise had noticed last time, the left side is longer. And not just by a centimetre - more like a couple of inches. It lays on the floor whereas the right side just skims the floor.
We checked it on the hard floor - thinking Mum's nice thick soft carpet was making things worse, only a slight improvement. We unbustled and rebustled higher. And higher. And twisted the skirt the other way. And laid the skirt out flat. And put higher shoes on.

We looked at how it might be fixed, shorten the hem on one side gradually? most of it was behind the lace panel so it wouldn't be so noticeable - but the lace would have to be trimmed as well. Pull it up at the hips? This left the fabric at the front curling instead of draping beautifully.

Worried I was going to put my heel through the dress on the day, and for the sheer principle of the fact this very expensive dress was crooked, we agreed I'd call Brides of Melbourne first thing Sunday and try to get down there as soon as possible.

I began wondering what they'd say. "It's not that noticeable" Can't you change your dance?"

And with a week to go until we fly out I knew there wasn't time to send it to Wendy in QLD for alterations, to receive it in Melbourne before we left. That meant they'd need to alter it onsite. I started having flashbacks of my friend Louise's experience with alterations at the store. Or would they send it to Wendy and have her send it directly to Port Douglas next week? They all sounded like risks I didn't feel like taking.

I woke up on Sunday with that feeling of 'there's something I don't really want to do today'. Brides of Melbourne doesn't open until 11 on Sundays so after enjoying breakfast with David and Andrea I picked up the phone and called them. No Louisa isn't in today. I spoke to Helen and briefly explained the problem - no alterations staff are in today but come in tomorrow after work. She remembered me and remembered that Wendy had done all fittings and alterations for the gown. Helen was very calm and helpful - I'm sure she gets last minute dress issues often.

I'm glad I tried it on again. And I hadn't started dance lessons until after we picked up the dress so I hadn't even contemplated any problems then. Why do we get these 11th hour issues? I kept myself busy for the rest of the day and I was fine, but on the way into work this morning I started to pick at my thumbnail, by 10 am it's all gone and looking kinda out of place among the others that I've been so carefully growing. I'm feeling a bit uneasy and foggy and I think it's going to be a long day. I know everything will be wonderful on the day, and I have no doubt at all that I'll be wearing my beautiful dress, it's just thewondering and worrying that's getting to me. But we all know that there's no point in worrying until there's something to worry about. Right?

I suppose this is the 'hint of drama' I asked for - better now than on the day I'm sure. Fingers are crossed for a straightforward solution.

3 little letters

2010-06-04T22:57:00.000+10:00

V.P.L

I knew these 3 little letters would drive me slightly mad when searching for the ideal undergarments. Luckily, as the bodice finishes quite low, I don't need to worry about the waistband, it's just the legs/butt area.

I began my research online - there are heaps of no VPL products around, this can't be too hard?
Berlei was about to bring out their Barely There range so I stalked the womens lingerie section of Myer until I saw them. I bought a pair, tried them at the next fitting and no good - they ride up and create an unsightly line. Horror.

An Elle Macpherson brief in a similar style wasn't much better so next option was the G-string, worked a charm but with that long split in my dress I'm now petrified of Trav dipping me and exposing everything!

I've done some more research and keep hearing the names Spanz, Nancy Gantz, Ambra and Holeproof Nothing. And I also found this hilarious product called the C-String - check it out here if you dare! I think I might just get some boy-legs to try with the dress too - if they don't work I'll stick with the G and anyway, a girl can't have too much nude underwear!

This time in 2 weeks....

2010-06-04T15:31:00.005+10:00

We'll be walking out of St Mary's Chapel as Mr and Mrs McIntosh. Isn't that surreal??

Our to do list seems to be staying around 25 - I knock a few things off but keep thinking of more! Here's the little note I keep on my desk at work to tick off when we've received things, not much left now...

We're on film!

2010-06-04T14:42:00.001+10:00

Well, digital video anyway. Last night we recorded our instructors performing our routine, and then they recorded us. We'd been practicing for half an hour and I was having an 'off-day' but I've got to admit we weren't looking too bad at all until we forgot one of the last steps and the whole thing fell into a big shemozzle!

Well at least we picked up a few things to practice on - and I'm not as scared to watch myself on video as I thought I'd be.

15 sleeps!

2010-06-03T16:25:00.001+10:00

I was so excited to finally turn over to this page in the calendar that Louise and Daniel created for us!

Aaaah... I've never looked forward to winter so much!

Uncle Les came over to book his flights last night, he's arriving on Thursday (not Friday like he was thinking!) so it means he'll be able to join us for the Rehearsal Dinner! He's very happy to be dancing with me at the reception too.

I came across an Australian business called Original Sole this week who provides a few shoe solutions including sleeves to save your stilettos from getting scratched, and non-slip sole grips. I think I'll buy a pair of the grips and cut them down to see if they'll do the trick. I'll also get some of those heel grips and try them out as well, for less than $10 for each solution, I won't be losing much if they don't work and they might just be the solution I'm looking for...

Sleeps: 15
To dos: 26

Save me from myself

2010-06-03T16:03:00.004+10:00

somecards

Thinking back over our 2 year engagement, I've come up with so many things that I did because I wanted to, even though they were extra time and effort, I think it's these touches that help make the day special (to me anyway!)

Writing this blog. But I want to remember all the little things that happened along the way and I hope to share it with my own daughter one day.
Making our own invitations and place cards
Making gifts
Personalising things like the ring cushion and my wedding dress
Arranging the day after BBQ and HABA dive day
Preparing Telegrams for our guests
Preparing Welcome postcards for our guests and setting a timeline for the week
Learning a dance
Keeping a ***** to give to *****
Creating our own centrepieces
Sourcing the wine
Designing our own seating plan
Making **** for the *******
Using a wedding website and monthly update emails to connect with our guests
Offering to organise bus transfers for all guest and recording all their trip details

What can I say? I just love projects!

Also here are the cute petal cones that Michelle has been busy making for me. They're made out of old sheet music. I love them!

If only...

2010-06-03T15:37:00.000+10:00

... I could wear a garter with my dress. I'm sure I'd pick one of these beauties from Florrie Mitton Couture

Carrie draped pearl garter

Eden lace garter

or my personal favourite...

Aphrodite beaded garter

I had no idea there were garters out there that I'd actually want to wear! Garters that didn't look like this ...

Well at least it's one less thing to organise. I'm still trying to find another reason to wear a garter one day though...

Mini Wedding Bee a success!

2010-06-02T14:28:00.002+10:00

Our last big project is out of the way! Fueled with a delicious roast dinner and red wine, we got all the place cards assembled in one night and they look fantastic! A BIG thank you to Tamra and Kathryn for your help - it would have been boring and tedious without you!

Tamra asked me how I was feeling about the upcoming marriage and all I could think of was how that is the calmest thing in this whole wedding. Simply marrying Trav.

Today I appointed an honorary Sommelier - Kyle is helping me select some wines for our menu which are ideally Victorian but in any case, a great match at a decent price. Gotta love handballing!

We're getting married this month!

2010-06-01T12:36:00.001+10:00

source

At our second last dance lesson last night we learned the Grand Finale and Sim invited us to come back on Thursday to film it. Oh and Francesca invited us back next Friday to perform it!

I slipped a couple of times when we were practicing and soon noticed some clever 'feet' Francesca was wearing on her heels - for $6.95 a pair they might just keep me on my feet!

Vivaz Dance

They're designed to fit dance shoes (their heels are a bit bigger) but with a bit of glue I'm sure they'd stay on mine too!

Looking forward to our Wedding Bee tonight girls!

18 SLEEPS!

2010-05-31T15:43:00.000+10:00

It's getting even more real every day now! We're starting to see people for the last time until we meet again in Port Douglas - or until we come back married! When I was chatting with Deborah about all the little things that are stressing me out that I still have to do she assured me that I'm so organised and it will be very difficult to forget anything! Everyone we speak to is so excited - they can't wait!

I've updated our calendar of activities and to do lists and we really got packing last night. It's our second last dance lesson tonight but our practice has started to pay off and we're more comfortable with the entrance now - I actually know when to start moving which is going to help a lot!

We've finished all our ordering now and I'm waiting impatiently every afternoon to find out if any parcels have arrived. It sounds like Trav has the honeymoon all organised, that was the best idea letting him plot and plan and keep it as a complete surprise, what a lead up to my 30th birthday!

Another wedding nightmare

2010-05-30T22:35:00.001+10:00

Geeze I really thought this one was real.

I was looking through a few pictures that our photographer took of the day to find that they were boring, were missing people and basically just had us standing in the one spot with different guests, staring straight at the camera. No! I only get to do this once! Don't tell me that this is what we got from that whole day! What about the ceremony?

Suddenly we were back at the reception, this wasn't Lure - it was a beautiful old ruined building in a wild garden and forest - but the dancefloor wasn't on the deck. There wasn't a deck! Why oh why didn't we pop in the day before just to make sure everything was as planned?

Everyone was dancing in a little room off to the side and some guests were dancing in a swimming pool. There were guests there who can't make it to our wedding and everyone was having a great time except me - trying to work out where the hell we actually were!

Then Trav was making his speech and admitted that he was *%*^ing drunk to which I cried "YOU PROMISED!" and let everyone know how strung out I was. Truth is I'm not even worried about him on the night.

Well only 18 more sleeps of wedding dreams, surely the dreams stop after you're married? Right?

Pep Talk

2010-05-28T16:40:00.001+10:00

OK. I think I'm starting to lose it slightly. I was hesitant about offering the bus transfers since the charter company told us we'd have to collect payment ourselves and that meant a lot of extra time and effort (that we just don't have right now) to make it work. Nevertheless, we'd offered this to our guests so the information went out last night. I felt better once this was done - we were clear about what information we needed and by when. If we don't get enough solid info by next Wednesday at least we'll be able to say we tried but it's not going to happen.

Some replies have started coming in that don't make any sense; they're missing the exact info we requested, so they haven't read our email properly - help us help you people! And that was just the first 4 responses. At least 3 more people replied saying that they had organised their own transport - BONUS!

I vented to Belinda today about this, and how we really need to work on our dance and how stressed I'm getting now, hoping that if I get everything under control now, I can relax later.

'Guess what' she said. 'Stuff will still happen even on the day'. She reminded me to remember which things really aren't that serious because it really doesn't matter. She said looking back at some of her photos on the day she can see how angry she was and how grumpy she was with her new husband.

But really, let's step back. We've put an offer out to try and help our guests save a few dollars - if it doesn't work then too bad but at least we've tried to make things a bit easier for them.

We're going up to get married in Port Douglas, our most favourite place in the whole world and we've convinced 65 friends and family to join us. Everyone is already in party mode and they all just want to have a good time. They won't care less about all these little things and neither should I - as Catherine has reminded me more than once - 'as long as I've got my dress, and probably Travis everything will be fine'

The Bridal Dance

2010-05-28T10:44:00.001+10:00

Last night we went to a special Bridal Couples evening at Arthur Murray. Francesca taught us a couple of ways to walk on to the floor (much less complicated than our own entrance) and how not to count while dancing. what to do when we stuff up, and how to walk off the dance floor. There were about 9 couples there and it was a really fun night. We got to see a couple who have had 15 lessons (and their wedding isn't until August!) perform their very sensual Rumba routine and another couple who have added a bit of hip hop to their routine (and they're not getting married until November!) We did a bit of social dancing at the end and when everyone left Trav and I practiced our dance a couple of times, I'm getting the hang of the entrance and we've sorted out the swivel bit and the last turns. I'm starting to freak out that we only have 2 lessons left - and we wouldn't even have time to book another one in unless we did it on the Saturday before we go!

It's starting to come together now

2010-05-27T16:48:00.001+10:00

Our (OK Trav's) last minute place card has been a huge success. I got everything printed last night and it all looks fabulous (the lady at Officeworks was probably even more excited than I was!) The print on Trav's beer bottles is raised and the lacework and names on my champagne bottles look embossed. I'm thrilled!

We cut out one of each last night and Trav proudly stuck his straight into a stubby holder - perfect!

I'm just waiting for my fairy floss sticks so I can stand them in the gift boxes, we'll get these all cut out and assembled over the next week - hopefully with the help of some good mates of mine... (nudge nudge wink wink)

We've also got the bus charter information so we'll be sending it out to all our guests this evening, hopefully they'll appreciate that we have to facilitate this ourselves and will help by sticking to the deadlines, I really want it to be as swift as possible.

I've also decided to feature a Port Douglas icon on FaceBook each day until we leave - a nice teaser for our guests!

Counting the sleeps...

2010-05-26T14:45:00.002+10:00

I started packing last night! Well, when I say packing I mean hunting for all wedding related items and throwing them on the bed in the guest room along with the suitcases.

Our place cards are ready to be printed tonight and the sticks should be on their way. Tamra's volunteered for a mini wedding bee session and just Wait til you see the finished products - I just love playing around with graphic design! It's a shame that I only really know Publisher but boy do I know it well!

I've created a Guest Locations map to help us drop the welcome postcards off and have spoken to the two resorts that we'll be posting to.

Still waiting for Coral Seas and Lure..... waiting waiting waiting. I won't have a chance to call them tonight but if I don't hear from them tomorrow then look out! I just don't want to leave the bus transfers until the last week, would rather set it up and let the bookings begin.

Last night I flicked through my original mood book - all the pictures and words that inspired me to create our ideal wedding. We've really stuck to the original mood we wanted to create and I got a little tingle when I flipped over to some Port Douglas wedding stories. I think I'll add a few more images I loved and some mementos from the Bridal Shower and Hens Party.

The well-wishes and last pieces of advice are coming faster now,

'The big day is fast approaching – remember to enjoy the moment, it’s so special + lovely.!'

Tina

'remember to take a moment to step back and just watch it and caputure the moment in your head as it goes so quickly.'

Melinda

Just another day in paradise...

2010-05-25T14:17:00.001+10:00

Have a look at the beautiful blue sky up in Port today!

source

Last night was our third last dance lesson and we learned our beginning! The lesson went so quickly and we've got lots of practicing to do. On Thursday we're attending a Bridal Couples only class where we can learn about what to do if we stuff up, and how to enter and exit the floor. We'll take any extra help we can get!

After speaking to Sim about my dress (and sending through some pics) she said it'd be best to carry the train in my left hand otherwise I'll hang myself with my underarm turns. To my relief she taught us a very modest dip where my foot doesn't even leave the floor. Phew!

Tamra's dress arrived safely yesterday which was also a big relief - she'll be looking forward to trying it on tonight!

I had a quick peek at our massive to-do list and was pleasantly surprised that we're pretty under control.We've got most of our thank you gifts sorted and Trav came up with a great idea for the boys!

We've got a good start on the seating chart and Trav also suggested a brilliant place card idea. Now if only Lure would get back to us and things would start arriving in the post!

The next major thing to tackle is the bus charters, I'm seriously starting to regret this one but we just wanted to help our guests as much as possible. Hopefully Coral Sea Villas will be in touch soon with their provider and we can ask our guests to contact them directly. We've got most of their times recorded and could fill a couple of mini buses if everyone was interested... the sooner we get this started the better. And don't even talk to me about return trips!

Weather Update - 4 weeks to go

2010-05-24T14:23:00.000+10:00

Dress Rehearsal

2010-05-24T12:43:00.002+10:00

It was all about the dress again this weekend. I woke early (before 7am) at Mum's place on Saturday morning to the sound of cats fighting on the deck. I raced out to check that Rossi wasn't out there and couldn't find any cats but upstairs I saw the beginnings of the most beautiful sunrise that I decided to grab a cup of tea and blanket and watch it. It took a good 10 minutes for me to realise that I should be watching Sunrise the program to catch snippets of St Mary's by the Sea in Port Douglas during the weather updates. They were filming there because Carnivale was on.

Soon Mum was up and we spent the morning chatting and deciding on the vases to use for the sand ceremony. We had all morning but managed to tip over a bowl of cereal and forget my hair extensions when I left for the hairdresser!

We tried out two styles and the clip-in extensions were seamless, they were such a good pick!

In the first style Kimberley used some small plaits to give my hair body around the side, and twisted it over to one side. I loved the effect of the 'swoop' from the top of my head and also might invest in a couple of small crystal pins.

Because we had to take it all out again she didn't put too much product in so it will need more oomf on the day to keep it looking good (as Louise pointed out - all those hugs can take their toll!) I also hope my fringe will be longer by then and am not sure about having hair down at the front, it will have to be trimmed to suit on the day.

The next style was in the centre, and although pretty, we both liked the first one better! We looked at the clock and 2 hours had gone in a flash!

I came home and enjoyed a chicken and champagne lunch with Mum before stepping into my beautiful gown and putting on my jewellery and shoes. I was standing over the warm floor vent and we took some pics of my Marilyn Munroe moment!

Louise and Bronny arrived soon after and the swooning began, Mum had set up some mirrors and I practiced a few steps - when bustled the dress still seemed a bit low when I stepped backwards so I slipped the loop over my left hand. It didn't really hold up the lacy side enough so I tried the right hand - bingo! This might just work. I tried a few dips with leg lifts but this was a no go for modesty reasons! Will have to practice leg-down-dips. I also tried turning with my right arm and wondered whether I'd get tangled in the train. I'll have to ask Sim about this.

Louise suggested getting slightly higher shoes to give more clearance around my feet and I've also since thought of hooking the train on one or two buttons higher. I'll have to try all these things next time!

I even managed a couple of glasses of sparkling without spilling a drop and mastered 'sitting gracefully' too.

I really enjoyed chatting with Louise about everything we're planning to do - Daniel is having his birthday drinks in Port Douglas on the Wednesday night!

When Kimberley arrived she put my veil in and mum kept clicking away on the camera. Bronny carried my train as I descended the stairs - as my honorary bridesmaid, it was such a fun afternoon!

I did it my way

2010-05-23T13:12:00.001+10:00

Case in Point #1

Us: Hi Mums, here's a picture of what our cake will look like, but in different colours, isn't it beautiful?

Mums: Question. Will you be having a smaller cake on top to keep for your first anniversary of the Christening of your first child? It's usually fruitcake.

Us: No

Case in Point #2

Mums: So have you thought about what transport you're having on the day?

Us: No. It's just down the street, we're walking.

Case in Point #3

Mums: Well we need the ribbons on the flowers on the pews in the chapel to match the bridesmaids dresses.

Us: No, we're not having flowers on the pews, we're having paper lanterns.

Mums: Oh. Well you'll have to organise rose petals to be sprinkled down the aisle for you to walk on.

Us: No. Not having them.

Do it your way. They'll get over it.

Hypothetical...

2010-05-21T14:02:00.000+10:00

Time flies. I can't believe it was almost 2 years ago when I was invited to a friend's wedding in Port Douglas this June. Now June 2010 is fast approaching and I just can't wait. I've never been that far north before and this is such a brilliant idea - we can escape the Melbourne winter for a few days!

Our friends set up a website with lots of travel info and recommendations and they've been updating us monthly with their plans and any changes - they also told us when there were cheap flights available!

I can't wait to get up there and see all these places they've been going on about, Four Mile beach sounds amazing and I want to see what the fuss is about over at the Iron Bar. When I arrive I'm dropping my stuff off and going straight to the beach.

Their wedding is on the Friday at a little white chapel that has a view of the ocean and I think the reception is in a restaurant right on the marina!

I honestly wouldn't know where to begin organising a wedding from that far away, ours was in Melbourne and it was hard enough. They're not only organising the wedding day, but there's a brunch the following day and they're helping all of us with accommodation and flight queries and even offered to arrange charter buses! They are wedding planners and travel agents all at once! They have been up there once before and I think they even had a couple of days for recon in early 2009 - any excuse will do!

They've really been so helpful with suggestions and information, I'm sure they're looking forward to getting up there and just relaxing, it will be great fun having a holiday so far away with a big bunch of friends, and they must be touched that so many friends and family are traveling that far for their wedding. I know I would be. It must have felt like a big leap of faith when they announced their plans.

I'm glad they're doing it their way, they must be getting so excited now! They've done so much hard work and preparation to try to give everyone the best chance of coming along, I just hope they take it easy when they get up there.

See you in Port!

We've got an idea...

2010-05-21T13:30:00.000+10:00

We were having dinner with Kathryn and our folks at the Mona Castle after viewing the Riverview Function Centre (aka Footscray Rowing Club) as a potential venue for our engagement party.

We casually mentioned that we'd had a bit of a think about what sort of wedding we'd like. Everyone leaned in closer, I looked at Trav - he bounced it straight back to me so I said in a brave voice

"We'd like to get married in Port Douglas"

Trav's Mum looked stunned, my mum was trying to think up something encouraging and diplomatic to say and Trav's dad declared "I think that's a brilliant idea!!!!". So it was settled.

Happy stress

2010-05-21T11:08:00.003+10:00

Flashback:

On the evening we picked my dress up, Louisa and the girls at Brides of Melbourne joked 'Aren't I married yet??!' I assured them that I hoped this was my last visit. My dress felt fairly loose under the arms this time and I started to worry that my upcoming detox may not be the best idea. Louisa said if it was going to be a problem I should come over to her house for a big bowl of spaghetti!

She also gave me these very important words of advice - 'When you get to your boarding gate, head straight for a friendly looking married female flight attendant if possible, she's more likely to take extra care with your dress than anyone else!'

The last few nights have been filled with wedding discussions, emails back and forth between suppliers and countless spreadsheets and to-lists. I really don't want to be a wedding planner or travel agent when I get to Port Douglas so I hope that being extra careful (OK pedantic) now will mean I can sign off on Tuesday afternoon. Afterall - it's our holiday too right?

Last night we allocated our seats for the flight up and guess what - we're in row 18! They also noted that I'll be travelling with my wedding dress and cake.

I also picked up some possible vases for the sand ceremony from highpoint, when I was chatting with the sales assistant about how much I still have to do for the wedding she said - 'well it's happy stress isn't it - it's the best kind of stress to have!'. True. Very true.
When am I next going to be able to deliberate over bus transfers, napkins or which colour parasols to have? I want to make a conscious effort to pretend I'm not getting married so I can clearly look at all the things we're planning and really get excited - pretend to be the guest instead of the guest and wedding planner.

When I was talking to Kyle today about our weekend plans (mine being busy with a hair trial, dress try-on, wedding planning with mum and suitcase shopping with Trav) he said - 'well you're busy but at least it's all exciting stuff - it's plans for your wedding and travels'. True again.

All our guests we're speaking to are so excited. Can't wait. Want that holiday. I'm only thinking about everything that needs to be done. I should be more excited than everyone but I don't seem to be letting myself relax yet. Hope this wears off soon.

I just hope the more planned and organised I am now, the more relaxed I'll be later.

PS - I just sent this affirmation to Trav

We’re getting married in Port Douglas next month just like we planned and 63 of our closest friends and family want to come! I’m starting to believe it now!

29 days to go...

2010-05-20T14:22:00.001+10:00

Our good friend David came over for a chat last night, recently married he said was pleasantly surprised with the small changes in their life since they married in April. That's nice to hear because there's plenty of people out there who say nothing changes at all.

He also had this to say when we talked about helping our guests with transfers from the airport to Port Douglas,

'They're all grown ups, if they can't organise it themselves don't go around wiping their a#($s for them, make sure you relax and enjoy yourselves before bothering with anyone else, it's supposed to be about you."

No regrets

2010-05-19T13:22:00.000+10:00

You might remember I mentioned my workmate Belinda got married at the end of April. She had all sorts of challenges to face on the day, from hairstyles that just wouldn't stay, to broken flowers, late cars, and one very angry Priest. The only really happy moment Belinda could recall from the day was the speech her sister made, and when they woke up the next morning and it was all over. Finally.

She was a very stressed out, cranky bride to be and nothing could please her for most of the day. Did I mention that it was raining during their wedding photos? And that the groom and groomsmen were wearing the wrong colour boutonniere?

She was angry at her new husband because he had stalled the car and almost cost them their ceremony booking, and at their hotel that night he was too busy in the bathroom to help her out of her dress.

Yesterday she said to me that she wished she'd been kinder to him, and happier on the day. She regrets being so angry and worried about all the details and really thinks she could have been more gracious on her wedding day.

I choose not to have these regrets, it's one event that you can actually rehearse the day before but on the day every moment should be cherished. Take nothing for granted.

Reality Check!

2010-05-19T13:05:00.000+10:00

Whoah!

I got my first 'Chillax!' today - uh-oh, does the 1 month mark automatically tip brides into an deep, unavoidable frenzy? (hmm I looked up frenzy for want of a better word and got delirium, lunacy, hysteria, craze and fury - take your pick).

I'm usually the sort of person who doesn't like to think things are too easy - don't want to jinx anything so I tend to err on the side of caution and double and triple checking.

But so that I don't lose my nut over the last crucial weeks, let's have a look at the worst case scenarios (no point worrying about something that hasn't happened yet anyway.

We forget to bring something

Depending on how disastrous this is, we have some options

If the missing item is at our place we'll ask Matt & Kat or Marian & Egan to pick it up(they both have keys)

If it's at mum's we'll ask Marian & Egan to drop in

If no one can pick it up and it's not that disastrous, we'll get over it

If it's quite disastrous, we'll buy, beg, borrow or steal it

Moving right along ...

The weather might be cold

However cold the weather is, it won't feel cold to us hardened Melbournians

Toughen up ...

It rains on the day

We'll get wet

We'll get a lift to the chapel instead of walking

Rain can make wedding photos look really beautiful

Maybe this one will help me to decide on parasols - rice paper ones might not be the right way to go so it could be fabric ones afterall - not that they'd do much in a tropical downpour!

And anyway - don't they say it's good luck for your marriage?

The show will go on and we'll still be married ...

I forget my dress

I won't forget my dress

See? Nothing to worry about! Whatever happens, I'm pretty sure you won't be able to wipe that grin off my face all week long!

Happy 18th! (already??)

2010-05-19T12:30:00.003+10:00

Yes, 4 weeks to go and about 100 things still to do!

The weather isn't something I've thought about much in our planning process, I thought we'd be guaranteed a beautiful blue sky just like our two visits up north have been. Alas this week I've started to hear that things are expected to be a bit chillier than normal in QLD this winter. So as anyone would expect I had a mini-melt down and looked up the Elders 28 day rainfall forecast, but that wasn't very helpful as it only goes as far north as Brisbane

The BOM outlook

source

And of course current conditions in Port Douglas itself...

Finally, a quick check of the trusty webcam at Zinc restaurant confirmed that there's been no rain today!

My make up artist explained that their wet season was a bit later than normal this year so April was a lot wetter than normal, but she said the weather was beautiful and blue where she was standing so not to worry too much - just concentrate on things we can control. A good reminder is that during our last June visit, the locals were wearing ski jackets when we were in shorts and tees; so the meaning of 'cold' is different to everyone. I'm sure I'll be happy with anything warmer than a Melbourne winter, but that won't stop me from including the weekly forecast in here during this last month anyway.

I just saw some beautiful pictures of Lure at night time and I can't wait to be dancing on that very dance floor - and looking out over that very marina!

This Saturday is another big exciting day for me! Mum and I are going to see Kimberley my hairdresser for a hair trial and then back to mum's to try on my beautiful dress - must remember to practice some dance steps, turns and dips with the bustle and the wrist loop - just to ensure that everything will still be left to the imagination on the night!

In the afternoon Mum is going to help me with a few last projects and decisions and then we'll be playing email ping-pong with our suppliers for the next few weeks. Oh - we have to buy a suitcase too!

So just like Matt warned me, 'don't you ever dare to wish your time away'

PS: Can you get addicted to webcam?

Orange Windsor (The After Party)

2010-05-19T11:30:00.001+10:00

We met a few more friends (including my cousins Sam and Rachael) at Orange on Chapel Street afterwards and I was given 2 pages of dares to complete - so with a little help from my friends and the good sport Michael I got..

A guy's philosophy on marriage written on a napkin
A single guy's phone number on my arm
A guy bought me a drink
A single guy's business card
A photo with a taxi driver (Excuse the angle)
A photo with a cop
A photo with a guy's chest hair (didn't have the heart to rip it out)
A 50 cent coin from our year of birth
A happy meal toy (must return that to Rachael)
A menu
A pair of guy's jocks (thanks new little sis!)

Some chewing gum

And the prize? Yes! I did all that for a ... you guessed it - a talking vibrator!! Totally worth it - even if just for the photos...

On the way hope we stopped off at a highly acclaimed 24 hour cheescake shop and this is about where my fun ended... no explanation required.

some of my loot

The Artful Hen

2010-05-19T11:13:00.006+10:00

Our parties were nothing like the dream I'd had on Friday night - my hens party was a magic show which was overrun with zombie Pugs that wanted to take a bite out of everyone's shoulder, if they got you then you became a zombie and so on....yeah don't ask me.

I was in the kitchen at Trav's buck's party heating up food to send out to the man cave and everytime he came back inside I asked him if the girls were warm enough.

Weird.

Well that's not how it happened at all. It was 100 times funner!

My evening started with Tamra, Louise and the mum's enjoying some pink champagne at my place - before heading over to .... Pole Divas? No way. This is too easy!

I still had no idea even when we were sitting in the foyer waiting for everyone - it wasn't until our host came out in her 'Artful Hen' apron that I clicked - it couldn't be? Is it? This is what I'd wanted to do! I couldn't believe my luck! A Life Drawing class was just the right compromise between class and nakedness for me - I was over the moon!

Everyone was dressed up in red and black with very appropriate devil horns, so I definitely stood out in my pink tutu inspired dress and very virginal white veil with crooked halo.

Before we began I had the honour of 'removing the towel' from our muse David and then the 11 of us were taken through a series of techniques - from drawing without looking at the paper or removing our graphite from the page, to drawing left handed, progressive drawings (which had some of us running from one end of the room to the other several times!), using axis and finally it was my turn to pose with David (no I didn't undress). Funny - we were up there for five minutes and everyone was concentrating so much on their drawing that they only peeked out from behind their easels now and then - it didn't feel quite as confronting as I'd expected.

We had a short break half way through and David poured us drinks and chatted with everyone and We ended the evening with a photo shoot and some group shots (for these one he wore the apron!).

It really was the best idea ever and everyone who went along had been really looking forward to it! I highly recommend it to all the bridesmaids out there who are looking for the perfect idea for their creative hen!

Next up... onwards to Orange in Chapel Street....

Mad Hatter's Tea Party Album #3

2010-05-16T18:27:00.001+10:00

Doesn't Kat's dress have an uncanny resemblance to Amsale's Kennedy gown???

We survived!

2010-05-16T18:15:00.012+10:00

I had twice as much energy than normal on Sunday morning - same couldn't be said for Trav but I bounced out of bed and made the girls pikelets for breakfast.

We looked through all the masterpieces that the girls chose for me as well as mum and Louise's photos. I also created my very own art exhibition of those masterpieces up and down our stairwell!

I couldn't get the grin off my face all day and was probably a bit too chatty for Trav's liking. When I saw him at Henry's first birthday party the first things I noticed were his split lip and the massive bruise on his arm - and of course his inability to make more noise than "Ugh" and "Hrmph".

So we took it very easy that evening, replenishing our selves with the finest, fastest fare we could find...

And soaking it all away in a nice warm bath...

I could hardly sleep that night because I kept remembering how much fun we'd had the night before. Thank you girls!!

A picture tells a thousand words...

Waiting...

When Louise, Tamra and the mum's arrived at my place on Saturday evening we popped some pink champagne and Louise presented me with this cute gift - thanks I'm sure I'll be able to use all of it!

I'm ready

2010-05-14T21:29:00.002+10:00

After a fun shopping trip with Kate I'm ready for whatever tomorrow holds...

source

It's amazing what a dress can do for your confidence!

source

Last words of advice

2010-05-14T17:02:00.004+10:00

Belinda from work just dropped in to wish me a fantastic hens night and reminded me that

'It's all about the Bridesmaids'

Someone help me...

And my good friend Marissa had this warning just before all the fun started on Saturday evening

'Don't get arrested'

Good one - thanks 'Riss!

The last word goes to my friend Kat...

The Great Escape?

2010-05-13T15:47:00.004+10:00

We haven't really put any thought into our getaway plan for the end of the reception. I think we'll both be exhausted but won't want to miss out on any of the action so leaving before our guests doesn't sound that appealing.

There are so many clever ways we could do it...

bicycle?

speedboat?

or good old sparklers?

As we tend to lean towards the easy, no fuss approach - I think you can probably guess which one we might choose!

Dog-gone holiday

2010-05-13T14:38:00.002+10:00

Our guests have seemed quite shocked when we tell them that Rossi won't be joining us in QLD? Not sure why - I mean I'm sure he'd love the hot humid weather and being chained up all day while we're out and about. Sounds like a great holiday...

I'm sure that if we were having a Melbourne wedding we'd ask him to be the ring bearer - but Rossi will definitely think he's got the good end of the deal when we drop him off to spend 10 days with his breeder - and 3 other Pugs!

Hey - he should have a holiday too!

Can't you turn me around or something?

2010-05-13T13:05:00.000+10:00

Don't talk French, I'm trying to count...

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And so began our first social dance night. We were both a bit apprehensive as all we've learned is our routine and some latin steps in group which we haven't practiced together for fear of forgetting our first dance! It was great though - instantly we were paired up with new dancers - sometimes more and sometimes less experienced than us and I definitely learned a few new things from John (who has 10 years experience). When doing an underarm turn - pretend that you're walking around a chair - this way you wont try to be too quick. We could even dance and chat at the same time (until it came to the Lindy-Pop that is).

We learned some merengue which was lots of fun (my favourites - swivels!) and Trav and I danced the Cha-Cha, Tango, Salsa, Foxtrot, Waltz, Rumba and LindyPop - to music!

Half the battle seems to be working out which style of dance goes with which music - I'm so glad we went though - now we'll be more confident next time, and out on the dance floor!

What's old is new again

2010-05-12T17:17:00.000+10:00

I've found so many wonderful ideas that I've wanted to include in our wedding over the last 2 years, and unfortunately I couldn't have them all...
There are some ideas that have always stuck in my mind and for this particular one I managed a compromise. I think I first found Super 8 on the trusty WeddingBee Blog and was instantly captivated.

I just love the silence, the depth, the rich grainy images and the way the sunlight plays on the lense, it gives that timeless look and is a style of videography which has really taken off in the States. They are short and sweet, with each roll capturing about 20 minutes of footage and a few of my favourites are

Film Jones
Wilson Fontaine Vignettes
Worker Bee Designs
Paper Tape Films
Fifty Foot Films
bliss*video productions

These days you can get the sound recorded seperately and have both parts edited together, and most of the videographers above will film part of the day in digital as well. Unfortunately Australia is still a bit behind and although I searched and searched for someone in Australia that shoots Super 8 - even listing an ad at James Cook University and contacting the QLD Super 8 Film Club and Heart of Gold International Film Festival.

I eventually came across You Can't be Serious and Stolen Bicycle Films (who no longer seem to be around) but our budget just didn't allow it. I relented and spoke to our videographers MODVideo about their experience with the digital effects. To my delight Colin was really excited to try it and soon had a few short films to show me. We agreed that only parts of the day would be shown in this style (it can give you a bit of a headache after a while) - perhaps the highlight version?

Mad Hatter's Tea Party Album #2

2010-05-12T09:20:00.001+10:00

Mum absolutely loved decorating her house...

from the White Rabbit at the front door,

to the Cheshire Cat on the stairs,

and the special throne just for me,

Me and the Queen of Hearts

Mum, Louise, Tamra and Kathryn had been busy

preparing all these delicious treats

The exclusive new season, totally eco-friendly Bridal Fashions

It's quiz time!

Smack That!

I love gift hunting!

2010-05-11T14:16:00.000+10:00

source

The Polish Way

2010-05-11T09:48:00.002+10:00

I like to keep an eye on WeddingBee - especially Miss Pudding who is a Polish bride planning a very traditional wedding. Over the last week she's been introducing us to some Polish Wedding customs...

And Mrs Sea Breeze included some in her wedding too...

DW in the DR: Sto Lat!

DW in the DR: Poprawiny

Mrs Avocado taught us about the The Bedding Down and her Bridal Party showed us how it's done here.

Somewhere ... over the dancefloor

2010-05-11T09:42:00.003+10:00

The day after our dance lesson I always walk around with Slow Slow Quick. Quick going through my head. We had our fourth-last dancing lesson last night! Our practicing has paid off as the last backwards turn step is looking really good. We learned a couple of new steps - the swivel (I could do that all day) and what I call the 'circle of turns'. We've pretty much learned all the steps and now we can learn the intro and finale and work on polishing everything. We're going to the Champagne night on Wednesday for some extra practice and Francesca mentioned something about performing later on - we both looked at each other and looked at Sim 'Huh?'

She was looking a bit sheepish. Uh oh. Not ready for that yet.

Not that I am...

2010-05-10T15:58:00.001+10:00

But if I was I'd do it like this...

I think these underwater Trash the Dress photos are just amazing! Just not sure how all the crystals, beading and lace would like that water. I've heard that most dresses have washed out good as new after the photo session, I just don't know if I could. But look how much fun it would it be....

This one was taken at Paronella Park by weddingeye

'Plunging' Sara Wall Photography, Hawaii

I just can't get enough of these...

sachablue.com

Michael Howard Photography

Jon Rennie Wedding Photography

40 days to go...

2010-05-10T11:35:00.003+10:00

This weekend was abuzz with chatter about next week's big hens and bucks parties! It all started with a phone call from Tamra on Friday night - "You need to wear white next Saturday". White? I don't have anything white - it goes with owning a black pug. Gotta hit the shops!

On Sunday we checked out the 'Man Cave' Egan created and Kate and I rummaged through her wardrobe in search of white dresses. I took home a couple of possibilities but when I realised that they were so short I couldn't even bend over I had to cross them off the list. A quick trip to eBay solved my dilemma and I'm looking forward to receiving my dress on Tuesday.

At Mum's later that evening I tried on my gown - fearing that this detox may have left me with less to work with but there was nothing to worry about - it actually fit slightly better under the arms than the day I picked it up. Those push ups are working - keep at'em Christie!

Mum loved our Mother's Day dinner and gift of the photo frame with 'Memories in the making' and then she absolutely floored us with a gift of her own.

She has given us a set of Royal Doulton Neptune Champagne Flutes - complete with our initials tied to the stem! They are to use on our wedding night and I am so terrified that I'll damage them!

Mad Hatter's Tea Party Album #1

2010-05-04T19:55:00.002+10:00

I couldn't wait any longer so here are some memories from my fabulous tea party on Saturday!

When I arrived Mum presented me with an original Golden Book and a potted Oriental Lily (she knows they're my favourite!)

My Maid of Honour Tamra gave me these brilliant lilies

Kathryn and Marian know I love roses - and wine - and my bicycle!

I was taken by surprise when Andrea presented me with a gift from David's parents - another gift to put away until we return in July!

Curiouser and Curiouser!

2010-05-03T11:56:00.001+10:00

I had my Bridal Shower on Saturday! I didn't know anything about it in the lead up to the day and it was an Alice in Wonderland Tea Party (I was just told to dress 'Girly')!

Everything at Mum's was themed - from the white rabbit at the front door to the cheshire cat and hearts all the way up the stairs. There were big playing cards and hearts hanging everywhere and I had a special chair with red heart cushions on it. My Mum even took it another step by dressing up as the latest Queen of Hearts - makeup and a dress that she made herself and she gave me such a fright when I walked in. She had even scoured the op shops in search of the Alice in Wonderland Golden Book!

We had a 'toilet paper' bridal fashion parade, a quiz about how well I knew Trav (I didn't do too badly considering my shocking memory) and a peculiar looking piñata that Tamra spent so much time working on but was promptly beaten to a pulp by some very angry ladies.

There was cupcakes, scones, sandwiches, tarts and a chocolate fountain too! I think everyone had a lot of fun and I'll share some pictures soon. I was also presented with a folder which held a recipe that each guest brought along for me, and a Calendula growing 'recipe' from Louise there are some really special ones and some that bring back funny memories. My sister even contributed.

After the 'formalities' some extras dropped in for dinner - what else but Mum's Lasagne? and I had 8 helpers lined up to decorate the ladies bonbonierre - even the boys!

Everything about Saturday was absolutely magical and it was exactly how I'd imagined it, close friends, yummy food and so many thoughtful ideas that made it a day to cherish.

On Sunday I finally went to see Alice in Wonderland yesterday - I hadn't realised how close Mum's costume was to the real thing!

source

With 46 days to go I'm really feeling like a Bride now...

Slow, slow, quick-quick

2010-04-30T09:36:00.005+10:00

Ooooooh after a pretty unco effort practicing in our garage on Wednesday, our dancing last night went so well! As soon as we got onto the floor everything came back and we hadn't forgotten everything after all! I think the surface makes a big difference (if we were just dancing on the boardwalk it'd be a mess!). In our private lesson we started learning our choreography! For our song! That was SOOO much fun - we glided across the dance floor like Fred & Ginger!

Tomorrow is my Bridal Shower! I can't believe it's May already and am so glad I booked my haircut for the morning - it means I don't have to fill in all the hours until 2 o'clock. I'm so excited to see what Tamra and Louise have worked so hard on - and to enjoy the bubbly and all the delicacies on offer. I wonder who's coming? I wonder if there's a theme? I wonder what games we'll play? I hope it's a nice long afternoon!

On Sunday morning I'm getting the girls together for a brief wedding bee - yep stickers and ribbons and spray-paint, all the fun stuff - it will be nice to have those little decorations done and ready to post or pack. It's all coming together now - and quite quickly too!

I look forward to writing all about the weekend on Sunday afternoon...

Lucky in Love

2010-04-27T14:09:00.001+10:00

Early on in our engagement, after we'd set our date, Trav's cousin sent this email along to Marian;

Hi Auntie,

Let Travis and Christie know that they have picked a very lucky wedding date.
In Feng Shui, 1 and 6 are lucky numbers, with 8 the luckiest of all.
They have incorporated all three on their special day - 18/6 ... very auspicious.

Cheers,

While I love a good horoscope as much as the next girl, I also believe that you make your own luck, so although it's nice to hear that we've picked an auspicious date, we know we'll be the ones ultimately making our own happiness. Oh - and I only believe them if I like them.

But now I'm in the mood so I dug up a few more wedding horoscopes from brides.com

and theknot.com...

Daughters

2010-04-23T10:48:00.002+10:00

I know a girl
She puts the color inside of my world
But she's just like a maze
Where all of the walls are continually changed
And I've done all I can
To stand on her steps with my heart in my hands
Now I'm starting to see
Maybe it's got nothing to do with me

Fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too

Oh, you see that skin?
It's the same she's been standing in
Since the day she saw him walking away
Now I'm left
Cleaning up the mess he made

So fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too

Boys, you can break
You'll find out how much they can take
Boys will be strong
And boys soldier on
But boys would be gone without the warmth from
A woman's good, good heart

On behalf of every man
Looking out for every girl
You are the guide and the weight of her world

So fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too

Lyrics by John Mayer

and another one!

2010-04-23T10:00:00.002+10:00

It's the 18th. We'd agreed to help some friends in Mt Macedon for the day and soon found ourselves at the cemetery, tidying up the gardens.In the afternoon some music started playing in the background and people started arriving, for what seemed to be a big picnic. With a sick feeling I looked over at Trav - "We're supposed to be at our wedding!" Trav looked at me rather blankly so I ran to Mum's house yelling 'Mum! Everyone will be waiting! We have to be in Port Douglas! It's our wedding day!" I couldn't understand why no one had rung us as we should have arrived on the Tuesday - wasn't Michelle wondering where we were? Then I realised with great relief - it was only the 18th May.

dream a little dream

2010-04-21T09:27:00.001+10:00

OK they've started again. I think Belinda's upcoming nuptials are freaking me out a little.

Last night in my dream we arrived at our accommodation in Port Douglas to find that 10 of us were sharing one room. But then in reception we bumped into 2 very uninvited guests who were casually explaining that they wanted to stay at the same place for the week. Her partner said he'd tried booking out 4 villas months ago to find that they were already taken.

I looked at them in horror, were they serious? Would someone actually have the nerve to crash our wedding - even going as far as staying at the same place???

The next day we all went to the chapel and Travis was standing at the front, facing the front with Kate and James on either side. Louise and Tamra walked down the aisle, stopping and standing in a row behind Trav. This was starting to look weird. I can't even remember the music being played or Deborah being there, but the pews were full.
I walked down the aisle, and no one even noticed that I was coming - I was near the end when someone said "Oh here she comes". When I reached the end of the aisle, everyone was still facing the front and I didn't know where to stand. I tried to squeeze between Trav and his sister but she didn't budge. I ended up standing on the end, with Kate between us. I then realised that we didn't even have a rehearsal! Maybe this was supposed to be the rehearsal? I looked behind me to see if the Uninvited had snuck in to watch.

The ceremony continued with me peeking around Kate when saying my vows, then when we all walked out everyone kind of wandered off. I told Travis that that was definitely not our ceremony and we hadn't gotten married yet. Even though we were all dressed up I refused to believe it was the actual thing.

I hadn't even confirmed the flower yet. We hadn't even taken the things over to the restaurant. We spent the rest of the day going through the shops, trying to find fishing line and other odd items we needed for the reception. Disaster. What other things can I tick off my to do list now?

PS: No one is escaping this curse - Travis dreamed that he was at the reception but hadn't written his wedding speech. His dad kept saying everything was 'Really Good'.

Time Flies

2010-04-20T16:36:00.003+10:00

Well here we are, with less than 2 months to go until our big day. The day which we've been planning for 2 years! What the heck am I gonna do when it's all over??

There are some 'real' moments coming up which are going to make these last 59 days pretty quick ones.

1. I'm picking up my dress on Friday night!! I get to try it on again! And finally bring it home. That's real.

2. My work pal Belinda is getting married this Saturday. She's 55 days ahead of me and has kept reminding me this whole time that it's going to fly. I'm starting to believe her. All the best for Saturday Belinda!

3. The festivities kick off in May with my shower and our hens and bucks parties. What's realer than that??

Source

Our dancing is going really really well, I just can't wait for each Monday night and this week we've got a bonus - we're joining the practice group this Wednesday night too! I've been so inspired by some wedding dances on the web lately and I just hope we can pull it off on the night.

I'm booking in a hair trial with my hairdresser soon and we'll take some pics that I can send up to Kristy for a bit of a guide.

Also, we're ordering so many things at the moment, from stubby holders to a cake stand and the best bit is that they'll either be delivered directly to our hotel, or to my lil sis in Charleville, who will be driving her feral ute up to PD and can carry a few extra things for us. Who'd have known she could be so helpful from all the way up there??

We've got rhythm ...

2010-04-13T09:46:00.002+10:00

Finally we're in the swing of dancing lessons. Each Monday for the next 8 weeks we'll be heading up to Arthur Murray Dance Studios on Bourke St, a little hidden treasure inside a fairly clinical looking office building.

After a brief introduction last Wednesday, last night we had our first group and private classes. We have now learned 6 ballroom steps and a couple of latin ones too. There were only 3 couples in the group class which made it easy to ask questions and clarify things. We had been practicing our steps from last week and the news ones were a bit more complex but they look really good so I'm looking forward to practicing them a lot. It made such a difference dancing 'in frame' as opposed to holding hands and it felt really wonderful.

To top off a great evening I had a dream that I was at Michael Buble's concert and I was talking to him after the show! He gave me a brand new video camera when I said we were dancing to one of his songs for our wedding - he wanted to see it! I should have just asked him to come and sing it for us live.

I'll leave you with another pearl of wisdom from our good friends Daniel and Simone - farewell folks and enjoy the UK, one year will go by in a flash!

"Whatever you do, take 5 minutes to stand back and look around - the night will go by in a flash and you've planned it for so long, just remember to appreciate it"

Reminiscing...

2010-04-01T16:15:00.000+11:00

Very early into our engagement I began my search for THE DRESS. Like any other search, I started with the www and quickly found Alfred Angelo. Being a destination wedding, I was taken by their convertible dress design, it made perfect sense from ceremony to reception!

Alfred Angelo

But after lots of searching I was sure this one would be my dress -

Alfred Angelo

I was lucky enough that a Melbourne stockist ordered one in just for me to try on and I thought I was in love. Louise and Tamra came along to my first try on and both gave me the nod of approval - and my mum came to the second one- but while there I also tried on lots of other dresses, including this one.

Alfred Angelo

Yes. This was definitely the one. It was ivory with an ivory ribbon at the waist.

Well, that was easy.

A couple of months later my sister was in town for our engagement party and a friends wedding. I knew I'd already found my dress but set up a couple of appointments at some boutiques in town so Michelle could join in the fun. What I well and truly hadn't expected was to find my dress. THE DRESS.

The dress my sister picked. The dress I couldn't get out of my mind. The dress that made me blush. The dress that cost so much more. It really happened - I didn't want to take it off and couldn't wait to visit it again and again! And I did - I'm sure I have tried on my dress about 7 times since the day I found it, November 10th 2008.

Pearls of Wisdom

2010-04-01T14:53:00.000+11:00

I've received 2 more pearls lately - and it's definitely time to take a moment of perspective and share them,

# 1 - Simone says it's a great lesson in communication for everyone (family) involved. Be clear about what's happening but whatever you do - just enjoy every precious moment of planning and of your day as it's all just going to fly by

#2 - Bruno says - you've put so much work into all the planning, when you get up to PD you should just relax - don't ever say that you'll 'be glad when it's out of the way'

Thanks Bruno - I've had to bite my tongue a few times lately!

Take the cake

2010-04-01T13:10:00.000+11:00

Can’t wait to see our beautiful cake. It will be Ivory with black ribbon around both levels, and a pale pink cymbidium orchid on the side. We'll be bringing the cake on the place with us and now that I know what size we’re having, I’m hunting around for a cake stand. Another thing that’s a bit weighty – so I’ll get it delivered straight to Port Douglas to save the extra dollars and hassle. This means yet another online shopping adventure – don’t even need to set foot inside a store!

I’m sure we could probably borrow one but I’ve always wanted one for home – so this is the perfect opportunity!

Our Inspiration

The Knot

There are some lovely pieces at this Home Beautiful page and here’s a few I’ve found myself and am deciding between ...

Maxwell & Williams 31cm

$39.95

HenriettaS

Ecology 30cm

$25.95

Kitchenware Direct

Fenton White Milk Glass Hobnail Cake Stand 13"
eBay.com

Mikasa ANTIQUE WHITE Footed Cake Stand 12"
eBay.com

NEW. ANTIQUE WHITE FLUTED DISTRESSED CAKE STAND 27cm
eBay.com

Wilton White Ceramic Pedistal Cake Stand 12'

eBay.com

... any thoughts?

Mrs Who?

2010-03-29T16:36:00.000+11:00

Three little words gave me a bit of a fright today. Mrs Christie McIntosh. Christie McIntosh. Mrs. Mr & Mrs Travis and Christie McIntosh. Ooooh this might take a little while to get used to. I only whispered at first. I then gained the confidence to look in the mirror and introduce myself 'Hi, I'm Christie McIntosh'. I really thought I would have gotten the hang of it already... but I guess that's why there's 2 months to go

All she wants to do is dance dance dance

2010-03-25T15:42:00.002+11:00

The conversation went a little like this

Christie: You make me feel like dancing...Sooooooo Katie??? What happens what happens? Are they going to call us to say what to bring? Should we bring some songs? Wear our wedding shoes? Get there early for a discussion at the first lesson? Tell me! Tell me!

Travis: I wanna dance the night away

Christie: I feel like dancing…

Travis: Dancing WHooa Dancing Whooa AAAAHHHH

Kathryn: Settle down kids! Francesca will call you Christie. She’ll be your instructor for the 2 private sessions and will tell you what you need to bring.

Can’t wait can’t wait can’t wait. Every Wednesday in April we’re going to dance lessons – finally using Kathryn’s engagement gift – she knows we like to drag things out! I’m so thrilled with this gift – having something like this to look forward to when things get a little nuts is fantastic and I wasn’t sure if we’d have done lessons otherwise. We’ve picked out a few songs and there’s some great stuff on YouTube – soon we’ll decide which style to learn and then we can practice practice practice!

One big lovely mess

2010-03-24T16:09:00.000+11:00

I took a step back this morning. Operation Wedding has really kicked up a gear in the last 2 weeks and shows no signs of slowing. There’s stuff everywhere – decorations, favours, gifts, magazines and tear sheets, folders, and the paperwork Oh the paperwork! We originally started with one box of stuff, which quickly grew to 2, then three – plus everything else.
It’s hard to keep things organized as we don’t have a place for any of it – what a dilemma. I feel so fortunate to be loved by someone enough that he want to spend the rest of his life with me. He wants to celebrate this with our friends and family in our favourite holiday spot and he’s right there with me every step of the way – creating our special day together just as I’d hoped. This is the messy bit of wedding planning, we’re in the middle of an incredible adventure and we wouldn’t have all these interesting things laying around the house if we weren’t planning such a big event!
My mind would be calm and settled, not spinning and racing – if we didn’t have an exciting adventure to look forward to. Well the adventure has well and truly began – so easily we can forget about all the little changes and details that shape our lives and experiences – these things happen every single day – and this is how our wedding is also unfolding, in fact our adventure began a long time ago.

Rather than counting down days and fretting over who’s doing what and whether I’ve forgotten something, this is the time to sit back and soak it up, I’ll never get this period of time back and don’t want to fall into the trap of letting life pass by while I’m busy making other plans. All the decisions, comparisons, endless lists and schedules are part of the process, and some say that getting there is half the fun.

We can plot and plan and tick off our lists, imagining it all coming together on our perfect day, but that day is just 24 hours long, and on that day we’ll have been engaged for 2 years - 730 days (17,520 hours – yes I knew you’d ask). How fast does a normal day go? It’s important to appreciate each of these days for what they are, because come July the creative process for that one special day will have ended. The house will return to being a normal house – from its previous state as a hive of wedding activity and ideas, and we’ll sigh with contentment, thinking about all that excitement and anticipation but not quite reliving it.

Here’s one of the main reasons I’m writing this blog – it’s a diary for myself, I want to enjoy and remember every single moment as clearly as it was yesterday... all my thoughts and ideas hidden in the one place along this curious journey.

It's not a dress, it's a masterpiece

2010-03-20T08:48:00.003+11:00

Wow. What a week. Wedding fever hit our house last Sunday when we sat down with Deborah and planned the details for the ceremony. We’ve picked the music, readings and order of things – we now just need to decide on our vows and work out the sand ceremony details. I’ve got all our wedding music on my iPod and love listening to it on the way to work, it finally feels like we’re getting married soon!

We also arranged the reception timeline and sent out our 3 month countdown to guests. We have 30 guests confirmed so far - and I know there’s many more who have booked their flights but just haven’t RSVP’d yet. To make the most of having all these fantastic people in Port Douglas with us, we’ll be setting aside a couple of hours each day to catch up with everyone. This will be a great opportunity to show them our favourite spots and everyone will start to get to know each other too. We’ll put this info on a postcard which will be waiting in their rooms when they arrive.

I just can’t wait to start dance lessons – I’m so excited that I’ve even started learning some basics at home (slow, quick, quick, slow – back left, side right, close left, side right)! We haven’t decided on our song or dance style and we’ll have to wait until the week after Easter to begin that adventure. I think it will be a really great stress reliever as we get closer to June.

I finally tried on my very own dress on Friday night, Mum and I got from our door to Brides of Melbourne in 20 minutes. It was the last time I’ll see Wendy and her assistant Kelly who have both been so helpful along the way. I don’t think they see any Melbourne Brides quite as often as they’ve seen me (every time they’ve visited since November 2008!)
My poor dress was so crumpled, and it was strange seeing it without the lace on the front of the skirt. I was pinned into it and Wendy marked the hem and where the lace will go. I put on my earrings and my beautiful Kezani bracelet – a gift from Michelle and got excited all over again! I was still very sure of my ‘no veil’ decision, but I tried on one that Wendy recommended – just for fun and it was actually quite lovely. The difference was that it was silk tulle – so it wasn’t as stiff as the regular stuff and it was also as long as the train on my dress, which looked a lot better than the waist length ones I’d tried. They’re going to send down a sample in the right colour with my gown and I’ll make my mind up then.
It will take another month for my masterpiece to be completed and returned to Melbourne and then I’ll be able to visit it every time we go to mum’s. Travis is sure I’ll be trying it on every time! I am looking forward to trying it on with my hair all done up – and am trying to think of anyone I know with a free standing mirror – it would be very helpful to have a couple for that day. I might start checking out some op shops.

On Sunday Marian and the boys went into town to pick out their outfits, and Louise came over and tried on her dress with her beautiful new satin Sandler heels. She. Looked. Stunning. The dress fit perfectly and it was very comfortable - it’s such a relief to know I won’t be trying to return them to the store in America. Just need to pin Tamra down now.

So we’ve gotten a lot of major stuff done and have a very clear plan of what’s left to do – only 88 days to go now…

Same…but different

2010-03-16T19:21:00.013+11:00

One thing I promised myself when I chose my Maid and Matron of Honour to be a part of my special day was to buy them their dresses and make sure they were absolutely thrilled with them – and that’s exactly what I’ve done! After changing my mind from grey to deep pink, to black, to purple, to red I’m back to ….

BLACK

I know this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but I’m excited, and now that they’ve both tried on their dresses they’re excited too! Teamed with pale pink flowers and accessories I think they’ll look simply smashing! Check out this post over at Polkadot Brides for some more brilliant inspiration.

I'm also well aware that Louise and Tamra are two completely different people, and I wanted to celebrate that by giving them some options on the day. Afterall a girls' gotta have options!

So we all agreed on this dress all the way from Newport News in the USA - it's like 10 dresses for the price of one - great value!

Newport News

Here's a little snippet of what I'm imagining our bridal party to look like on the day... pretty suave huh!

You can go with this - or you can go with that...

2010-03-11T22:10:00.001+11:00

After we've both agreed that we're not too interested in the bouquet/garter toss - I came across this idea when cruising through Weddingbee one day - the anniversary dance.

What a lovely way to honour those who have been married for the longest - and what a lovely thing to aspire to!