All my ideas in one place at last...
As a fashion designer and self confessed computer geek, having a wedding blog is my idea of heaven. It means instead of having images on my computer at home, work and on my laptop, I can stick everything in one place so I can start to see a picture building of how my day is going to look. Instead of being stressed about the large task in front of me, I'm enjoying every minute in the planning of possibilities.
The funny thing is, before my fiance asked to marry me, I was quite happy 'living in sin' then as soon as I said yes and had that ring on my finger, I feel like I've turned into a wedding obsessed freak! This is going to be one way for me to get it all out of my system and stop having images and ideas floating around in my head all the time! Well that's the plan anyway...
Since we are both from Scotland, there was never any other option of where we would get married, however we live 300 miles away in Yorkshire so most of our planning will be done by e-mail and phone. I'm hoping this blog can also be a handy tool to show our suppliers how we’d like the day to look and feel .
I'm putting together lots of lovely ideas for my own wedding but in doing so, if it inspires anyone else to be different then that's all the more rewarding.
There's so many great ideas out there and I like the idea of a handmade, vintage style wedding which is not all about the bride in a big dress wanting to impress. I think all too many people these days get caught up too much in the etiquette or tradition in what every other person has done before. I think they are missing out on the fun of planning a day exactly how you want it to be – screw tradition! I’m constantly asking “But why?!” Why do we have to have speeches? Why do we have to have a first dance? I think it’s the stubborn streak in me – and the inability to let it bother me what other people think.
So we won’t be having speeches - I would just cringe all the way through and I don’t want any members of our wedding party to be nervous or dread doing them. First dance is another one – we don’t do dancing. Well not until we’ve had a few drinks and then it’s still more of a shuffle, oddly swaying type motion. It wouldn’t be enjoyable for us doing it or people watching so why do it just because everyone else does?
Cakes are tricky – not sure I want to spend £250 on a bit of sponge (I can see how some of them cost that much as there’s a lot of time and effort that goes into them but at the end of the day it’s a CAKE. Which not many people will eat, unless you use it as part of the dessert). We are fussy eaters because my fiancé hates fruit cake and I hate icing. So when it was suggested that we needed a 2 tier wedding cake, the little voice in my head was saying “But why?!” So the jury is still out on that one as we ponder what to do. Even supermarket wedding cakes can cost £200 and they generally tend to be the yukky fruit/icing combo. I’m liking the possiblilty of a homemade style cake table with all sorts of various nice cakes on nice cake stands – something for everyone perhaps so it does get eaten. And if it doesn’t, then we won’t have spent an absolute fortune. My fiancé is undecided as he’s more traditional than me! I’m sure between us, we’ll come up with the answer. If anyone has alternative ideas then they would be greatly received – carolsouthern@yahoo.com
Huge guest list is the next bucking against the trend – I’m not very keen on being the centre of attention at the best of times and the thought of having 70 pairs of eyes on me all day just fills me with dread. It’s going to be bad enough with 30. Then there’s the fact that my fiancé has been married before so he’s been there done that and this time he’d like it to be different. It might seem like an odd wedding and the way we’re planning it is like more of a house party where we just happen to be getting married. Only time will tell if it all works out but you know what? If it doesn’t, it’s not the end of the world. If everyone is well fed, well watered and has a nice weekend away and we are married at the end of it then JOB DONE! And to everyone who is not invited, I’m sorry and I hope you understand that we want to do it OUR way and we don’t love you any less. We had to stop somewhere otherwise it was turning into a HUGE do.
There, I've said my piece. x
WEDDING DATE: Saturday 17th September 2011
PLACE: Dalmunzie Castle www.dalmunzie.com
PEOPLE: Carol Southern & Barry McEwan
