Song decisions...

Even though I've given Mr. B the mammoth task of putting together the music playlist of our day together, I've decided to pick the aisle song. The reason for this? Mr B's idea of an aisle song is Star Wars' 'Imperial March'. That or the Jaws theme song. Hmmmmm

Hand on heart, he would do this if he could get away with it. Cute but no effing way...!!
 
To me, music will be one of the most important details of the day. Both being big music fans, it is going to be hard to make the final cut.

Origionally Mr B. didn't want to have an aisle song, but I just think an awkward silence is possibly worse than Darth Vadar's Imperial March!! Finding the right song is so hard as there are so many options! Should we have a old classic, or a modern day? A song that means something to us or a song that just sounds effing good? I don't want to make people emotional and I certainly don't want to make myself cry, so that rules out a few already.

Here's my current shortlist....

My pick is Devendra Banhart's 'Baby'. I listened to this album a lot when Mr. B and I first moved out together so there is a strong emotional connection (for me at least). Not too boring or cheezy...

 A friend of ours recently suggested this one by Daniel Lee Kendall...

Mr B. and I both love Bon Iver. We recently saw him play live and have all of his albums. We often play him in our house and he is special to both of us. His music is beautiful, chilled and haunting. I'm scared to play him as I won't be able to hold it together, but he's soooo good!...

Another artist both Mr. B and I love is Jamie Lidell...

As you can tell, I'm more fond of modern artists and songs..!! Mr B has an appreciation of older music so he's going to have to think about some contenders.

I like this cover of Queens Best Friend (I'm a big sucker for the ukelele for those who don't know). I love the origional and wish it wasn't on the cheesy side as it would be perfect. But the cover is toned down somewhat and more suited to the casual beach theme...

Awesome Beatles cover too...

A lovely tune by Regina Spektor...

And who could forget about Spoon?!

Some steep competition. I'll post Mr. B's (realistic) choices once we've reached consensus

Have your cake...and eat it too!

Still deciding on what cake I want. I need to send Lisa my wedding planner images and ideas on cake style and flavour and I'm still not sure. Here's a few of my favourite (but whether or not they're achievable is another story...)

In terms of flavour I have this in mind. Doesn't it look decadent? Yumm!!

In terms of aesthetics, I am LOVING these styles and colours. They almost seem too gorgeous to eat!

 How adorable is the bunting on this cake?

 I think this is Probably the prettiest cake-cupcake combo I've ever seen! Too gorgeous for words

Hair Inspiration

In light of my new 'do, I am convinced that I want to wear my hair down with big soft curls a-la Hilary Swank. I usually wear my hair down most days, and am not one to try something new on my wedding day.

While I'm not sure what I'll wear in my hair, I know that it definately won't be a veil. I've never understood their function, considering the tradition and symbolism is so outdated! Besides, I think a veil undermines the casual nature of a beach wedding. Anyway while I will be bypassing the veil, I want to wear fresh flowers in my hair. Not sure if I want just one big flower like this beautiful bride (whose hair styling looks amazing BTW)

Or if I want several smaller flowers weaved around in a headband style

Decisions decisions...

Say Yes to the dress

Beach wedding attire differs from the norm, as you would expect. The usual bridal gown shapes and embellishments don't apply. Same goes for the groom with fabrics and colours. So I was on the lookout for something super simple, elegant and comfortable. Words I never thought I'd use to describe my future wedding dress. But when in Rome...
For those who’ve never shopped for bridal gowns before, it can be quite a daunting experience. Where to even begin? I had three options in my head...
1) purchase a beautiful ready-to-wear maxi dress and dress it up as a bridal gown to re-wear post wedding  2) purchase a couture bridal gown ready-to-wear, although I've never liked the idea of spending THAT much cashola on something never to be worn again; complete waste!
3) seeing what's out there online- maybe even snap up a bargain on eBay
I guess I have been extremely lucky in finding my dress so quickly and painlessly....Online! I'm living proof it can be done!
Now I know what you might be thinking. How the hell can you buy a wedding dress without seeing it in full glory in the flesh first?! Pretty easily as it turns out. After a couple of Google searches (where would I be without my trusty friend Google eh?) I managed to find an online tailor from China, named Helen who has a talent for making bridal gowns and marketing herself as a 'beach wedding dress expert'. I researched this Helen to see what others had written about her site/ dresses. All of them positive reviews, I carried on. Her prices were so competitive and her customer service was second to none that within two days, I had ordered my dress. She offered real-time live chat and we had discussed in lengthy detail what my expectations were. She also described the fabric and colour in great detail, sending me swatch photo examples in different lighting conditions to help bring my questions to life. Absolutely astounding. After having my mind put at ease, I decided to bite the bullet and order the dress. Mr B. took my measurements and away my order went. Exactly 5 weeks later my dress arrived, perfectly packed and protected inside out. I opened the package and tried it on. Boy was I immediately filled with joy! I had found the dress. Who would have thought it would be so easy. I am in many ways so glad I haven’t had to visit the many bridal boutiques in Melbourne, and bypass that whole process altogether. Maybe it's because destination weddings aren't as common, so it seems and they are under-represented in retail bridal shops.
Anyway I don't want to reveal the dress before the wedding to maintain the surprise. What I can share are the shortlisted dresses I liked that didn’t make the final cut...

I believe my dress blows all of the others out of the water, and I’ll certainly post photos of the dress on the wedding day (when I'm wearing it). So until then, keep faith in online shopping, especially for bridal gowns. There's something for everyone out there I truly believe.
 

After Party idea's

So I’m in two minds about organising our 'after-party' via my wedding planner in Thailand. Lisa works at Rayavadee (the wedding resort) and has been helping me with so many various things. She's been great thus far. However, obviously she has clear incentives for pushing her own resort products and offerings which I don't have a problem with. However, being a 5 star resort, Rayavadee is not coming cheap with all the extra's we're adding. Anyway Lisa has offered the option to hire out their Grotto (private limestone cave on the beach) and the bar at Melbourne prices! We have managed to keep costs to a minimum, however this would definitely add a significant chunk onto the costs. It does look amazing...

I'm conscious that I don't want to just end the night after our dinner. Guests will be well fed, and fuelled up on alcohol and all dressed up too. No doubt many will want to hit the town, or have a little boogie! I know I'll want to extend the night as long as I can! Besides for being rather pricey, The Grotto will be quite secluded...a good ro bad thing?

My alternative is to find someone willing to hire out their bar to us for the night, and pay them some cashola for the hassle. It is Thailand after all. Nowhere near Rayavadee prices methinks, plus guests get to explore Railay beach and have an adventure too. I will just have to go speak to some bar owners as soon as we arrive at Railay. I read that others have done this too, so not a bad option.
 
The other thing I want to punctuate the night with, just after dinner (and just before the After Party), are Fire Lanterns. Effing amazing things, I’m such a kid sometimes.......

When we were in Au Nang last year, we could buy these lanterns everywhere and were super cheap! I'll pick some up en route Railay so that everyone will have one to light on the night! Then people wanting to call it a night can then go to bed if they want, sending us off with a light and a bang.

New Hair

Absolutely loving it! I'm a hair colour virgin and tonight Rokk Ebony popped my cherry. Will take a few days to fully get used to it but I definitely am happy!

Somehow my hair looks lighter in these shots...

So after seeing my hair in natural light, those initial pics are deceptive. Not that blonde in reality. Here's a better depiction..,

Lately....

So this morning I started stressing about not receiving the invitations yet. I approved them and paid for them mid-January after about a million hours of back and forth via email, perfecting everything. So many forms to fill out, so many fonts and colours to go through, so many images I sourced for this designer. And now, almost 2 months after approval & nadda...What the hell?! Don't get me wrong, I'm no Bridezilla (no matter what Mr. B tells you). But I do want to give guests enough lead time to book their trips and annual leave. Lots of people have been asking what's going on and I want to just give them all the info now. But I also want it to be a surprise when they receive their passport invitations and then discover the wedding website. I have contacted the Etsy designer (who lives in the USA) and she is following up her postal service. I hate waiting, but am excited at the same time!! I think that once I've posted them off finally, I will be able to get on with the planning. It will feel official then!  

p.s I booked the hairdresser and am seeing them this Thursday night. Fingers crossed I love the new do. Pics and updates to follow...

Inspiration

So I joined Pinterest a few weeks ago. I originally joined to create a beach wedding inspiration board. But I must admit, it's become quite addictive. All those beautiful pictures. So easy to get lost in its vortex.

Here's a few of my favourites....