Make me up

I've decided not to get a makeup artist for the wedding. I'm super fussy about makeup artists in general and usually hate getting my makeup done by anyone else as I hate heavy cakey looks! I must be the one person in the whole world who doesn't suit a smokey eye either! So when Lisa our wedding planner asked if I wanted her help organising one, I kindly declined. I know it's going to be tricky finding the right products to suit the humidity, but I also think if there's one place in the world I'll be able to get this, its right here in Melbourne.

With that in mind, I have been testing and experimenting with different looks. I found this great tutorial from a gorgeous Aussie makeup artist, Chloe. She's such a down-to-earth girl, and I subscribe to her vids on YouTube as she has a great, simplified style and good eye for detail.

I'm currently liking this look the best

A few more makeup looks I'm liking and wanting to test out. Lily Aldridge can do no wrong in my eyes. My current hair and makeup crush

Love this natural, ethereal look too

Parasol for the soul

I'll let the pictures do the talking

Love them, want them, got them for the wedding. That is all :)

Head piece

Here's a little inspiration. Love this style so much!!

Reception decoration

So here is what we've chosen for the reception...

After speaking to Lisa our wedding planner about cake options, I came to the realisation that the kind of cakes I had in mind (aesthetically as well as gustatorily) would probably not work in Thailand. We had to consider the climate, the ingredients the Thai chefs have access to in a remote part of Krabi, as well as expertise. As such we settled on the below for our wedding cake. I still love it's simplicity, not to mention it will be chocolate too, decorated with fresh flowers! A happy compromise.

The cake will apparently have its own table, decorated with a whole heap of flower vases choc-a-block full of fresh flowers. I love this idea to bits!! Flowers are natures best decoration in my opinion, and because orchids grow wild and abundently at Rayavadee, this will look so beautiful!

We have decided to host our dinner reception at the 'Umbrella Tree Court'. This is an open air dining area right next to the beach. There are views of the ocean as well as the cliffs in the backgound. All the things you want from a Thai wedding! There will also be beautiful lanterns hanging from all the trees. We have also decided to have a large Thai buffet style dinner, so guests can try a bit of everything, as well as get to speak to everyone - mix it up in beween sitting down!

There was a choice to host our dinner reception in 'The Grotto' - that cave on a secluded part of the beach I mentioned in my last post. It's also quite nice. We preferred the open air umbrella tree court though, as the night sky is obviously a star attraction of an outdoor wedding! Especially in Thailand with the warm air and stars.

I have arranged for our dinner tables to be decorated with name settings. I origionally wanted to place mini photo frames with guests pictures on their wedding day vs. a name place card. However I realised that actually consolidating and getting everyone to send me a photo would be a massive undertaking, I've let that idea go! I'll probably personalise this name card rather than have Rayavadee print off generic ones...

There will be candles and flowers on each table

This is a view from the Umbrella Tree Court of the buffet table

As a plan B if it rains, there is an indoor venue for us to locate to. Fingers crossed it doesn't rain! But I guess thats one thing we're not able to control, so either way we will make the most of it!

Ceremony decoration

At the moment, I'm in the process of organizing our set up & decoration for our venue with my trusty wedding planner Lisa.

There are so many options and decisions to make. This is what we have decided on so far...

We will be getting this lovely ring cushion decorated with flowers and leaves.

For the vow ceremony, there are a few extra's we are able to choose from. Not so keen on these, there's the 'virgin road' petal spread. A little too OTT for our taste, as well as the Gazebo, which isn't necessary as there is so much natural beauty around already....

We did request 4 large parasol umbrellas decorated with flowers as well as the light floral spread. I think this simple design frames the setup and gives it an elegant composition.

Straight after the vow ceremony, we have chosen to do a Thai water pouring ceremony; also known as ‘Rod Nam’. Traditionally Thai people do not get married by monks at a temple, but are married with the traditional water pouring ceremony and will either go to make an offering at the temple before or they may invite monks to their home for a special blessing ceremony. I think it's a nice way of incorporating a Thai tradition (something borrowed) into our day. It will also give our guests an opportunity to be involved in the day as guests get to come up and individually say a few words to both the bride and groom and give us their 'blessings'.

 The resort will also provide 12 confetti baskets - how cute are they?

 I sent Lisa a photo of this corsage that we liked. A bit more elegant Mr B and I thought...

 

I have arranged for the seats to be decorated with leaves and flowers at the back. We liked this design, it's simple and understated...

I have also arranged to get our 'wedding transport' (AKA the resort buggy) decorated with beautiful flowers. A nice touch I thought....

We will be having our vow ceremony in the afternoon, on the resort's Coconut Lawn. We had another option to have this at 'The Grotto' - a part of the beach, in a cave (!), but we thought that the lawn had nicer views of the limestone cliffs and lush greenery in the background. Absolutely gorgeous location, the perfect spot for a wedding ceremony!

 

Getting very excited! especially since it's been so cold and rainy in Melbourne lately. Cannot wait for some clear skies and sunny weather to brighten us all up!!

Accessories

Tonight I managed to find the girls a little gift each for being my flowergirls.  Freshwater pearls.

On the same website, I also managed to find the most perfect beach wedding bracelet. Ever!
Fingers crossed this bad boy translates to the real world and I don't end up with buyers remorse when I receive it, but it looks so darn amazing in the photo. How can it not live up to my expectations?!
 Elegant but still beach chic I think...  

Grooms Suit

I imagine Mr B to be wearing something similar on our wedding day...

I love the idea of a lightweight breathable suit minus the tie! Casual and elegant at the same time. I managed to find an online tailor to make Mr B's beige cotton chino suit to spec. Thet sent us some fabric samples just to be sure of the colour as I don't trust computer images - they can be so wrong! Anyway Mr B ended up liking the lightest Beige (top left) which I agree!

I hope I didn't mess up his measurements, but for the price we're paying for this suit, I'm willing to take the risk!

Despite the fact that we're getting hitched in Thailand (the land of the tailor) I would hate to leave Mr B's outfit until the last minute when we get there, only to find the tailors don't have the right farbics to make such an outfit! It would definately put a damper on things. Anyway I've sent off our order and am excited to see the end result!

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