The Big Day is Finally Here..Well Kind Of..
Today is the day I’ve been waiting quite a long time for, that’s right, today is the day of the wedding cake tasting!
Up until recently, I was unsure of what to do cake wise – I contemplated having my mother make the cake and getting a professional to ice it as she is an excellent baker but would not dare tackle icing. Then I considered asking my aunt to do both jobs but as she lives over four hours away, I soon thought better of that idea.
I then recalled the one and only wedding fayre we attended, we had tasted some delicious cakes there so I rummaged through and found the details of the lady responsible for this deliciousness and promptly contacted her.
Wedding cakes can be rather expensive even for something simple so I braced myself for the high prices but was surprised at the prices of the cakes I had in mind. So I took the bull by the horns so to speak and asked if she was available to cater our cake but was disappointed to hear that she was already fully booked for our day which was over six months away at this stage.
I then had a brain wave and contacted a chef I know who recommended Gemma, the lady I’m meeting today. Gemma has prepared some samples for me and is bringing along images of previous cakes as she does not have a website.
I’m very hopeful that I may have another item ticked off my list later!
The Search For The One Continues & It’s Not All Roses
After a successful first day of wedding dress shopping, I really looked forward to our second outing. This time H & I decided to make it a double whammy and booked two appointments for the same day – we were feeling very ambitious indeed!
Our first appointment was at the beautiful Bridal Bliss boutique on the North side of the city. We arrived in plenty of time and were greeted by a lovely young lady who invited us to take a seat and look through some catalogues while another bridal party finished up. Less than five minutes later, we were up!
We were shown each dress in turn to which we said yay or nay – quite a few beautiful gowns and quite a few yays later, I was ushered into the spacious dressing room. I tried on four dresses but none gave me that “wow” factor until I stepped out onto the podium in that fifth dress and looked in the mirror – it was very contemporary, very fitted and felt amazing on. I knew this dress was another contender and of course, at that stage I couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried, picture my beloved first dress. The ever practical H took out her phone and quickly put it back in her pocket when she spotted a “No Photographs” sign on the wall!
All-in-all, great service as well as amazing gowns at Bridal Bliss.
We then moved onto our second appointment of the day at Rice n Roses located in Frankfield. I was quite looking forward to visiting Rice n Roses as I know many brides who purchased their dresses there over the years. As we pulled up to the door, we notice another bridal party waiting outside and then another car parked beside me – so far, 3 brides.
After waiting out in the rain for 5 minutes, we were all led in to find yet another bride waiting patiently bringing the total to 4 brides with the same appointment time. A girl who was no more than 15 advised us how it would work – we were each given about 10 coloured tags (each bride had a different colour), told to tag the dresses we liked and someone would help us, the girl then promptly disappeared and we did not see her again. H & I looked through the rails unaided & tagged a number of dresses, some of which were already tagged by other brides.
After some time, a few ladies paraded down the stairs & shouted names, pairing off with each bride once they responded. A petite lady introduced herself to us and led me into the changing room. The room itself was very shoddy and the curtained off changing area was no bigger than a standard dressing room in any shop, therefore it was impossible to close the curtain and have any privacy while changing as wedding dresses do require quite a bit of space. The assistant brought in some of the dresses I’d chosen and I began to fit them on - while the assistant was quite pleasant, I didn’t find her helpful, she agreed with everything I said about any dress and didn’t offer advice or solutions. If I didn’t like a dress, it was promptly untied & whipped off me, straight out of the changing room & given to another bride. I felt very self-conscious during the whole process so didn’t even try on some of the dresses in the end.
I left the shop feeling very underwhelmed and certainly would not have bought a dress from there even if I loved it. A wedding dress is an expensive purchase so brides should be made feel special at least but that did not happen for me – I felt like a battery hen.
So day two of dress shopping was a mixed bag but I now had another fabulous dress to add to my list for consideration.
Return to Blogging: I’m Back!
After a ridiculously long break from blogging I’m back on track now hopefully. I initially intended to take a few weeks break when our blocklayers let us down & I had to source another at short notice. However, from there, things began to spiral downwards rather rapidly & blogging had to take a back seat so for that I apologise.
So it’s back to writing for me then….
Apologies
Sincere apologies for my lack of posts lately – have been really busy with both wedding & house plans & then one of our tradesmen let us down, leaving our build at a standstill. Currently back to square one looking for quotations from others in the area & will hopefully we back on track soon so I promise to get blogging again just as soon as I can!
POLL: Changing Your Name
I’m quite lucky in the respect that my H2b thus far anyway, is quite relaxed and has supported any wedding ideas or thought I’ve had, however there is one request he has made and that is for me to change my name once we are married. He sees our marriage as a new beginning and feels strongly that to be truly united we should share the same name. I, on the other hand, never even considered changing my name as firstly, I’ve no brothers so nobody to carry on the name and secondly, I like my name as it is thank you very much! Perhaps, if we have children I will feel differently and the only compromise we can think of is for me to double barrel my name. I’m sure how comfortable I am with doing that either so the disagreement continues!
This brings me to this weeks poll – over to you ladies, do you or will you change your name?
The Search For The One Begins…
I know a lot of ladies dream of their wedding dress from a very young age and have very definite ideas of what style they want. I however, was not one of those ladies, that is until one day, while flicking through a bridal magazine, I came across a full-page image of the most beautiful dress and knew it was THE ONE!
I took out my Blackberry, snapped a quick photo of it and immediately sent it to my sister, H (Chief Bridesmaid) saying “This is it”. She quickly responded through the magic that is Blackberry Messenger that while it was a fabulous dress, not to get too excited until I try it on - yes, she is the level-headed one! I knew she was right but I did get quite giddy and began to envisage myself in the amazing gown so I looked up the nearest stockist and as luck or I like to think fate would have it, one of the closest bridal shops to me were a stockist! I immediately phoned them to make an appointment and there happened to be a cancellation the following Saturday.
I decided to only take H to look at dresses initially as I didn’t want to be confused by too many “second” opinions and I could always count on her to be honest so we trotted off to the appointment bright and early Saturday morning. As soon as we came through the door of Esposa Bridal, there was an exact replica poster of the magazine image of the dress so I explained to the assistant, Barbara that I’d fallen in love with that particular dress but of course wanted to try on other also. Barbara explained a little about the store, the designers and the dresses themselves and we then set about selecting some to try on which Barbara placed on a rail outside the dressing room.
I tried on four dresses before finally, putting on the dress I’d fallen for and the minute it was laced up, I knew I loved it even more – I stepped out of the dressing room and up onto the podium as H gasped. Both Barbara and H agreed that it was the perfect style on me and by far, the nicest dress I’d tried thus far. I’ve heard many people say that once you try on THE dress, you’ll know it straightaway but I didn’t quite believe it until that moment when I saw my reflection in the mirror.
I tried on about ten more dress, each gown was beautiful but none compared to my first love. After trying it on for a second time, Barbara gave me the details of the dress and also as this was my first bridal visit, she advised me on other stores that would carry dresses which would suit my figure. I was very impressed by her service, manner and helpful nature and ensured her that I would be back.
I knew that I had to visit other bridal shops before making a final decision but at least now, I had a better idea what I wanted, what suited me and I also had something to compare other dresses to. I left the shop a very happy lady indeed!
Massive Clearance Sale: Angel Brides
The lovely ladies from Angel Brides in Midleton, Co. Cork sent me an email informing me of their upcoming clearance sale.
The sale takes place on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th October from 10am – 5pm and continues on Sunday 17th October from 2pm – 5pm, no appointment necessary. The sale will include sample wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, veils, shoes & hair pieces with up to 70% off.
This was one of the bridal shops I visited and although, I didn’t find “the dress” there, I tried on some beautiful gowns and was very impressed by the friendliness and knowledge of the staff so perhaps it might be worth a visit!
Wedding Stress Perhaps?
A lot of people talk about the stress of planning a wedding and at this stage with over 9 months to go, thankfully, I don’t feel overly stressed yet.
However, it must be weighing on my mind as last night I had a horrid dream:
It was the morning of my wedding and I was standing in my bedroom in my parents house wearing a gown which didn’t in any way resemble my chosen one and I was panicking! I looked in the mirror to discover that my hair was literally thrown on top of my head wildly with what can only be described as a bouquet of flowers attached to one side. My bridesmaids who also happen to be my sisters were in their own world so absolutely no help and if that wasn’t bad enough, in walks a third bridesmaid who I’d never seen before in my life! I then looked down at my nails to find them sporting chipped varnish that looked like it had been there for months so I asked a random girl who yet again I’d never seen before to apply some false nails but of course, she completely messed them up. My mother then appeared and I felt a huge sense of relief but like my sisters, she too had no interest and just brushed me off. At this point, I decided on put on my shoes and go downstairs in search of my father – I lifted the lid of the shoe box and found not two but three shoes inside, two of which were completely ripped apart.
I suddenly jolted awake to find my heart beating rather quickly in my chest and a sick feeling in my stomach. I checked the clock, it was 4.52am and I lay awake staring at the ceiling with my mind racing until my alarm went off several hours later.
All I can hope for is that this was not a premonition of some kind! So am I alone or is this quite common in the run up to the big day?
POLL: The Cost of Wedding Flowers?
This poll was inspired by last week’s episode of Don’t Tell The Bride where the groom spent almost the same amount of money on flowers for the wedding as he did on the brides original dress!
So what are your thoughts on flowers? Are they a waste of money or do you feel they are an essential to complete the day?
And of course, what about the cost?
Wedding Showcase at Clanard Court Hotel
Another event taking place this weekend is a wedding showcase at Clanard Court Hotel on Sunday, 3rd October. See the press release below which I received from Weddings Online for further details:
“Wedding Showcase – Sunday 3rd October 2010
- View the Clanard Court as it would be on the day of your wedding.
- Take a tour or their amazing NEW Bridal suite
- See how to create that WOW!! factor by use of cutting edge centrepieces, mood lighting and table decorations
- Sample their array of food & wines.
- Meet the management and sales team who will be on hand to personalise your All Inclusive package & guide you through all aspects of your Wedding Day.
Receive a €500 voucher against any new wedding booking and receive a complimentary voucher for an overnight stay on the night of your choice in November 2010.
Experience a high level of personal service first hand.
The Clanard Court is set amid landscaped gardens and since opening four years ago has become one of Kildare’s leading wedding venues. Specialising in tailor made weddings the Clanard Court ensures your total satisfaction by catering for only one wedding per day. The Hotel has successfully fulfilled the Dreams of over 400 wedding couples in the last 4 years.
We have facilities on site for civil ceremonies and blessings. Our Fitzgerald Suite is ideal for large ceremonies of up to 250 guests or our Duke of Leinster Suite is perfect for more intimate gatherings. Both rooms are dressed with chair covers and bows, floral arrangements and traditional red carpet at the entrance to the room. Although the law has only recently changed in relation to Civil Ceremonies out side of a Registry Office; at The Clanard Court Hotel we have years of experience in relation to on site blessings and other types of wedding ceremonies.”
