Wedding collage

I've learnt how to do collages on my new photo editing software. I'm keen to get my hands on Lee and Morgan's Wedding photo disc so that I can use the originals for some collages. I had thought I'd get several prints, but now I'm thinking I'll get a canvas print of a collage of my fave photos instead.

Lee & Morgan's Wedding Photos

I will find some time soon to sit and tell you all about the preperations and the wedding itself, but right now I'm enjoying the break away from it all. Meanwhile, the Photographer has put up a seak peek of photos on her Facebook page. Check them out, Lee is gorgeous and so is everyone else :)

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/album.php?fbid=205764162767261&id=139896672687344&aid=55957&notif_t=photo_album_reply

Wedding Planning

We're on the home run towards Lee & Morgan's wedding and there's still so much to do. I had a bridesmaid dress fitting this evening and have almost got the hen's party sorted - I just need to get a invite list from the bride. Tomorrow night I'm having a catch up meeting with Mum to make a full list of all that still needs to be done. Fun times :)

Wedding Planner-zilla

Yep, that's me. Well, it is from now on. Haha.

We had a mid-week wedding planning meeting to meet with PS - my very good friend and a costume designer. He's making the bridesmaid dresses for us. And at cost! Yay :) We had a good chat about designs, dates, info needed and making a plan for getting three gorgeous dresses for us in time for the wedding. We managed to come up with some good ideas and I think I'm pretty set on a design for mine. I'm going to keep my design fairly simple and funk it up with accessories.

We've also done a lot of planning on the invitations. I've set down deadlines for when the final missing info (registry info, a map and front photo/design) needs to be "in". (In = me). End of August is the deadline. We need to get it all to Dad to get to the printer in Sept so they can be posted in October.

So deadlines are necessary. With so much school work for Lee and lots going on with work for me, it's definetly necessary to set ourselves dates and deadlines for info, but that's a good thing.

Another wedding planning meeting is scheduled for normal wedding planning night on Wednesday with Mum. Should be good to go over other aspects of the wedding - phew!

Engagement Party

Last night was Lee and Morgan's Engagement Party. Lee did the invitiation and it was beautiful. We were asked to bring a small dessert, except that Lee isn't a good speller and it said "please bring a small desert". So we did. Or the family did anyway. haha

Lex made a small diaragma with sand and toy meerkats, then painted the box black and glued on stars.
Dad bought a box of star wars lego - they fly through the desert.
Mum got a toy goat and stuck him on a rock in some sand.
I got a postcard from the middle east that's of camels in the desert and framed it.
JP & RC's daughter L made a desert in a container and also took along one of my camel soft toys.

Oh and we also took some desserts (Brandy Snaps, Icecream and Cheesecake - yum yum!)

Of course Lee & Morgan thought the deserts were great as well as embarrasing - if anyone's going to call her on a spelling mistake, it's going to be us. But the rest of the party goers did seem to find it amusing, so it's all ok :)

Dad bought a 'crate' of champagne which went down very well with the guests. It was pretty yummy too. Lee and I had the worlds smallest champagne flutes - they held about 3 mouthfuls in total. So I decided to be a good hostess and offer the bottle around to everyone, which also meant that I could top up my tiny glass whenever I needed too. hehe.

It was such a mixture of people, my entire family was there including my Gran, plus TC and PS (who arrived rather late after being dropped off at my house instead of Lee's) who have known Lee since she was about 5 years old. There was Lee's work mates, Morgan's friends from the Waikato, Bandmates, Friday Clubbers.

Mum left early on as she's not too well and unfortunetly missed what turned into some lengthy speeches. It all happened by mistake I think. Someone clinked a glass to get another persons attention, but instead it got the entire parties attention. So Morgan stood up to speak, followed by several other people. Most telling how they know Morgan, how he met Lee and how awesome she is. I raised a toast to Lee & Morgan having a long and happy life. MM piped in with a few words too which was nice. I noticed that Morgan's friend girlfriend was videoing them, so Mum you might be able to seem them if Lee can get a copy?

The cutest bit of the whole night was the 18mth old. He's the gorgeous son of one of Lee's friends (who's also a bridesmaid). He was the life of the party, playing with everyone, touching everything. He even managed to start some fun finger pointing and touching game with JP. Super cute.

And then there was my lizard, who later got the name 'Ernie'. He was leftover from the desert making extravaganza, so Mum told me to stick him in my top and perhaps some hot single man would fish him. So I did. The 18mth old fished  him out first, then the gay guy, then my friends' partner, then the other bridesmaid. I decided that Ernie just wasn't doing his job right or I was wearing him incorrectly?! At the end of the night he didn't even come home with me haha.

Now I just need some neurofen and water and I'll be good. :)

Dress Shopping

My sister is going to be a beautiful bride!

Yesterday, me, Mum and Lee went for teh first wedding dress shopping expidetion. We started at a place in Stokes Valley that allowed us to take photos (not that I'll be putting any up just on the off chance that Morgan reads this!). We had the place to ourselves which was nice. The second place was a little more traditional and the last place was very traditional and your standard/normal type dresses.

This trip was mostly about trying to get ideas. Straight away we realised that Lee is not a 'white' wedding dress kind of girl. She's better in the ivories, creams and champagne colours. In white she looks washed out, but in the tinted colours she looks tanned.

Then, we decided that Satin just isn't our friend. The slinky dresses, while beautiful and sexy just weren't "enough" for Lee. Lee needs a funky dress for her funky personality.

The last two places wouldn't allow us to take photos unfortunetly, but understandable. It does make it difficult to remember what dress was what.

The first two places let us go through every dress, pick out the ones to try on and them try them on. But at the third place we went to was full of grumpy looking brides with their grumpy looking sisters, plus the grumpy looking sales girl who so clearly wanted to get home from work that she rushed Lee through the process. In fact we weren't even allowed to look through a third of the dresses before she was rushed into the changing room.

We found a few that were lovely and one that may be a potential winner. We'd make a few alterations and add a few flourishes of course. There's still a few places to go look at, hopefully with a few more funky dresses, but at least we've got some direction now.

The other thing we investigated was making our own headpieces for the bride and the bridesmaids. I hope Lee realises I wasn't kidding about the bright pink butterfly and feathers! Oh and we may go for chocolate brown of the bridesmaids instead of Olive. All a work in progress of course. Check in again later for more details . . .

Wedding Homework

Wednesday is Wedding Planning Night. Lee and I have dinner with Mum and then come up to my house to use the net and do wedding planning. Lee's future mother-in-law is heading up the Waikato division of the Planning Committee and checks in each week.

Everyone goes away with "Wedding Homework" and has to report in throughout the week or at the next meeting. hahaha.

I'm on Guest List tracking, Invite wording and emailing info to bridal party about accomadation and dresses. hmmmm. . . better get on with it then. . .

It's Official, I can finally tell you

My sister's engaged!

Lee Browne and Morgan Samuel are getting married :) I'm so happy for them!  Wedding date is 26th February 2011.

Lee is in her final year of a four year arts degree and really needs to concentrate on finishing. So as her Chief Bridesmaid (or Chief Wakachumba we like to call the role) I am going to lead the planning charge. Tonight is the first Wedding Planning meeting between me, Lee and Mum. So watch this space for more details.